A celebration of D&G creativity and talent
Spring/Summer 2023
Features:
UPLAND Emerge
ROAM, CREATE
Bea Last - The Red Bags
Fitch & McAndrew
Nicola Black
Leeming + Paterson
The Vegetable Growers
Creation Mill
Alchemy Film Festival
Spring Fling, Eden, Doonhame, Summer Solstice
Fitch & McAndrew, photo Shannon Tofts
In this issue we take a closer look at how our creatives are being influenced by the natural environment around them. Our very own Maggie Broadley has been out and about in the region and spent the day with Fitch & McAndrew, renowned ceramicists. We also feature organisations and artists who are working on sustainable creativity and working in and with the environment right here in Dumfries and Galloway. We say a fond farewell to one of our most loved traditional music singer songwriters, Nicola Black.
FOCUS is a creative digital magazine brought to you by DG Unlimited. FOCUS is free to access and download from dgunlimited.com. It is published to shine a light on the creative and cultural work, activities, and projects in Dumfries and Galloway
FOCUS magazine is brought to you as a result of generous support from Creative Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council and The Holywood Trust.
Marly Merle, NubWoman
Support for emerging artists and makers is a key part of Upland’s remit and it is something the whole team is extremely passionate about. Creative Director, Amy Marletta explains the support available to emerging artists in Dumfries and Galloway…
The support we provide aims to help those at the early stages of their creative careers to take the next steps, develop new work or take risks that enable them to develop both professionally and creatively. As a membership organisation we work to support artists and makers at all stages and connect them to each other, so learning and expertise can be shared. This year we have four initiatives that support and highlight work by emerging practitioners: the Emerge Mentoring Programme, ROAM (Space), the CREATE Bursary and the new Graduate Scheme.
Emerge is our longest running support scheme for emerging artists and makers. It provides a programme of mentoring and a bursary for emerging artists or makers who have a connection to Dumfries and Galloway. Emerge recipients are mentored by professional experienced artists / makers over a 6-9 month period, awarded a bursary of £1000 to create new work and take part in Spring Fling Open Studios.
The programme runs annually with applications usually opening in September. For 2023 we have awarded two bursaries: One for emerging artists and makers aged 30 years and under (supported by The Holywood Trust) and one for emerging artists and makers of any age (supported by Creative Scotland).
This year’s recipients are Rachel Ashcroft and Abbie La Rooy
Abbie has been pursuing ceramics full time since April 2021, when she moved to Dumfries and Galloway to work for Clay Works Studios. Alongside working as a technician and tutor, Abbie has been establishing her ceramic practice. Abbie’s current body of work carries anthropomorphic references, loosely centred around the “grotesque”. Working with both commercial and locally sourced clays, she employs traditional techniques to create innovative, unexpected outcomes to construct a narrative. As her practice has developed, Abbie has found herself drawn to locally sourced raw materials and traditional processes to manufacture objects.
Abbie has been receiving mentoring from potter Andy Priestman and painter Linda Mallett.
Working with Andy from his home and studio set in the Galloway Forest, Abbie has been learning more about how Andy sources and processes much of the materials he uses himself, including local clays and granite sand. As all of Andy’s work is fired in a single-chambered wood kiln, Abbie has been able to gain insight into this process, from cleaning the kiln to preparing and packing it.
Rachel Ashcroft graduated in Sculpture from Manchester School of Art in 2009 and in 2015 retrained in bench joinery. Since moving to the region six years ago, Rachel has developed a small business as a crafts-person making contemporary crafts from sustainably sourced hardwood.
Under the moniker ‘Woman of the Woods’ Rachel designs, makes and sells items for the home from local hardwoods and found driftwood, such as spoons, boards, bowls and coffee tables. All of her products are designed with a modern aesthetic, taking care to highlight the beauty and grain of each piece.
For Emerge Rachel is being mentored by furniture maker Daniel Lacey and printmaker Sarah Stewart. So far she has spent time with Daniel in his workshop in Langholm, working on some new pieces which will form part of her Spring Fling studio presentation. Whilst Sarah has been helping her sustain her small business through support with things such as marketing, online content and branding.
ROAM (Space) is a new project that enables a small collective of early career artists to work alongside an established lead artist to explore ways in which to exhibit work, exchange ideas, experiment creatively and connect via contemporary art practice.
The group have been undertaking research, finding out about other
artist run spaces and are working towards a group pop-up exhibition in the summer.
The group are looking to identify any gaps that might exist for emerging artists in the region and what might be done to help address that need. At this stage there are lots of questions! Is a space necessary? What could it be? How might it be run? It’s up
to the group to investigate and produce ideas collectively.
The artists involved in ROAM (Space) are Emily Tough, Joshua Haynes, Liv Kerr, Rhiannon Dewar and Sarah McCusker, supported by D&G based visual artist Kevin Reid
This is a brand-new scheme awarding free entry into Spring Fling for an artist working in installation, experimental or site-specific work that doesn’t necessarily fit within the “traditional” or “typical” open studios setting. It’s not specifically for an emerging artist but this year we are delighted to have Marly Merle as our awardee, who is a recent graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.
Marly is a multidisciplinary artist, who is from the region but based in Glasgow, working in wearable sculpture, printmaking, fashion, and design. Marly is interested in exploring new worlds, cities, and spaces to create physical artworks that provoke ideas around new and better places in which to exist. We are very much looking forward to seeing Marly’s installation as part of Spring Fling.
Spring Fling also offers a New Graduate scheme, aimed at artists and makers who have recently graduated. This year’s awardee is Glasgow based painter Sally Jennings, who is a recent graduate of Glasgow School of Art. Sally’s work spans oil-painting, printmaking, and installation work, with a central focus on the fluidity and uncertainty of the world around us.
For more information on all the artist’s work please visit the Upland and/or Spring Fling website.
Abbie La Rooy, Rachel Ashcroft, Marly Merle and Sally Jennings will have studios open as part of Spring Fling weekend, 27th-29th May.
Bea Last is a contemporary artist based here in Dumfries and Galloway, and a creative colleague and friend to many of us. We caught up with Bea recently and she told us about her Sculptural Drawing Installation created for the 20th Anniversary Spring Fling.
My creative practice is process led. I am currently exploring drawing in its broadest sense, using repurposed, recycled, and found objects, to create what I refer to as Sculptural Drawings.
These are site specific and can be re-imagined, re-invented, according to space, location, and environment. Initially my practice focuses on my own personal response to current global issues such as Conflict, Mass Migration,
Climate change, Boundaries, Borders, fragility, and endurance but also allow space for dialogue on what some may consider challenging issues.
THE RED BAGS: Sculptural Drawing Installation / Repurposed lightweight waterproof canvas / Bamboo / Bullet Holes. Size variable depending on location.
Created for the 20th anniversary of the Spring Fling exhibition at
Gracefield Art Centre Dumfries, in May 2022 which showcased a selection of both past and current participants, The Red Bags began as my response not only to the crisis in the Ukraine but to all conflicts across the globe. Our world is never at peace. Humans are at war, somewhere in the world at any given time.
The use of bags refers to our beginnings – Embryonic Sac, to our journeys end – Body Bag.
We refer to ‘Emotional Baggage’ and contemplate the homeless who may carry their entire life in a bin bag. When fleeing conflict, a bag is grabbed carrying what you can of your life. The bag is used to inflict and disorientate.
The overall shape of The Red Bags were you to view them from above, is that, which is naturally formed by human mass movement in flight. Mass migration will also be affected by climate change.
Created in a way that invites the visitor to walk amongst them and to contemplate a journey within, the sound or rustling bags in the breeze gives the install another dimension including the pops of sunlight bursting through the bullet holes signifying hope. The Gracefield Install was designed for a five-week exhibition but their stay at Gracefield lasted five months. In terms of process this allowed time for more bags to be added and for time to leave its mark by leaving sun-bleached patches on the red canvas and debris from the trees.
Documentation of my practice is vital and at the end of their time in Dumfries I had the opportunity to explore installing the piece in a white box gallery environment. Off the back of these images, I was invited to show the piece at The Oxo Tower Bargehouse Gallery, Southbank, London. It was of course a delight to hear shortly after this that I had been shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2023 and was one of a cohort of 21 finalists.
The Aesthetica Art Prize runs until June 4th 2023 at York Art Gallery. The Bags have continued to grow and the install includes approx. 550-600 hand crafted, sculpted bags, with bullet holes. The materials used are a nod to the fragility and vulnerability of humanity along with endurance and strength.
I have also been working concurrently to the red bags on an installation that will be exhibited in the Netherlands and tour through to 2024. Having been invited by curator and artist Ron Weijers of 10 dence Gallery along with another nine international artists, we were tasked with creating a piece inspired by Rembrandt’s painting, The Anatomy Lesson. Hence the title of the show, The Anatomy Lesson Revisited.
This exhibition opens on June 2nd at Sint Amanduskapel (Campo Santo), Visitatiestraat, 9040, Ghent, Belgium www.10dencegallery.com
Also, I am delighted to be heading off to La Providence Centre d’Art Vivant in Ille Sur Tete , South of France (Catalonia) this August, where I will be joining a group of international artists on a ten day artists development and collaboration residency.
Finally, a part of my creative practice is as an Educator and Mentor, facilitating creative workshops and one to one mentoring. This July I am facilitating VASS for UpLand arts. VASS is a Visual Arts Summer School, a short course for young people (16-25yrs) to help boost their portfolio or just to help explore new ways to create and to further their creative development. This
has been developed from the GSA Widening Participation Portfolio Preparation workshops that I previously facilitated at Gracefield Arts until Covid lockdown and subsequently digitalisation. Upland arts Summer School allows for continuation of this support to our young artists and for the hands-on experience. (Funded by Creative Scotland and The Holywood Trust)
www.weareupland.com
LINKS:
www.bealast.com
www.aestheticamagazine.com
www.yorkartgallery.org.uk
www.aatonau.com/bea-lastconnections-through-sculpturaldrawings/
Since childhood I’ve spent time exploring museums...I have an enduring passion for objects and the stories they tell - or those I imagine they tell.
The Burrell Collection, an “internationally significant collection of art and objects” was gifted to the city of Glasgow in 1944 by Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance. Both displayed a devotion to seeking out art and antiques; it was the Burrells’ specific wish that their collection be appreciated in a countryside setting. Having recently undergone major refurbishment, the building that is home to the collection in Pollock Country Park is a stunning architectural space for display and interpretation, with even more artworks and objects on view than ever before.
Standing in the ground floor gallery, light floods the building, even on a grey day, with huge areas of glass opening up the space, bringing the landscape and woodland into the interior. It feels as though the objects are part of ‘the outside world”, connected to the materials transformed in their making.
Since it re-opened, I’ve been there many times with my grandchildren, they enjoy exploring the space and getting involved with the interactive displays....and one of these is where I ‘bumped’ into Hannah
MacAndrew and Doug Fitchalbeit virtually.
Footage of Hannah and Doug at work in their studio near Castle Douglas features in the Makers Gallery, which is dedicated to the people behind the objects, their techniques and skills. I decided there and then to make time for a long overdue in person catch up with my potter friends, Fitch and McAndrew.
A few weeks later, I set out on the journey to Hannah’s and Doug’s studio. Slightly unsure of my bearings, unmistakable piles of kiln bricks stacked outside a cottage told me I’d arrived at the right place...but it seemed quiet inside - until Hannah popped her head round the side of the house - “We’re here, in the studio”. Well, of course they were!
Doug was busy at his bench, a mug on the whirler and his hands deftly adding the finishing ‘sprigs’ before moving it to join the tray of
mugs air drying in preparation for firing in the kiln - and Spring Fling. The workbenches and shelves displayed evidence of every stage of the making process. On the top shelves, my eyes came to rest on the wonderful pots created by other English potters and master craftsmen over centuries.
Such a resourceful pair, Hannah and Doug explained they’d had portacabins ‘dropped’ into the garden, combined them using reclaimed materials, re-purposed glass doors that became walls to
create a tailor-made making and display space that still has room for further expansion.
Doug had an early interest in archaeology; later, he studied for his pottery O’level at school. “On a day trip out, I visited Winchcombe pottery, met Ray Finch, famous retired head potter, and saw Lennie Hopkins, showman and skilled maker, throwing pots on the wheel - and I thought this is fabulous. I went on to study at Derby College, visited the V&A in London, saw the pots on display
and was reminded of being a schoolboy and picking up Medieval pot shards...and this has informed my work ever since.”
‘An Ongoing Devotion’ the title of their recent exhibition at the Leach Pottery, St Ives, encapsulates in my mind their dedication to their craft. I wondered what it was like for them making work, inspired by the huge tradition of sliptrail and medieval pottery?”
Doug - “Some folks think it’s easy
following an established path ...., but you are being compared to the greatest makers”. Hannah agrees “...and I think some people confuse what we do with reproduction work; I don’t have the skill to do reproduction work... that is a completely different thing, we think they are phenomenal. What we want to do is look at those pots we love, that were made so brilliantly...” Doug chips in “and capture the spirit without copying...” Hannah adds “yes, then make work with your own voice”.
Both potters are so in tune with one another as makers and people that this flow of conversation between them happens often and effortlessly. I asked them what led them to move to Dumfries and Galloway from other parts of the country.
For Hannah, it was a chance to follow her dream of being a potter. “Originally from Bolton, Lancashire, I studied 3-d design at Manchester, decided I wanted to be a potter and wrote to 90-odd potters looking for work. On the day I graduated, my Mum and Dad moved to the region, and I followed...not immediately as I wasn’t looking for a quiet place to stay”. However, a visit to her parents and meeting up with Jason Shackleton changed that. “I said to Jason that I wanted to be a potter and he said, well you can learn here - do you want to start on Monday?” Hannah initially intended to stay for 12 months but has been happily making here for over 20 years.
Doug was an art college lecturer for 20 years, keeping connected by helping highly acclaimed
potters like Clive Bowen and Sven Bayer before re-focussing on his own work. Hannah’s and Doug’s shared love of pottery, discussing pottery ‘long- distance’ over years, meeting, and leading workshops together, eventually brought them together permanently. Doug moved to Dumfries and Galloway, they married - and thus “stumbled upon the brand of ‘Fitch and McAndrew”. Knowing the demands of making with clay, I wondered how they have managed to maintain their studio practice over decades.
Hannah - “I’m lucky to be able to do this...even in the early days of having an old caravan in the garden as our studio, when it literally shook bits apart as we kneaded our clay, we could look out on that view. I worked all the way up until a few days of Pip’s birth and was back at work within
days...I had an order for Japan to complete!”
Doug - “We spend 8 hours a week just on the nursery run...and when the children are tucked up in bed, we put on the baby monitor so we can see and hear them and go back to work until ‘silly o’clock’ in the studio. You have to be completely focussed and determined; we are really lucky in that we have each other.”
Leaving Hannah and Doug at the door of their home, I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, having made my way past Hannah’s and Doug’s fabulous work amidst examples of the pots and ceramics they love and love to admire - and their children’s toys, including a cracker of a toy garage made by Doug.
In retrospect, I was struck by how embedded making is within them, weaving its way through every part of their life. They have carved out a place as respected, skilled potters amongst their peers, engaged with the public and created the most wonderful home. I remain in awe of them both as they manage family life and support each other’s practice without personal ego intruding. Hannah was recently announced as recipient of the Heritage Crafts Maker of the Year award - and Doug was the first to
celebrate his wife’s achievements, taking to social media to acknowledge Hannah’s talent and drive.
I reflected on William and Constance Burrell, 8 decades ago, displaying passion, commitment and ‘an ongoing devotion’ to discovering and acquiring the most wonderful collection of objectsand how fitting it is that Hannah and Doug feature in the building that houses that collection today.
Find out more about Hannah and Doug here:
https://fitchandmcandrew.co.uk
https://fitchandmcandrew.co.uk/ blog/
https://www.facebook.com/ fitchandmcandrew
https://www.instagram.com/ fitchandmcandrew/
More details about The Burrell Collection here:
https://burrellcollection.com
The region’s creative and cultural community was saddened by the loss of one of Galloway’s much loved creative talents, and one of the warmest, loveliest, and most charming people we had the pleasure of working with, Nicola Black.
A musician, singer, songwriter, a true artist, she engaged audiences with her vocal brilliance and her sparkling wit and charm. For so many of us, she was a dear and beautiful friend, colleague, and collaborator.
Our deepest sympathy and love goes to Andrew Black - her dear Blackie, to Nicola’s beloved family, and all who knew and loved her. She will be sorely missed by so many all over Scotland. How fortunate we are to have the recordings of her beautiful voice and music.
The Vegetable Growers exhibited this April from a functional self-seeding polytunnel at the Hidden Veg, one of PROPAGATE’s micro-market gardens and project spaces. This exhibition was curated by Emily @ We Agree On Eggs who assembled local artists’ work concerning vegetables, and the need for more growers. Contributors include; Amy Marletta, Pamela Grace, Emily Tough, Fiona Marsh, Anne Knott, Alison Bixler, Kirsty Turpie, Hope London, Jo-Regrow, Sarah McCusker, Morag Paterson, as well community workshop paintings.
The exhibition spanned a weekend, with the first day being accompanied by a No-Dig soil health workshop.
“When one takes the time to slow down and connect with the land, in the way that vegetable growing does, you become so much more harmonious to your surroundings, you exercise and your body becomes tired from working, like really satisfyingly exhausted. And of course, the nutritional value of eating freshly grown produce is so good for us, as well as the love and triumph that comes with growing your own.”
Photo’s by Emily Tough @ We Agree On Eggs
In February 2023, Ted Leeming + Morag Paterson were invited to be artists in residence for the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership’s inaugural event – the Fantastic Forest Festival.
The concept was to reach out in different ways, listen to and be inspired by the rarely heard voices of our local hills & glens - including people of all ages, particularly young people, and the various interest groups that constitute any communitythrough a variety of events held in trusted environments that allowed individuals a safe space within which to engage.
Throughout the month of February, the festival included online and in person engagements, walks, workshops, talks & discussions, competitions, an exhibition, activism, adverts, editorial & postcards to allow individuals to respond in person or anonymously to a variety of questions posed. Events were advertised locally through a range of media to enable accessibility to as many people in the community as possible.
Ted and Mog co-curated the festival and attended most of the events at which they asked a variety of questions including “What three words describe
forestry in Galloway today?”, “Imagine a future Forest that balances biodiversity, climate & community.”, and on an artists’ walk they invited attendees to “Design a 2150 guide book for a future Forest on this site.” The responses they received inspired and informed their own research, culminating in a series of artistic outcomes including a portfolio of images exploring conifer plantations, and artworks highlighting the tensions between forestry & agriculture. They also produced an eBook/zine drawing together the various findings gathered throughout the festival and which they will be submitting
as a community response to the current consultation by Scottish Forestry on how they will support our future forest industry.
“The residency allowed us to focus on an environmental issue centred within our wider exploration of issues surrounding biodiversity, climate change, and the interactions of man with the environment. With land use a current focus for our work the residency was a perfect forum that allowed us to listen, engage with, and respond to members of the community and with experts. The knowledge, interest, enthusiasm, and the concerns raised were profound and enlightening, and we now take the responsibility of ensuring those voices will be heard extremely seriously.”
“We are also particularly honoured
to have been awarded the third “Artful Migration” and working closely with UPLAND and the RSPB & Forestry & Land Scotland.”
Leeming + Paterson will undertake UPLAND’s Artful Migration residency, which runs until Autumn. During the residency they will spend time at Lochar Mosses observing and learning about the beautiful and elusive Nightjar, one of Scotland’s rarest and most unusual birds, and a species which appears to be thriving in Dumfries and Galloway.
“It is a story not simply of a unique bird but about habitat and the threats of extractive land use techniques, of changing weather patterns, increasing development and infrastructure, and of the conflicts for all migratory species,
not just here in Scotland but across multiple continents and oceans which constitute their homes and highways. The increasing numbers of this mystical bird of folklore legend visiting our region is a true exemplar of long-term thinking ‘with nature’ rather than extractive land management. The residency includes community engagement and culminates in an exhibition at Gracefield in October together with an accompanying inaugural Conference of Migration, also planned to take place in Dumfries. We are currently in the middle of our initial research phase and can’t wait for the birds to arrive.”
For further information about their work, you can contact Ted and Morag by email, info@ leemingpaterson.com or you can see their work and read more at www.leemingpaterson.com
Creation Mill CIC is based in the small town of Langholm, nestled between the hills of the Esk Valley. The town has a rich heritage rooted in the textiles industry, once playing host to many of the region’s bustling mills producing high quality yarns and fabrics. Despite this industry seeing a decline with many of the major employers shutting up shop, we are experiencing a resurgence in producers of high end bespoke textiles in the area.
It was this shift in local industry,
a love for all things textiles and a passion for sharing traditional skills that inspired the formation of Creation Mill. Founders Emma and Leanne Duncan took inspiration from the legacy project, Textiles Eskdale by the Langholm Initiative and poured in their industry experience, local connections and talent for all things fashion and fibre to create a thriving community textiles hub.
Now over a year into our social enterprise journey Creation Mill has a solid foundation working with local schools, colleges, and the job centre to run workshops, training and short courses in all things textiles. As well as sharing skills and keeping the textile history of Langholm alive we are passionate about sustainable fashion and promoting a circular economy that champions a less waste, slow fashion ideal. We have a well stocked fabric and haberdashery Scrap Store supplying many local makers, hobbyists and all of our
sustainability focused workshops.
We have been undergoing an exciting period of growth thanks to the support of our generous funders and an ongoing demand from within our community. Our Creation Mill team is growing, allowing us to expand our range of services and geographical reach and we continue to be supported by a small army of passionate and skilled volunteers.
Our next venture will be transforming a disused and unloved carding shed into a purpose built community textiles hub which will contribute to the education, tourism and leisure provision of Langholm.
We are so excited for the future and would love you to follow our Journey -
https://www.creationmill.org
https://www.facebook.com/ creationmill
At a family dinner recently, someone remarked, “I love how you have book shelves in almost every room in the house and still need to double up the books on your shelves.” And I responded, “Yeah, we’re just going to keep buying books until the house explodes.” In recent weeks I have found myself increasingly attracted to picture books – graphics novels for young and old. Here are the two newest additions to our ever-expanding book collection…
Art
by Citlali ReyesFor kids of all sizes, this is a chunky picture book perfect for little hands and a gorgeous way to introduce your little ones (children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbours, friends….) to the renowned and in my opinion brilliant graffiti artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“Known for his contributions to graffiti and neoexpressionism, Jean-Michel Basquiat became one of the youngest household names in the world of art. The Haitian-Puerto Rican prodigy used his obsessive scribbling and skull designs to paint his legacy through New York and worldwide.”
This adorable little Basquiat book is a positive and child friendly way to introduce a young mind to Basquiat whose life is written in the form of a positive story. I love that it was designed to encourage little ones to express themselves through creativity, imagination, and, most importantly, perseverance. It’s a lesson we can all appreciate, whatever our age.
The text is in both English and Spanish which is perfect also for any budding bilingual art enthusiasts out there. This copy has been tried and tested by the children of our family friends aged 3 – 9 years and it received a resounding thumbs up. The publisher has created a whole series of famous people to collect; far more engaging than tiresome Pokémon cards I imagine, so I’m going to collect them all!
Illustrated by Kate Evans
There are three things you MUST do if you acquire this book.
1. Read it out loud. The age of the audience is irrelevant, actually, the presence of an audience is not essential. Just read it out loud and hear the beauty of the words.
2. Give yourself a real treat and download the audio version of Cerys reading it in her delicious, soft Welsh accent. You’ll fall a little bit in love with Cerys and in love all over again with Under Milk Wood.
3. Buy two copies. One copy to be loved and thumbed through with big and little, hopefully not too grubby, fingers. And one copy to keep on the shelf in perfect condition, to be looked at and gazed upon lovingly on occasion.
“In this enchanting, illustrated adaptation, Cerys Matthews brings Dylan Thomas’s beloved classic to new life. This is a bedtime story like no other; a book to be treasured by many generations; a book for babies and old men alike, for all that are young at heart.
A beautiful, illustrated edition of Dylan Thomas’s UNDER MILK WOOD, one of the nation’s best loved poems, adapted and masterminded by Cerys Matthews, the superstar singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster”.
This is a beautiful gentle retelling of the Dylan Thomas classic. It is another example of how a creative collaboration has opened the door to existing work, this time a literary masterpiece. I will keep it and love it forever.
Another essential part of book collecting is the excellent bookshop. I have many favourites but top of the list is Toppings & Co. in St Andrews. A bookshop I have fallen in love with in recent years, it being in close enough proximity to my daughter’s home in Dundee and my sister’s home in Fife. Any excuse! The best thing about Toppings, in addition to their comfy chairs and great coffee, is their fabulous staff and their enviable encyclopaedic knowledge of books. On a recent visit I looked everywhere for my recommendation this month, children’s books, poetry… I couldn’t find it. A lovely young chap in a Toppings t-shirt found it for me in graphic novels. A copy of Under Milk Wood, signed by Cerys herself! It returned home to D&G with me.
The Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival is the flagship event of Alchemy Film & Arts and is the biggest film festival of its kind in Scotland. The festival is known for showing a unique range of avant-garde films featuring a diverse selection of the very best in new and established film making talent form around the world. Alchemy has a reputation as a festival of excellence, exhibiting the best filmmaking talent, and as an incubator for new home-grown talent. The interest from international press and the film industry is impressive.
This year the 13th annual festival was a huge success. Taking place from 27th – 30th April in the welcoming town of Hawick and making use of the fantastic facilities in the Heart of Hawick cinema and art space, and in the Hawick Heritage Hub nearby. The festival programme was made up of a wide variety of experimental and art film made by contributors from all over the world.
Four of those filmmakers came from Dumfries and Galloway. Congratulations to Emma Dove, Hope London & Daniel Hughes, and Mark Lyken, who all exhibited films at Alchemy this year.
Hankyō was commissioned as a creative response to The Mitori Project, a comparative study exploring end of life issues in the UK and Japan, led by the University of Glasgow (2019-2020).
Inspired by writer and composer John Cage, Hankyō uses a process known as ‘writing through’ to generate ‘mesostic’ poems in English and Japanese. Chance techniques determined which poems became script and where they fell within the film.
Scoping the boundaries of ‘experimentation’ within academia, Hankyō swaps one set of rules and guidelines designed to maintain order
and academic rigour for another designed to break apart and entirely rearrange meaning.
An exercise in process. An excavation. A distillation.
An echo of the original
Based in rural Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, Emma Dove works with moving image, photography and sound, often collaborating with other artists, composers, choreographers, academics, scientists and community groups.
Previous projects have explored relationships to place, the natural world, migration, notions of home and
personal memory — engaging with local communities to create immersive works layering long-take video, voices, and field recordings. Completed films and installations have been presented at exhibitions and festivals in the UK, Italy, Sweden, Romania, Brazil, Mexico, and India.
More recently, Emma has developed new work around themes of the body, birth, death, and resilience which has included cross-cultural research between Scotland and Japan. Emma also works part-time as Film Programme Coordinator at CAMPLE LINE — a gallery and multi-arts organisation in Dumfriesshire. https://filmfreeway.com/Hankyo
Below: Hankyo moment finishing
“What we do now.” was part of a nationwide network of projects coordinated by Creative Scotland’s Culture Collective programme. Its objective was bold, involving collaborative work with communities, creative freelancers and regional and local organisations in order to develop ideas, encourage creativity at a grass roots level in communities and to inspire new imaginative possibilities which could possibly bring positive changes.
The project was based in Stranraer, the coastal town and port to Northern Ireland, in the west of Dumfries & Galloway. Working with the Stranraer Millennium Centre and The Stove in Dumfries, Hope started to develop the project over a long initial gestation period, digging into the community to talk to and work with a wide range of people, which led to the design of a creative, playful activity to help local people shape the vision for the regeneration of their town: The Stranraer Colouring Book: What Could Happen Here?
From this community work, and using the submissions from the completed colouring books, and the comments from members of the community, Hope wrote a song, and then working with Daniel they created an animated shot film telling the story of, “What could happen here.” with Hope performing the song.
Hope London and Daniel Hughes collaboration with the people of Stranraer, Scotland has culminated in a colourful and engaging film using live-action footage, still images, illustration, animation, dance, song, and they all blend in a utopian imagining of the possibilities for the town of Stranraer’s regeneration.
Hope London is an Artist, Singer / Songwriter and Teacher. Hope is based in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.
https://hopelondon.com
A fictionalised portrait that captures the rituals and obstacles that Shadow, a Scottish trans femme graffiti writer, experiences in the making of her Wildstyle graffiti.
“In Waiting for the Buff to Rub Me Out, Allana James and Mark Lyken explore the obstacles of maintaining platforms for expression in an age of sterile surveillance. Through the fictionalised portrait of Shadow, a Scottish trans femme graffiti writer, issues of erasure are made literal through a deceptively playful cat-and-mouse between the protagonist and an official in Hi-Viz.”
Rachael DisburyThe film is a Now & Next Commission For BBC Arts, LUX Scotland, Screen Scotland.
Mark Lyken is a film & sound artist based in rural Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
Mark has developed a personal and distinct approach to filmmaking. Embedding himself within communities, he builds relationships with individuals and works collaboratively to cultivate scenes that empower those on-screen on their own terms.
Inspired by hybrid and experimental approaches, Mark’s work forefronts portraiture, place, rhythms and routines. Curiosity and responsiveness propel him to delve into the ‘underseen and underheard aspects of everyday life’ (Rachael Disbury, 2022). Utilising long-take cinematography, Mark’s films
create a communal space between audience members and subjects - a space where narrative can unfold spontaneously and organically, a space for imagination to wander, that holds the potential for magic.
Mark’s films don’t always slot easily into defined genres. His work and style remain on the periphery - a place he is familiar with and arguably gravitates towards, yet also a place of precarity. He cares deeply about cultivating opportunities & elevating others through his creative practice, grounded in values of care, collaboration and reciprocity.
https://www.marklyken.com/
Scotland’s premier art and craft open studios event.
27th – 29th May 2023
Over 100 Studios around Dumfries and Galloway are taking part. Find out more about how you can enjoy Spring Fling this year. Brochure and route information can be found by following this link –https://www.spring-fling.co.uk/
Scotland’s Boutique Festival
8TH – 11TH June 2023
Raehills Meadows, Moffat, South West
Scotland
This year’s line up include Sister Sledge, Elvana, General Levy, Pongo, Afriquoi, Henge, Huey Morgan and more. For festival and camping tickets, and more information follow this link –https://edenfestival.co.uk/
18th – 24th June 2023, Crawick Multiverse
The Crawick Multiverse Trust and The Open University (OU) in Scotland will co-host an extended programme of Summer Solstice celebrations in Upper Nithsdale from the 18th to 24th June 2023. Crawick Multiverse, a former open-cast coal mine transformed into an artland by the late Charles Jencks, is located on the border of Dumfries and Galloway and Ayrshire in the South of Scotland and boasts giant conical mounds representing colliding galaxies, a long avenue of standing stones and other spectacular features inspired by the sun, stars, and other wonders of the cosmos. For more information and tickets follow the link -
https://www.crawickmultiverse.co.uk/
Live music and a warm welcome in Dumfries.
21st & 22nd July 2023
Crichton Grounds, Dumfries. This year’s line-up includes Cast, Fun Loving Criminals, Gun, Bay City Rollers and more. For tickets and more information follow this link -
https://www.doonhamefestival.co.uk/
DG Unlimited’s vision is to shine a light on the excellence demonstrated within the creative and cultural sector in Dumfries and Galloway. We are the operational arm of the Dumfries and Galloway Chamber of the Arts. DGUnlimited.com
To become a member of DG Unlimited complete the form here
To contribute to FOCUS magazine, please email our FOCUS editor, Tabi Mudaliar at comms.dgu@gmail.com
With thanks to:
Creative Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway Council, and The Holywood Trust
DG Unlimited would like to thank all the contributors and everyone who has contributed to the making of this magazine. And, to extend our gratitude to Dumfries and Galloway’s creative community for helping to make our region such a vibrant, culturally active, and creative place.
