EIGHTEEN artists and makers are taking part in the first of a new series of events at Marchmont House in the Borders next weekend to promote Scottish creativity.

Conversations in Wood will feature leading names in contemporary wood making who are contributing to a display of works, talks, films and dialogue.

Among them are Borders-based Charles Poulsen and Adrian McCurdy whose works already feature in the permanent collection at the stately home.

David Nash, who has a lifetime retrospective of his work on in Cardiff and work at Marchmont, has also just confirmed his attendance – showing an updated film on his river boulder art project and giving a talk on what wood means to him and joining the conversation. There will also be a film preview on Sebastian Cox, the acclaimed maker, who is making waves with his environmentally friendly experimental works.

Marchmont’s director Hugo Burge said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors to Marchmont House to meet, and see work created by, some of the very best in contemporary wood makers today.”

The weekend of events will take place from August 3 to 5 at the recently restored mid 18th-century Palladian mansion Marchmont House near Greenlaw and is part of a year-long series made possible thanks to a partnership with Edinburgh-based UK fine art auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull.