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Author: Katie Anderson

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Musings News

For the Love of…Sphagnum

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An extract from SUBMERGE artist Kate Foster’s most recent blog post. To read the post in full visit her blog here.

Kate joined in our recent craftivism workshops, wearing Sphagnum on her sleeves (more on that here), inspiring a love of moss blog post.

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Living with water is vital around the Solway, and I’m discovering that Sphagnum is a kind of aqueous superhero. A single Sphagnum moss consists of a strand of water-holding cells, which can collectively form raised bogs many metres deep, over thousands of years.

Complete raised bogs are now rare. Dogden Moss in the Eastern Borders and Kirkconnel Flow to the west of Dumfries offer glimpses of what the landscape in Southern Scotland might have looked like before bogs were drained and excavated. As I begin a tour of mosses, I have come across the equivalent of mountain-top removal inflicted upon them. My eye is becoming attuned to tawny strips on the low horizon.

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‘This human-made drainage ditch has been dammed, a recent reversal of policy. Peatland Action is a restoration programme co-ordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage: the reasons to conserve peatbogs are beautifully laid out in the National Peatland Plan. Importantly, peatbogs sequester carbon and are sinks for atmospheric carbon. This process is starting in the blocked ditch at Kirkconnel, as Sphagnum strands start a slow and steady occupation.’

Kate has been working with Nadiah Rosli on her recent work Peatland Actions, which is part of our SUBMERGE exhibition. SUBMERGE runs daily from 10-5pm until Saturday evening, 12th December.

Kate and Nadiah will be speaking as part of our Question of Scale event on Thursday, 10th December from 6pm

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News

Norway House

At the beginning of the month, The Stove transformed into Norway House as part of a project with the research and design collective Lateral North. Over the course of three days, The Stove became a temporary hub, exploring Dumfries’ Norwegian connection.

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Norway House at The Stove became a place for exchange and conversation, storytelling, and remembering.

Many visitors came in, sharing memories of the excitement they felt as children, aged seven or eight, when the Norwegians arrived. They recalled how the Norwegians would sometimes offer lifts to children on their way back to their accommodation, which was in various places around Dumfries. Most stayed at the Troqueer Mills, although there was also a farm on the outskirts of Dumfries, near Lincluden, where the horses were kept.

One lady spoke about her husband, who had lived at 7 Nellieville Terrace as a boy. Their front room was used as the Norwegian Bank, and he remembered the King visiting his home. He often talked about the Norwegians’ visit. The family had hoped to record or share his memories before he passed away but sadly never managed to. I will now pass her details on to Beverly Thom, who is writing a book of these stories so that his memories can hopefully be documented.

The manager of the Greyston Rovers also visited. He explained that they have been playing Norway regularly since 1951, when they became the first team to play in Europe after the end of the war, maintaining the connection.

Norway House is part of an ongoing project, Cultural Wayfinding, which explores alternative ways of understanding and celebrating Dumfries’ culture and history. The project also aims to build new connections with Norway in the future.

If you would like to stay updated on the project as it develops, or if you would like to contribute your story to our growing Norway House project, please contact Katharine at [email protected].

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News Project Updates

Craftivism at The Stove

Every Wednesday in November, The Stove is hosting a series of ‘craftivism’ stitch-ins. These are drop-in events running from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Everyone is welcome, whether you bring your own craft skills or wish to learn some basic techniques in a friendly and open environment (we have cake!).

What is Craftivism?

Craftivism is a form of ‘slow activism’ that involves sharing crafting skills in a social space, encouraging discussion and reflection while creating—engaging in the time-consuming processes of stitching and making. It is a growing movement of crafters and open-minded individuals seeking to foster new ways of exchange and discussion around issues and topics they hope to share with others. Join us for a blether, a cup of tea, and help contribute to some of the projects we are currently working on. These sessions are self-led, but there is plenty of support available from our Herald, Moxie, and craftivist, Joy Cheroukai.

Why Now?

The Stove is participating in ArtCOP, an international cultural programme that coincides with this year’s Paris Climate Conference (also known as COP21) in December. We are exploring new ways to discuss the environment and the constantly changing nature of our world—what is changing for Dumfries and Galloway? What does climate change mean to us? Do we need a new language to address global climate issues? And what role does Dumfries play in all of this?

Our craftivism group is working on two projects:

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve is a national campaign from the Craftivist Collective and the Climate Coalition. It encourages everyone to reflect on the things they are passionate about and, in turn, consider how these could be affected by changing climates and rising temperatures.

The Stop Climate Chaos Rally is on 28th November, and Scotland’s Climate March will take place in Edinburgh. The Stove has been invited by the Crichton Carbon Centre to join their bus to take part in the rally. Stitchers and makers at our craftivism sessions are working on a large banner to be carried in the march. This banner will be made up of smaller patterns and designs created from unwanted fabrics.

We will be hosting an intensive banner-making weekend before the rally, on 21st and 22nd November.

If you would like a place on the bus (travel expenses covered by The Stove), please get in touch, as spaces are limited. Contact Katie at [email protected].

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News Project Updates

Lateral North and the Norway Connection

You are invited to share your ideas and contribute to our Cultural Wayfinding event, taking place from 5th to 7th November with Lateral North and The Stove Network.

Town centres are a hot topic throughout Scotland at the moment, with a focus on how they might once again become vibrant and populated spaces. Initiatives have been established by the Scottish government and partner organisations such as Scotland Can Do Towns and the Scottish Towns Partnership, who are leading the way by working with communities across the country. Discussions, conferences, innovative ideas, and project proposals are increasing as we strive to reconnect communities with their local shops and town centres.

Dumfries is one such place taking an exceptionally innovative approach, where art and design take centre stage to provide creative solutions for the town centre. The arts resource, The Stove Network, has been leading various projects aimed at regenerating the town centre. They have transformed a building previously out of use into a hub of creative thinking and forward-thinking design.

The Stove Network has teamed up with Lateral North, an architecture, research, and design collective based in Glasgow with strong ties to Dumfries, to collaborate on an exciting and dynamic project. This initiative reflects on the culture, heritage, and built environment of Dumfries town centre, focusing on elements that have been overlooked or not adequately highlighted.

Their Cultural Wayfinding project aims to create a range of opportunities that will not only boost tourism but also serve as an economic catalyst for new jobs and initiatives for local people. These efforts are centred around art and design, demonstrating how they can illuminate the rich culture of this historic town.

The first of these initiatives focuses on Dumfries’ connection with Norway, particularly the buildings hidden within the town centre that once hosted the Norwegian army in exile during World War II. These buildings provided the army with spaces for meetings and accommodation throughout the war.

Lateral North and The Stove Network will host a three-day workshop from 5th to 7th November, inviting the public to contribute ideas for a public art installation. This project will highlight Norway House at 8 Church Street, the building used as Headquarters and Cultural Centre by Norwegians in exile during 1940. Currently empty, the building remains unused due to extortionate retail rates, which are likely to persist for the foreseeable future. However, this initiative aims to emphasise the creative possibilities for such spaces, encouraging communities to attract tourists, revitalise town centres, and generate economic activity through existing built environments.

Graham Hogg of Lateral North, who grew up in Dumfries, said: “I’ve watched Dumfries town centre slowly lose more and more of its local shops, with vacant shops becoming increasingly common. This has had a detrimental effect on the town as a whole, and I believe it is fantastic that The Stove is leading this exciting project. To be part of it is a real honour, and hopefully, through the Norway House project, we can create an exciting and innovative model that can be applied to Dumfries town centre in the future and adopted throughout the rest of Scotland.”

NB: There are paid opportunities for Stove Network members to assist with the project on 5th, 6th, and 7th November.

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News Project Updates

The Lands of EAFS

The Environmental Art Festival Scotland (EAFS) is an international biennial showcasing contemporary art practice within the landscape.

The Lands of EAFS extended from the main festival village site at Morton Castle out into the Lowther Hills in South West Scotland and were mapped for the festival by Andrew McAvoy. Artworks, installations, guided walks, and expeditions invited visitors to venture into the landscape, make new discoveries, and explore alternative routes. One of the festival’s themes, focusing on journeys and migrations, encouraged visitors to experience varied forms of transport—from horse and kayak to foot travel. EAFS shuttle buses transported visitors to different points, fostering new ways of engaging with the Lands.

This is what they found.

EAFS 2015 was created and co-produced by The Stove Network and Wide Open, collaborating with the brilliant Robbie Coleman and the EAFS recharge team, with additional support from Spring Fling.

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News Project Updates

EAFS – People

The Environmental Art Festival Scotland 2015—an international biennial of contemporary art practice in the landscape—ventured off-grid into the wilds of the Lowther Hills in South West Scotland. This two-day festival was based at Morton Castle near Thornhill and explored themes of generosity and hospitality, journeys and migrations, as well as foolishness and playfulness as ways of understanding the world. The weekend featured art installations and experiments, walks, talks, performances, and campfire discussions.

EAFS served as a hub for gathering, meeting, and discussion in the open air. During the day, visitors embarked on walks and adventures into the landscape. In the evenings, they returned to the festival site to share discoveries made during their explorations and to gather around the EAFS campfires. Conversations ranged from navigating new futures to contemplating death and the unknown, tracing local watercourses to exploring innovative approaches for tackling global climate change.

EAFS 2015 was created and co-produced by The Stove Network and Wide Open, in collaboration with the brilliant Robbie Coleman and the EAFS recharge team, with additional support from Spring Fling.

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