It’s widely known that Aberdeen is the centre for the UK oil and gas industry which has employed thousands of people in the North East of Scotland and supported livelihoods across these islands.
Aberdeen is also a departure point where generations of ‘miners of the deep’ travel by helicopter to oil platforms beyond the horizon and, two weeks later, return with heroic stories of exploration and extraction in hazardous conditions.
And sometimes, these have ended in tragedy.
But now the tragedy of climate breakdown is unfolding around the world of which the oil companies play a central role.
The resulting social and political pressure is now forcing the industry to consider change.
But is it changing? And what should come next? Especially for the self proclaimed ‘Oil capital of Europe’, Aberdeen.
Before any meaningful answer that attempts to chart a new course towards a Just Transition, it’s wise to come to terms and learn from what has gone before.
While the oil industry tells stories of meeting demand for ‘cheap’ energy and providing monetary wealth for some, there are untold stories about the relationships between oil and the lives of people living and working in this part of Scotland.
Entirely shot in Aberdeen and through an infusion of live performance, interviews and cityscape, this film attempts to tell some of those stories through documenting a poetry workshop and spoken word night. Held in Aberdeen in late 2021, local performers were asked ‘how do we let go of the world of oil and all it represents?’.
This film provides space to reflect on the unbounded nature of oil, going far beyond the idea that it’s simply a commodified source of energy. Instead showing how it seeps deep into the lives, aspirations and personal relationships of people living and working in Aberdeen and beyond.
