ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reflects upon the importance of islands as a space in which, and with which, to con-template the pressures and the possibilities within past, contemporary and future society. It considers the implications of historical circumstance for perceptions of and interactions with northern islands, in particular the significance of periods between and following the First and Second World Wars. The book takes the widest time-frame, relating ways in which through time and across national and international networks, island artists have responded to environmental and atmospheric conditions. It deals with the practice of a single contemporary artist, Will Maclean, but with a related focus on the identity of place, memory and 'memory-places' as the impact upon the multi-layered form of his artworks. The book suggests the experience of responding imaginatively to the unique 'peripheral' environments of northern islands calls forth renewed possibilities for community.
