An author hoping to publish a commemorative book to coincide with the planned celebrations to mark the 700th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath has begun a crowdfunding campaign.
The campaign has already broken the £500 mark, which writer and illustrator Andrew Redmond Barr hopes will kick start the estimated £9,000 required to have the book published.
Mr Barr said: “The project is at an early stage, but I envision the book will be around 120 pages long, and a high-quality hardback, almost like a coffee table book, and will be a mixture of text and illustrations.
“The intention of the project is to establish a broader understanding of the Declaration of Arbroath outside of academia.
“The book and corresponding artwork will expose aspects of Scottish history which I hope people will find new and interesting.
“This project has an educational and awareness-raising element rather than being solely artistic, and it will demonstrate how the early ideas and principals of the Declaration shaped Scotland, and why it still matters in the modern world.
“The centre pages will be an illustration of the Declaration, with the text in English from an established translation surrounded by other images.
“There will be a number of other chapters, which will explore issues addressed in the document itself, such as people power and sovereignty, which are topics that are still discussed today, so the Declaration continues to be internationally relevant.”
The book will also explore how the Declaration has been viewed in the past, such as by the early home rule movement, and also during the war.
Mr Barr was one of the co-founders of the arts campaign National Collective in 2011, and in 2016 he released his first book ‘Summer of Independence: Stories from a Nation in the Making’ and earlier this year held a solo art exhibition at the Saltire Society in Edinburgh exploring Robert Burns’ relationship with politics and power.
Chair of the Arbroath 2020 Committee Harry Simpson said: “Although the book is not officially connected to the project, I am delighted that what we are doing is attracting so much attention.
“The 2020 Committee is meeting regularly, and we are currently working on some exciting and interesting projects that will combine to deliver a memorable year of celebration.”
The book crowdfunding page can be found at:
igg.me/at/Arbroath2020
