Artwork unveiled at Lockerbie Academy

From Spring Fling

A beautiful six metre long banner crafted by Lockerbie Academy students to celebrate their town was unveiled today (Monday).

It is made even more special by the addition of 52 individually designed coins, minted using The Stove Network's bicycle powered foundry, and hung from the bottom.

Image: Barry Young

The colourful artwork, which now takes pride of place in the school’s main entrance area, is the result of a joint initiative between Spring Fling, the academy, and Dumfries and Galloway Education Services. The project has been led by professional artists Morag Macpherson, Katie Anderson and Kirsty Turpie – a former pupil at the school. The aim was to give the students the chance to discover about life in the arts, learn new skills and contribute to a piece of artwork that will be enjoyed for decades to come. Morag, a renowned international textile designer based in Kirkcudbright, said: “We wanted to give the students a different perspective on art through getting to know working artists. We talked about our different practices and how they had developed. It gave them an insight into the lifestyle and career. “They really embraced the project and produced some very good work. Some of the young people were clearly very talented and clearly had a chance of getting into art school if that’s what they wanted to do.”

The banner is made up of dozens of 30cm squares, each with a repeating pattern based on line drawings the young people made of local buildings. They scanned the drawings, coloured them and created the patterns using specialised software.
At the same time Katie led the project to create a new currency for Lockerbie.
Katie said: “We wanted to know what they thought would be suitable for a currency for Lockerbie using designs based on their vision of their own town. And they came up with some really imaginative ideas.
“We also had a great day when I brought along the bicycle powered foundry which they could pedal to get it to the right temperature.”

Kirsty introduced students to the ancient art of paper collage. She said: “We used different types of paper to create collages and talked about different artists who the students might be inspired by. The results were really imaginative, I was very impressed.”
Each of the 32 collages has now been transferred onto a ceramic tile and will be displayed in the school. The project, which was funded by the Holywood Trust, gave the young people insights into life as a professional artist.

Image: Barry Young

Leah Black, Spring Fling Director, said: “This has been a great project which has produced a wonderful new piece of public art which the students and the school can be hugely proud of and which will hopefully be enjoyed for decades.
“The creative sector offers all sorts of fulfilling career opportunities for young people and is of growing importance to Scotland’s economy. This gave Lockerbie students a taste of what life as an artist could be like – and we hope it has fired their imaginations about what they can achieve in their own lives.”
The artists went into the school for five days in December and January and each worked with groups of pupils.

Carol Donnelly, art and design teacher at the school, said: “The artworks produced by our pupils are fantastic! Both the staff and the students have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience!
“We would definitely recommend this type of collaboration to other schools as a way of enriching the classroom experience and accessing new skills, techniques and materials.”

The unveiling was attended by D&G’s Director of Education Colin Grant, who added: “I am delighted that students from Lockerbie Academy have had this exciting opportunity to work with professional artists, it will have no doubt added another dimension to their learning.
“What I am also pleased to see if a former pupil of the school coming back and sharing her knowledge and experiences with pupils and showing that you can succeed in life beyond school.”

Alien Lullabies at Big Burns Supper

From Fiona Soe Paing

"Outstanding"  Noise Festival Showcase awards 2014

"Very, very cool!" Vince Clarke, Erasure. 

An Aberdeenshire musician is set to bring her live show to Dumfries with a unique performance as part of the Big Burns Supper Festival.

Fiona Soe Paing will perform a multi-media set with music and visuals from her forthcoming album ‘Alien Lullabies’ at the festival's newest venue, New Performance Space at the Electric Theatre Workshop, on January 30th, in Europe's largest winter fringe festival. 

Fresh from presenting work at London’s global festival of music ideas, Music Tech Fest, and a show at Cineworld for Aberdeen International Film Festival, Fiona will perform with projected animation by New Zealand artist Zennor Alexander in  a hypnotic combination of cinema screening and live gig.

The musician, who has drawn comparisons to Scandinavian songstress Bjork, will combine her blend of off-world electronica and ethereal soundscapes with stunning 3D animations and live vocals to create an immersive and memorable cinematic experience.  Fiona's work was recently rated as  "Outstanding"  in the  2014 Noise Festival Showcase Awards, curated by electronic music pioneer Brian Eno, and her last EP release "Tower Of Babel" was given a Four Stars rating in The Skinny Magazine.
.
 “The chance to perform in Europe's largest winter fringe festival was really something I couldn’t turn down and I’m excited to be bringing something a bit different to what is an incredibly diverse and exciting programme of 
music and theatre events, alongside punk icons The Undertones, and Scottish Hip-Hop heroes Hector Biserk”

The performance of Alien Lullabies will take place at the New Performance Space, Electric Theatre Workshop,  28 Munches Street, Dumfries on Friday January 30th.  Tickets cost £6.50/£4.50 concessions, and are available in advance from the Munches Street box office, or telephone 01387 271820. 

For more info head across to the BBS website here 

As not is

From Stan Bonnar

As not is

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stan_bonnars_artworks/16138294772/

Alchemy Film Festival Open Call

From Richard Ashrowan, Creative Director of Alchemy Film Festival

Submissions are open for the fifth edition of Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, to be held in Hawick, Scotland, 16-19 April 2015. We welcome submissions of short films, features, installation proposals and live events.

Our deadline is 30th November 2014:

http://www.alchemyfilmfestival.org.uk/2013/2015-film-submissions/

Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival is an international festival of experimental film and artists’ moving image. We welcome entries from any part of the world - we celebrate a diverse range of works: the visually experimental, quietly poetic, formally radical, psycho-geographical, politically activist, culturally subversive, psycho-spiritual, the alchemically volatile, the underground and bizarre.

This year our theme is the “Spiritus Mundi”, a historical term for the ‘World Soul’ or ‘Spirit of the World’. We're looking for the deep nature of substance, of film, of humanity, of luminosity and shadow. A spirit of universality and internationalism.

'Cortex', by Nominoe at this year's Alchemy Festival

I would appreciate it very much if you could circulate the call forentries to other filmmakers you know, or within your social networks - we very much rely on word of mouth:

On facebook and Twitter @alchemyfilmfest

And we also look forward to welcoming you at the next festival - put the dates in your diary now - April 16-19th. It will be a beautiful experience.

Alt-w Fund Production Awards

From Ruth Paterson, External Funding Officer, Dumfries and Galloway Council

Alt-w Fund Production Awards (Scotland) Open to Applications

Funding is available to existing and emerging practitioners in Scotland’s creative industries to help them develop new artwork, devices and applications that can challenge the boundaries of new media creativity.

The Alt-w Fund offers Production Awards for creative industry practitioners in Scotland to develop new artwork, devices and applications that can challenge the boundaries of new media creativity.

The Fund seeks to encourage experimental and interactive practice, that makes use of technology as both a medium and a platform, and which recognises the changing role of digital culture within society. The Fund is looking for proposals for projects that take full advantage of the unique and ever evolving nature of new media practice to dynamically engage audiences.

Its Device Art innit

Production Awards of up to £10,000 are available.

Established or emerging working in any of the following creative industries are eligible for funding:

·         Digital.

·         Film/video.

·         Arts (eg music, literature, dance, drama, visual arts, food).

·         Design (eg graphic, 3D, architecture, fashion).

Collaborative applications are welcomed, as long as the lead practitioner is resident in Scotland for the duration of the award.

Examples of eligible projects include:

·         Artistic websites

·         Artistic software and apps

·         Networked installations

·         Device art

·         Wearable technology or other creative hardware

·         Online video, audio or text-based works

·         New music

·         Social gaming

·         Maker activity

·         Food

·         Performances

Projects can be made for distribution via the internet, mobile devices, in a physical space or public domain, eg a gallery, or through any other channels as defined by the practitioner or New Media Scotland.

The deadline for applications is 2 October 2014 (5pm).

Region

·         Scotland

External Link

·         http://www.mediascot.org/alt-w

Related funds

·         Alt-w Fund Production Awards (Scotland)

Build a Bridge

From Britain From Above

More details on the Britain From Above project here and about the venue, BEC Fab Lab here

Dumfries Director wins Major Award

A Dumfries-born film director has won a major award alongside household names including Sir Ian McKellan and Jamie Oliver. Ryan McHenry won the UK category at the Shorty Awards, which honours the world's creative social media users.

He originally shot to internet fame after creating a series of video clips spoofing Ryan Gosling.

Ryan Gosling doesn't like cereal by Ryan McHenry http://seenive.com/v/937818864446783488

His online fanbase rallied round to send messages of support after the director revealed he had cancer. Many praised his positive approach to dealing with the disease - which has included posting chemotherapy selfies, encouraging his supporters to use their computers to draw on fun hairstyles for him.
Following completing his cancer treatment, the young director is set to start work soon on his first full feature film - Zombie Musical - with production company Haphazard Media.

Alchemy Film Festival - Hawick's Hot Ticket

From Alchemy Film Festival

I would like to invite you to the fourth edition of Alchemy Film and
Moving Image Festival, to be held in Hawick, Scottish Borders, April
3-6.

We've a great line-up this year - around 100 films, 85 of which are
World, UK or Scottish premieres, with well over 30 filmmakers
attending from around the world. Our theme this year is 'Dreamland'
and the online programme is available here

Alchemy is known for being a very intimate and friendly festival,
where audiences and filmmakers really do get to meet, where real
discussions happen and creative debate flourishes. I sincerely hope we
might have the pleasure of welcoming you.

TRAVEL: Alchemy has grown strongly every year, and this year we are
expecting full capacity audiences, so please book your tickets early.
We are expecting most of the local accommodation to sell out, so if
you intend to stay overnight in Hawick or nearby, please be sure to
book very soon. See the travel details here

Some highlights for 2014:

ARTISTS’ FILMMAKING SYMPOSIUM: A rare opportunity to meet a range of
experts closely involved in the making, funding and distribution of
experimental film and artists’ moving image.

FEATURES: Twelve feature screenings including Patrick Bokanowski, the
Quay Brothers, Nathaniel Dorsky, Alberto Gracia, Chai Chunya, Rachel
Maclean, S.J Ramir, Julie Brook, Siobhan Davies and many more.

LIVE PERFORMANCES: Including Rocio von Jungenfeld’s Film Walk,
multi-projector performances from Nominoë and Jacques Perconte.

SHORT FILM SCREENINGS: Five short film programmes showing around 40
short films from our national and internationals submissions.

DREAMING ROOM PROGRAMME: 36 films, mid length features and shorts. An
eclectic collection showing some of the more oblique approaches.

MOVING IMAGE INSTALLATIONS: 10 Moving image installations around the
town, in several disused spaces and even a travelling horsebox
gallery.

I would appreciate it very much if you would circulate the information
about the festival within your own networks - we need all the support
we can get as we rely heavily upon word of mouth.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alchemyfilmfestival
Twitter: @alchemyfilmfest

Achival Mapping and Independence

There is no end to the different ways it is possible to discuss Scotland's future - good pals of the Commonty DAMP (Dumfries Archival Mapping Project) are getting in on the act with their blog 'Maps and Scottish Independence' - check the Cartographic Viewpoint - here

A neat symmetry with the Marquis being one of the architects of the union back in 1707...

Billboard Artworks - Trending this Summer

Last month, Twitter was all aflutter with this summers Art Everywhere project, 'turning the UK into the worlds largest exhibition.' 57 'British Masterpieces' were included in the final selection, spread across 22,000 poster sites across the UK, which were displayed for two weeks finishing up on the 25th of August.

 

One of the boards in Lanarkshire that made it to the twittersphere

The concept was perhaps an admirable one - replace advertising space with great art and inspire a nation - or something to that effect. The question seems to be as to whether a photograph of great art is great art, and indeed did anyone amongst a media-fatigued nation notice. Why a mention on the commonty? Well according to the projects website map there were indeed poster sites used within D&G - including sites in Annan, Dalbeattie, Gatehouse, Dumfries, and Gretna, though look as I may, I couldn't find any. Did any commonty readers have more luck?

One of the works featured in POST-IT, Johnny Bugler, R & H Building, 2013 

Meanwhile, IMPACT: 8 - a travelling international printmaking conference last week landed in Dundee - with the theme Borders and Crossings: The Artist as Explorer. As part of the conference Cork Printmakers and the Crawford Art College (both from Cork city in Ireland) have teamed up to present their a billboard project of their own POST-IT print project. It follows a similar format to Art Everywhere, scaled down to cover poster sites across Dundee. Their approach however differs, emerging and contemporary artists creating new work to challenge the traditional spoon fed approach of contemporary advertising. 

Fresh Start for the Arts - seeks Web Designer

The Fresh Start for the Arts project has been set up to look at how best to provide strategic leadership for the arts and culture in Dumfries and Galloway.

By taking an arts-led approach it aims to give the region’s arts community a much greater say in its own future.

Other objectives include:

• increasing access to the arts for all members of the community
• raising the profile of local arts practitioners nationally and internationally

o   developing the arts as a means of delivering social and economic aims in areas such as education, health/wellbeing, tourism, regeneration and the environment

o   making the arts accessible as a career option for our young people

o   supporting the creative sector as vital part of regional economy.

Summary Brief

NB – communication between different stakeholders in the arts regionally is a key aspect of the overall Fresh Start project - it is envisaged that the initial brief for the website will grow with the project. This first stage should be developed as a flexible prototype that is a)capable of adapting with the project and b) forming  the foundation for a long-term web portal for the next generation of arts infrastructure for the region. 

1. To produce an initial website for Fresh Start (as below - more detailed brief available on request)

Homepage: Both a front page for Fresh Start and a comprehensive signpost to other arts resources and partners in the region (eg CABN, Commonty DGWGO, Regional Hubs etc)

Other pages

·      About Fresh Start

·      Contact

·      News and updates

·      Members area (forum and shared docs)

·      Link to information film

·      Interactive map of regional resources (this is in development by others….designer to be consultant to development of map and integrate completed map into website)

·      Project Blog

·      Guest Blogs

·      Artist showcase

2. To provide support to Fresh Start in developing an online resource for the regional arts structure that will be proposed by the Fresh Start project.

·      Take briefings from Fresh Start team on requirements for an online communication resource for the arts sector in D+G

·      Provide examples and advise on possible options for long-term online resource for the arts sector in D+G

NB. Informal advice and support will be expected as part of this brief…detailed reports and production of information as part of Fresh Start project may be commissioned separately to this brief.

Contract

Fresh Start for the Arts is offering a contract sum of £2000 (plus VAT where applicable) for the delivery of an initial project website and informal technical support towards a proposal for a long-term web resource. This sum is inclusive of all fees, expenses and materials.

Application

Designers wishing to be considered for this contract should submit the following information to culturematters@btinternet.com by 5pm on Friday 12^th April 2013

·      Practice profile with examples of relevant past projects

·      Contact details for two previous clients as referees

·      A proposal with working methodology and timeline to complete the project – to include details of personnel who will work on the project and management structure

·      Statement of current practice workload demonstrating capacity to deliver the project within the proposed timeline

Further Information

Any queries regarding the contract and requests for a more detailed brief should be directed to info@matthewshelley.net

Moffat's Creative Sound

Moffat Gallery is hosting The Creative Application of Sound - a new event during the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of March 2013. These will be led by sound artist James Wyness.

Image from James Wyness' website - http://www.wyness.org/index.html

"The Saturday session on 2nd March will be designed for those with some experience of the creative arts in general. On Sunday 3rd March the event will be tailored for novices and for those who wish to find out more about this fascinating creative pursuit.

The day sessions will introduce participants to a range of topics: listening strategies; the diversity of creative
applications of sound; studio and field recording equipment; practical techniques of field recording; creating a personal sound archive; the most common presentational forms of sound as art.

The evening performance will offer participants the chance to gain an understanding of the kind of contemporary work being produced for live performance using recorded environmental sound, and will hopefully encourage participants to develop their own work."

The cost is £50 per person per day. For more information on the event and to book a place contact James Wyness either by email or on 01835 863061.

Inbetween:Dumfries - programme unveiled

Inbetween:Dumfries arts events in the week of 5-10th November.

Artist-collective The Stove has put together a week-long programme that celebrates Dumfries and offers folk the chance to be part of the debate about the town. Six specially commissioned art projects will be presented in public spaces along with public performances and talks by leading thinkers + film screenings and concerts.

Highlights include:
·      ‘Why Andy Warhol is Shite’ – performance lecture by International Artist Bill Drummond

·      ‘Street Shrines’ – new work around Dumfries by one of Scotland’s leading street/public artists, Mike Inglis

·      ‘Greyfriars 1’ – world premiere of Suzanne Parry-John’s song cycle about the Nith and launch of artist Lisa Gallacher’s bespoke clothing collection TDRM:Dumfries

·      ‘Nith Scoping’ – Environmental Artist Hannah Brackston invites investigation of Dumfries’ river

Also look out for Marions Preez’s blue ‘Frames’ around the town and whatever you do – don’t miss ‘The Lost Supper’ a simultaneous voyage back in time and into the future + great food!

WHAT’S EVEN BETTER IS THAT IT IS ALL FREE
Download the full programme here <http://www.rocknrollmama.co.uk/Inbetween_Dumfries_web.pdf>
Down load the Inbetween:Dumfries Map here <http://www.rocknrollmama.co.uk/inbetween_map_web.pdf>
Look out for updates and more info at TheStove <http://www.thestove.org>




We are very grateful for the support of our funders and partners in the town for helping put all this together :
Creative Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Intersections (Newcastle University), CABN, Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of Commerce, Holywood Trust.


--
The Stove
Art and Dumfries in the same sentence

www.TheStove.org <http://www.TheStove.org>