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Our work is primarily based in Dumfries & Galloway, so we’re particularly eager to connect with freelancers from the region—whether we’ve worked together before or you’re new to us. If you’ve recently reinvented yourself or expanded your skillset, we’d love to hear from you. Even if you’re not based in D&G but are available for work in the region, we encourage you to reach out.
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We got stuck straight into our first Creative Spaces project at the start of August, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we had a ball with it. We wanted our installation to examine the ideas of imposter syndrome in creativity and dissect what it is that makes a person creative. And so, the Inspiration Donation was born. It went through a couple of iterations before reaching its final form, but we were all dead chuffed with the final installation. We started off by going on a wee adventure to the local garden centres to check out clear containers (we did get briefly distracted by the fish on display at Heathhall Garden Centre) and had a roam about the Range to get the rest of our supplies together.
We worked together on four panels of collage to demonstrate how we hoped the final product would look – we experimented with creating stencils for these too, along with the ‘feed me’ stencils that went up on the walls. It was great to start working together on some artwork, it was a fun way of bonding and building each other up as a team. The installation went up with the help of Stovie & artist Katie Anderson, who offered her expertise and guided us through the process. We had some brilliant donations from the Stove team after we had added our own inspirational pieces in (some Blu Tack, a feather and a funky rock), such as a vintage toy car, a post-it note that read ‘Sparkle Baby’, and a map of the town.
Our Conversing Building project was a super fun introduction to our roles at Creative Spaces. It was my first opportunity to work collaboratively on a creative project with other young creatives, something that felt quite daunting at first is now something I’m looking forward to doing more of in the future.
James
The Conversing Building project pushed us straight out the gate to create something that represented us, and in turn our community in Dumfries. It helped us work as a team and realise where some of our strengths lie”
Sonah
Conversing Building was a really interesting jumping off point for our time with Creative Spaces. Working on this project taught us how we fit together as a team, and got the ball rolling with our style and approach.
Anna
Creative Spaces is a Dumfries-based collective of young creatives, working with and advocating for our region’s young artists.
Situated in the heart of Dumfries, Creative Spaces collaborates with young creatives from across the region, providing young people with opportunities to engage in the arts. Whether it’s through events, workshops, mentorships, or our annual Associates Programme, we aim to enhance Dumfries and Galloway’s creative scene by offering free access to opportunities and paid commissions.
Keep up to date with the Creative Spaces team on Instagram: @creative.spaces_
An update on the next phase of Stranraer’s waterfront development project by Maya Rose Edwards.
The Stove and Creative Stranraer have been commissioned by Dumfries and Galloway Council to use creative placemaking techniques to involve the local communities of Stranraer in the rethinking of the town’s waterfront spaces as part of a major regeneration effort following the ending of the ferry service to Belfast in 2011.
In November 2023 we commissioned artist Maya Rose Edwards as artist-in-residence for the waterfront – Maya’s brief was to use their creative practice to reach out to diverse communities in the town and seek their thoughts and ideas about the kind of waterfront they’d like to see for the town. This initial phase of the project was very successful – ending in a public festival day called Raising the Sails. We were delighted that DG Council have integrated a creative placemaking approach into the continuation of the One Waterfront project and we were able to bring Maya back to the town for a second stage of work. This is their first blog on returning to Stranraer.
Watch the Raising the Sails film by CT Productions HERE.
In the initial Harbour project we engaged with nearly 900 local individuals and 27 community groups to get people’s thoughts about the kind of waterfront they would like to see for the town. I am now homing in on one aspect of the proposals – a new area of ‘reclaimed’ land between the slipway and the East Pier which will be formed using the material dredged from Loch Ryan to make the harbour area deep enough for larger boats to use the marina.
Location of ‘Harbourland’ marked with X
Site specific research/concept realisation
My hope is that Harbourland will be a new piece of Scottish coastline built from the ground up using community ideas and creative inspirations taken from the locality. I have commenced the initial research process thinking about the nature of the land itself – the dredged Loch Ryan sediment. Sediment is an essential component of natural cycles and ecosystems it it acts as a constantly changing barrier between the ocean and coastal communities. I’ve been considering ways in which that ‘barrier’ can instead increase our access to the coast and our connection to the water itself. Turning the tide towards a future where the communities in Stranraer are more connected to their coastal culture and its ecosystems.
I’ve also been thinking about oysters. The Loch Ryan oyster beds are a rare and unique feature of this coastline, and something of great pride for the communities of Stranraer. Oysters themselves are natural dredgers, with each individual oyster filtering over 50 gallons of water per day. Once an oyster attaches to a bed, it grows and forms around the surface it attaches to. It’s like starting a rubber band ball, the oyster needs an initial surface to attach to, but once they start growing, they can transform an artificial reef into a natural one. The question I am asking myself is – how can we act like the oyster to build an infrastructure that benefits both the toon and the coastal biodiversity? What are the types of ‘surfaces’ that communities in Stranraer can attach to and make their own? How can harbours and sea walls become landmarks of heritage value for communities of the future?
With this site-specific research underway, I’ve began to combine the visual languages of the geologic coastal sediment and the organic processes of the oyster bed to develop sketches of landforms, tributaries and coastlines for the Harbourland proposal.
Co-design and collaboration
With initial sketches starting to take shape, I then began to meet with local folk, organisations and marine researchers who were key partners within Phase 1 of the Harbour project for their input. We have all sat down around a large acetate map and plotted might be needed within this new piece of Stranraer. Some of the feedback included practical requirements for community events, lighting, recycling and growing facilities, etc, all of which have been drawn up and incorporated within the wider design.
As a part of the co-design process, I am putting together a programme of creative engagement activities and events to further inform the proposal for Harbourland and provoke the imaginations of those who have not yet been reached by the project. The commencement of this programme is now underway, with the first interactive installation due to take place at this year’s Oyster Festival.
Harbourland polling station
Oyster shells were historically used as the first ever ‘ballot cards’ during the early days of democracy in Ancient Greece. Communities would cast their shells to announce/denounce happenings within their towns and villages. At this year’s Oyster Festival, the talented guys at the Rhins Mens Shed and I have created the ‘Harbourland polling station’ to bring this tradition back to modern-day Stranraer.
During the Festival, the shells of millions of oysters consumed over the weekend are collected for re-distribution back into the Loch. These shells then form the basis for new growth and the continuation of the native beds. This year before their redistribution, the empty shells will be collected to form a part of an interactive public consultation for ‘Harbourland.’ This 3-metre polling station will hold large clear box sections, within which people will cast their shells in vote for specific features they’d like to see on the land – much like your little blue tokens at Tesco! This data will be recorded to further inform the design proposal and initiate important conversations about what matters to people most. From interactive play structures to a sheltered place to sit and bide a while – this will be the first and most public opportunity to engage in the co-design process.
Siltcrete trials
I will also be undertaking several material trials. I have been working with the form of the Oyster shell as a sculptural reference point, exaggerating its topographical layers to create tiered island structures. These forms also reference harbour staircases, where ecological growth can be tracked through tidal fluctuations.
I have been experimenting with use of the Loch Ryan seabed aggregate (a mixture of Grey Wacke, shale and Red Sandstone) for use within sustainable building materials, leading me to create ‘Siltcrete’. I have been researching the many ways in which architects, sculptors and engineers have been developing organic material composites towards a sustainable future. Due to the rich mineral content of the dredged seabed, the incorporation of this material into the foundations of Harbourland should greatly improve the biodiversity we’re hoping to achieve.
From hand carved sculptures cast in silicone to form a mould, I have been creating ‘Siltcrete Harbours’ from a mixture of cement, local beach sand and coastal aggregate. I have formed a relationship with marine biologists at the Solway Firth Partnership who have offered to formulate a report at the end of the installation period to track the ecological growth in the harbour, on the siltcrete and within this topographical form. This should form a key piece of research within the wider proposal for Harbourland.
Siltcrete experiments installed on the harbour steps
Until next time
Over the next few months as we move into Autumn, residents of Stranraer should expect more opportunities to engage in the Harbourland proposal programme, beginning with a sandcastle competition on Agnew Park beach on Saturday 28th September. All participants will receive a free ‘Stranraer Oyster Bucket’ inspired by the topographical sculptural trials. Over the course of the afternoon, we will fill the coastline with a community oyster bed of inspired organic structures! Prizes will be available, see poster below for further details.
If you want to find out more about the Harbourland proposal programme or the context of the project, please contact Maya on [email protected]
The Stove and Creative Stranraer have been commissioned by Dumfries and Galloway Council to use creative placemaking techniques to involve the local communities of Stranraer in the rethinking of the town’s waterfront spaces as part of a major regeneration effort following the ending of the ferry service to Belfast in 2011.
In November 2023 we commissioned artist Maya Rose Edwards as artist-in-residence for the waterfront – Maya’s brief was to use their creative practice to reach out to diverse communities in the town and seek their thoughts and ideas about the kind of waterfront they’d like to see for the town. This initial phase of the project was very successful – ending in a public festival day called Raising the Sails.
Watch a film of the festival below, created by CT Productions.
Salt, that stuff we pop on our chips, might not seem so important in today’s digital age, where your domestic fridge can tell you when its contents are soon needing replenished, but back in the past, salt was one of the world’s most precious commodities.
Centuries ago, Dumfries and its coastline were a vital part of the global salt industry, and as such we pay homage each year to this by hosting the town’s annual river festival.
But, what has this got to do with Nithraid?
Well, lots!
Mark Zygadlo and Alex Rigg, with a little help from a few others, built this tower. That’s us in the first picture above. According to Blackthorn Salt, we are currently the only Salt Graduation Tower builders in Europe, and this is the only one to have been built, probably in our lifetime.
Alex and Mark have worked together on many projects from timber framing to performance art. Mark was involved in Nithraid’s inception and Alex, as well as taking part in many of them, is leading the Rite of the Salty Coo at Nithraid 2024.
Salt and the Salty Coo. Salt is a central element of Nithraid. Salt is a potent symbol in many traditions; bread and salt are offered in welcome in eastern European homes. Salt is a preservative and represents lasting friendship and, if spilt, is bad luck. We toss a pinch over our left shoulder, into the devil’s eye, to reverse the bad luck! Salt has been made in southern Scotland for centuries, exported from the Solway along with livestock, meat and wool. Hence the origin of the Salty Coo.
When all the boats have arrived, she gets put in the river and floats downstream with the tide.
Here she is getting her feet wet!
Imports? Exports?
Dumfries, until the early 19th century was a very busy seaport. The Port of Dumfries; Carsethorn, Glencaple, Kingholm and Dock Park, was one of the main trading harbours of Scotland. For instance, it was Scotland’s biggest tobacco port before the American Revolutionary War of 1789. But the Nith, being tidal and shallow in its upper reaches, and ships ever increasing in size, meant the tobacco trade moved to Glasgow which, like Dumfries, had to train and scour its river to admit bigger ships.
What is the Rite of the Salty Coo?
Every year, as part of Nithraid, we cover the Coo with salt and bring her to the river to watch as the boats come up with the tide, echoing the historic trade in the Port of Dumfries. This year they will bring flags which will be taken to the Suspension Bridge and flown from Flag poles.
These flags have been made in communities all over Scotland, expressing their hopes and fears for the environment.
The Tide?
The tides in the Solway are huge, at Nithraid this year the difference between high water and low water will be over thirty feet! On a big tide like this seawater rushes up the Nith in a bore, a wave, which can reach right into the middle of town. It will pass Glencaple at about 2.15pm and get to Dumfries if there hasn’t been too much rain, by about 3.00pm.
Tides are an enormous global dynamic system. As the earth turns in relation to the moon and the sun, unimaginable volumes of water are drawn up by their magnetic fields and surge towards or away from the edges of our land areas creating the phenomenon of rising and falling tides.
The rising tide rushing into the Nith reverses its direction of flow for a couple of hours, during which time Nithraid boats will be helped into town on a wave of salt water. The sea reaches as far in-land as the caul, five miles up river from Glencaple and the Nithraid’s course.
The almost completed framework of the Salt Graduation Tower at Peacock Salt, Ayr. October 2018.This the working tower as it looks today, 6 years later, and producing Blackthorn Salt.Working model of the tower.
Salt is produced from seawater in the machine pictured above, called a Salt Graduation Tower. Seawater is pumped to the top and trickles down through the blackthorn twigs which pack the framework. Water evaporates in the process and the salinity of the seawater being circulated increases until, just at the right moment, it is pumped off to crystallise in heated tanks.
This is an ancient method of making salt, it requires very little more than seawater and wind.
Written by Mark Zygadlo.
Supported by;
Nithraid River Festival recognises and explores our town’s long relationship with the river and its importance to the people and communities it connects, both past, present, and future.
Ahead of Nithraid 2024, our friends at Oceanallover are looking for people to get involved with ‘The Right of the Salty Coo’. Full information below.
On Saturday the 24th of August Oceanallover and Dumfries Slow Fashion will be taking the Salty Coo for a walk through town and across the river to meet the Nithraid as it arrives at The Green.
There will be four stages on the way where we will celebrate the Salty Coo with music and dance and take photographs for Pulp Magazine.
Oceanallover is looking for people to get involved:
Making costume for ‘The Rite of the Salty Coo’ working with Alex Rigg from Oceanallover.
Making your own up-cycled clothing with expert help, the wearing it for a Slow Fashion photo-shoot.
Dressing up in Oceanallover costumes to walk the Salty Coo to the river.
Come along with us and the Coo just to be there, travelling from Mid-Steeple and over Devorgilla.
We need a herd of children to come and make wee Coos in the morning of the 24th and then join the drove to the river.
We need:
4 costume-making trainees aged between 16 and 25
10 Models/movers to work with Dumfries Slow Fashion and Oceanallover.
20+ people to look fabulous and have their pictures taken in the street for the October edition of Pulp Magazine.
