Author: Kirsty Geddes

WWDN – Website Developer / Designer

Post author By Kirsty Geddes
Post date October 20, 2023

Freelance Commission Opportunity – Now Closed

About the Commission

WWDN (managed and delivered by The Stove Network) is seeking to work with a web developer/designer to support the design, development and delivery of a web-based platform that will build on the styling of the current website whatwedonow.scot and support the next phase (Stage 2) of the WWDN project.

The next phase of the website should house key information, including all related content across its geographical and thematic landscape, relevant recourses and include the introduction of a membership login portal.

Fee: 10 Days at £300 P/D (£3,000 in total)

Working with the WWDN project team, the designer/developer will creatively develop the platform, interface, and technical design of the website, taking into consideration priorities such as accessibility, brand awareness, integration and ‘signposting’ to other platforms that may be used throughout the project’s development.

Requirements

The designer/developer will work with the WWDN project team in Stage 2 to pinpoint and build the key elements of the project in order to support its legacy, future proofing the site.

Elements of the webpage to consider:

WordPress platform
Membership model with user login-in
News, blogs/articles, and archive
Interactive elements (for eg: forums, chat, email forms*)
Events listing features
Galleries/spaces to house documentation
Integration of related project materials (videos, other documentation)

The webpage should be considered as an extension of the project’s brand, a ‘digital artwork’ in and of itself, whilst maintaining the current brand identity (guidelines will be provided).

Regular check-ins on the development and design of the website will be expected between the designer/developer and the WWDN project team to align the project needs with the design and development of the website. These check-ins will be negotiated on the appointment of the designer/developer.

As part of Stage 2 project fee the designer/developer will host 1-2 working sessions with the WWDN internal team to ensure maintenance and development of the webpage can be managed in-house.

How to Apply

A note of your interest in the commission and a brief outline of how you will approach the brief.

Please provide three examples of your work (preferably active websites) and / or a portfolio of work – no larger than 10mb

All applications should be sent by email to: [email protected]

(closing date not currently set)

Background

WWDN is a Creative Placemaking Network that has been piloted in Dumfries & Galloway and is hosted by the Stove Network, an award-winning arts and community organisation based in the heart of Dumfries town centre. Working with artists, communities, and organisations, WWDN is a unique and ground-breaking initiative that continues to evolve and expand with those involved.

The initial pilot supported community anchor groups (community hubs) in towns across Dumfries & Galloway to host creative practitioners for an extended period to work with sections of their communities to co-create new future visions and practical projects. Artists, hubs, and communities were supported to explore bold new ideas with a particular focus on those under-represented in local decision making.

Each of the founding community hubs are in or working with communities experiencing disadvantage. All have identified sections of their own community where COVID has accentuated existing disadvantage and exclusion and have some experience of working culturally.

The WWDN Creative Placemaking Network is now in a period of transition to establish itself as a sustainable network for the region that will drive forward community-led work and support the growth of resource, expertise, and knowledge in creative placemaking across Dumfries & Galloway.

Tags 2023, Community, Creative Placemaking, Dumfries & Galloway, Visual Art, What We Do Now

Musings News Project Updates

Wild Goose Festival: Keep Looking Up Roaming Installation

Post author By Kirsty Geddes
Post date October 16, 2023

Our Public Art Lead, Katie Anderson, tells us about the Keep Looking Up Roaming Installation, The Stove’s artistic response to this year’s Wild Goose Festival.

A blue fabric flag waves in the wind with 'Keep Looking Up' painted across it.

As part of this year’s Wild Goose Festival, I’ve been invited as part of my Public Art Lead role to create and host a playful birdwatching experience inspired by the returning migratory bird population. Appearing in and around Dumfries town centre, this new artwork will explore bird watching in a creative way at dedicated pop-up spaces produced for viewing and listening to birds and their behaviours.

A blue deckchair with 'Keep Looking Up' painted on it, sitting on cobblestones next to a river.

As ‘Roaming Birdwatchers’, the artwork – of no fixed location – will ‘pop up’ in four different public spaces around Dumfries. This interactive artwork will ask those passing by to pause and reflect on our non-human winter residents.

Audiences and members of the public are invited to join the Wild Goose Festival affiliated artists and partners in an outdoor environment to observe the skies and consider our relationship with the non-human inhabitants of our everyday spaces. The artwork comprises a series of colourful deckchairs, a commissioned soundscape using audio recorded from local visitors and alternative viewing devices for seeing the birds and wildlife differently.

A person sitting on a blue deckchair next to the river, wearing a green jacket, looks to the sky. Another deckchair is next to them which has 'Keep Looking Up' painted across it.

The project is inspired by the Wild Goose Festival’s theme ‘Keep Looking Up’ and includes a series of project flags that will appear around the town. Each flag will encourage those passing by to look skyward and spot the returning bird population as they continue to arrive. Also, each flag will act as a message of hope and optimism in challenging times. How can we see the town differently, and what new ways of seeing can help us uncover unique understandings of our place?

The Keep Looking Up roaming installation will be found in and around the town centre on the following dates:

Thursday 19^th at 1 pm – 4 pm

Friday 20^th at 1 pm – 4 pm

Monday 23^rd at 2 pm – 5 pm

Thursday 26^th at 1 pm – 4 pm

The pop-up locations will not be published in advance, but sites could include Dumfries High Street/Fountain Square, the Whitesands, Greensands and Dumfries Museums sites. If you would like to find the roaming installation, please pop into the Wild Goose Festival Hub in the Loreburne Centre for information on the day.

Two blue deckchairs on the banks of the River Nith with 'Keep Looking Up' painted on them

by Katie Anderson

Tags 2023, Community, Dumfries, Festival, Making Dumfries, Public Art, Wild Goose Festival

Musings News

Dystoveia – Dumfries’ First Escape Room

Post author By Kirsty Geddes
Post date October 12, 2023

Hear about the Dystoveia Escape Room from the Creative Spaces Team. This project transformed Room 2 in the Stove into a dystopian escape room in August 2023.

Why an Escape Room?

On one of the blessed sunny days in June, our creative producer Mia asked us two million-dollar questions: what kind of things do we like to do for fun? And how could we bring that to D&G? After a great creative session where each of the CS team individually mind-mapped our answers, we discovered a common thread between us: an escape room! Why did such a thing not exist here?

We initially thought this might be too ambitious an idea for a bunch of amateurs. However, a good friend of mine (shoutout to Seb Summers) kindly booked us a slot at his escape room in Glasgow. Our visit to Riddle Rooms, led to us learning a lot about what makes an escape room good and the mechanics behind it. The possibilities of what we could create ourselves seemed endless, so deciding our theme early was key for honing our ideas. This made us consider the room as an unravelling story as opposed to a random mixture of puzzles.

OUR CONCEPT:

Dumfries has fallen under the control of an oppressive regime. Your team of rebels have managed to infiltrate the high-security government control room and the town is locked down on red alert as they try to hunt you down. It is up to you to save the town in time and to escape before state officials discover you.

Following an in-depth storyline that unveils the secrets of Dumfries and the authoritarian regime, you and your team must work together to uncover hidden clues and solve a variety of puzzles to progress and beat the clock.

We wanted our participants to feel like they had stepped into a parallel universe, completely different to the town they knew. So, we blacked out the windows, turned on the AC, and set the scene with a distorted video of our mole (played by the talented Sahar) leaving instructions for the rebels (the participants). Without a huge budget to work with, we circulated our props list far and wide and managed to collect a lot of cool stuff that helped transform the room. Finishing touches like a doomsday timer, fake cobwebs, chains and hazard tape really pulled the room together.

What we hadn’t anticipated was how much of our planning time was taken up by logistics. Without any access to fancy tech, we had to come up with solutions (painful zoom trialling and walkie-talkies) to make the scenario feel as realistic as possible with close to zero in-person contact with the room. The timings of the room also required a lot of planning. Every participant in an escape room approaches the experience differently with unique problem-solving skills. In the end, Room 2 had transformed into a complex labyrinth of puzzles, where we made sure the room wasn’t too easy or too difficult to complete in the hour – something we discovered when trialling the room with different groups of people.

It’s time to escape…

Once the escape room was set up and ready to trial, we had two teams come and test the room for any bugs or potential problems that would cause any mishaps. The trials were successful for two reasons; it Identified what worked and what didn’t, and it revealed itself to be a fully-fledged legitimately enticing escape room.

The night we opened, all our participants were keen to get started and they all had brilliant positive feedback once they had escaped the room. Each team that participated were all enthusiastic and up for an evening of puzzles and hilarity which made each game as lively as the last. Whilst being informed of the room rules and the mission brief, it was clear that participants were becoming increasingly intrigued and excited to get started. Perhaps this was because the room’s particular story was unique to Dumfries/The Stove. With the aid of a lot of in-house equipment, we were able to create a convincing atmosphere which was as functional as it was aesthetically immersive. As the creators and facilitators of the evening, we had an enjoyable night. This felt fantastic, as we had come so far since our ambitious idea a couple of months previous. Since we had no major technical issues or mishaps, it was safe to agree it was a successful night. We felt like we had accomplished something great when there was a demand to potentially do it all again!

WHAT WE LEARNED…

Dystoveia was a very popular and successful event. With only eighteen spaces available (three groups of six) we didn’t have to do much advertising before it sold out, and we found that there were many friends and family who expressed interest after all the spaces had already been taken.

Once the groups had booked, in hindsight we could have gotten in touch earlier to tell them the time slot we wanted them to come in for. If we were to run this event again, we would also request contact numbers from those who signed up so we could communicate with them more easily.

We learnt that arranging the room and the puzzles took a lot more time than expected when we began constructing the space. We only gave ourselves a week which felt quite rushed, but thanks to the Stove team’s flexibility we were able to have two trial runs to iron out any mistakes or sticking points before the day of the event.

TOP TIPS

A free escape room in a town without any escape rooms was a brilliant idea, and it sold out very quickly! If you are looking to create an escape room from scratch, here are our learnings.

1. Make use of resources online for puzzle ideas – there are lots of ideas out there, and many are cheap, low-tech and relatively easy to put together.

2. Develop a strong back story, narrative and characters for the escape room – the fun in the experience is largely due to how immersive it is, try to completely transform the space.

3. Do your research – visit at least one escape room with a group of friends/teammates and record what you learnt.

4. Find people to help you with trial runs – you will learn a lot!

5. Don’t put too many distracting decorations in the room – everything will be seen as a potential clue so make sure you do a deep clean and make sure nothing is in the space that you don’t want to be there.

Thank you to everyone who got involved with Dystoveia; from testing puzzles, lending décor to the space, to coming along to the event! It was a team effort, and we definitely couldn’t have done it without you!

By our 2023 Creative Spaces Team – Martha, Sahar & Korey.

Tags 100 High Street, 2023, Creative Spaces, Emerging Artists, Events, Reflections, Young Artists, Young People, Young Stove

Musings News Project Updates

Nithraid 2023

Post author By Kirsty Geddes
Post date September 23, 2023

Hundreds of people joined us along the banks of the River Nith to celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of the Nithraid River Race!

Photography by Kirstin McEwan

*This year, our famous Salty Coo was carried along Mill Green behind a piper, before being dunked in the Nith by a group of vikings!*

On 2nd September 2023, we welcomed teams of sailors, coastal rowers, canoes and kayaks at the tenth annual Nithraid River Race. Our competitors entered the Nith at Glencaple at high tide and raced to Dumfries and back, battling for the best time.

*Competitors getting ready to race in Glencaple.*

Although there was the occasional cloud, we were fortunate to have a bright warm day for racing. The nice weather brought lots of people to the banks of the Nith, who enjoyed spectating the race. The day brightened as the afternoon went on, creating perfect conditions for those who joined us to watch and take part in the activities at Mill Green.

*Some of our racers watching the tidal bore come in at Glencaple – with some kayakers enjoying the wave!*

Produced by The Stove Network and supported by Dumfries & Galloway Council, Historic Environment Scotland, and EcoArt, this year’s race saw the return of competitors from previous years, as well as new racers who travelled as far as the Firth of Clyde, and North Queensferry to compete. This year we had a great mix of kayakers, coastal rowers and a few sailors who enjoyed their surroundings on the Nith.

The first vessel left the banks of Glencaple at 1:03pm, with sail boats setting off first, followed by rowers and finishing with kayakers.

*Coastal rowing boats preparing for the race to start.*

This year, each boat had to transport precious ‘cargo’ – flags created by young people during EcoArt’s flag making workshops.

As the boats arrived at Mill Green, each boat delivered their flag and it was raised over the Suspension Bridge, creating a fantastic visual spectacle for those enjoying the race in Dumfries and signalling the halfway point of the race.

Rows of colourful flags adorn the Suspension Bridge, marking the halfway point of the race. (*EcoArt is a grassroots charity connecting community, art & sustainability. Find out more about the LAND project and EcoArt* here.)

“Nithraid celebrated its 10th Birthday this year with one of it’s most successful turnouts! We had over thirty vessels of different shapes and sizes competing which really brought the river to life, making it feel like aproper celebration. Thank you to all of the spectators that lined the banks of the Nith to cheer our racers on! It made a very special day even more memorable. Nithraid is all about celebrating our town’s river, and we are delighted that so many people took part, watched and enjoyed the activities planned for the day.”
Sal Cuddihy, Nithraid Project Manager and Head of Production at The Stove Network

*The public watching the boats arrive at Mill Green, whilst enjoying stalls and activity.*

In addition to the annual River Race, the Stove Network led a series of family-friendly activities at Mill Green, all free of charge and accessible along the banks of the River Nith, including:

EcoArt – Environmental Flag Design Drop-In
Simon Lidwell’s Viking Cluaran
‘If Fishes were Wishes for the Nith’ by Elizabeth Tindal, Freelance Ranger.
The Missing Museum Drop-In
Nith Life Community Visioning

Before the second leg of the race could begin, we had the annual tradition of the dunking of the salty coo! The coo (our mascot) symbolises the historic journey made by herds of cattle, led by their farmers, across the river at low tide, from Maxwelltown on the west bank to the cattle market at Whitesands on the east side of the river.

Our Salty Coo was taken in procession across Mill Green, led by a piper, before being returned to the water.

*The vikings from Cluaran took care of our coo on her voyage in the Nith.*

After a quick rest and and refreshments from the Robert Burns Centre, our competitors were ready for the second leg of the race.

*Racers get ready for the second leg of the race.*

Our sailors and rowers were first to depart back to Glencaple, with our kayakers canoeists setting off at the same time for the final stretch!

*The Nithraid team ready to time the second leg of the race.*

*Team rowers setting off for Glencaple.*

Beyond Mill Green, there was various activity for the public to enjoy at the Coach and Horses and the Dougie Arms. At the Coach, there was an exhibition by artists Fraser Irvin, Neil Patterson, Leanne Bradwick and a live performance of ‘Nithraid’, a poem by Davey Payne. Both pubs hosted live music throughout the day till late at night!

We can’t thank our competitors enough for all the hard work and effort each of you gave to this year’s race. You are all winners in our eyes.

However, it is also important to give credit to those who were succesful in achieving the best time!

The Nithraid 2023 winners:

Category	Team / Boat Name	Total Time
Coastal Rowing	Firth of Clyde Rowing Club	01:25:51.00
Rowing	Lady Moira	01:10:45.00
Sailing	Egret	02:12:21.00
Kayaking	Phil Dean	01:10:56.00

A MASSIVE thank you and well done to all who took part in our tenth anniversary race. We are had a fantastic day, and we hope you did too!

Thank you also to EcoArt, Simon Lidwell & the Cluaran Heritage Project clan, Nith Life, The Missing Museum and Elizabeth Tindell for the wonderful entertainment and activity at Mill Green; the safety boats who were out on the Nith all day to keep the competitors safe; Nith Inshore Rescue, who do the vital work of keeping our waters safe all year-round; Dumfries and Galloway Radio Unit who helped with parking and safely directing boats and competitors in Glencaple; all those who volunteered at this year’s event to help us set up and facilitate the race; and the businesses around Dumfries who set up special live entertainment around the town to help us celebrate Nithraid – The Dougie Arms, and Coach and Horses Inn.

*Our Salty Coo en route to the River Nith.*

– The Stove Network

For more information on Nithraid, visit our webpage here.

Tags 100 High Street, 2023, Community, Dumfries, Making Dumfries

News Project Updates

The Market of Possibility Reflection

Post author By Kirsty Geddes
Post date September 20, 2023

Images by Kirstin McEwan Photography

Throughout July & August 2023, the Market of Possibility took over a former retail unit in the Loreburne Centre in Dumfries, offering a new and interactive space, where the public could visit free of charge, get creative and share their visions for the future of our town.

This project was made in collaboration with Dumfries Partnership Action Group (DPAG) and supported by the National Lottery Community Fund. The Market held exhibitions, workshops and interactive elements by local community groups and each of the Stove’s Open Hoose Projects. Learn more about the project below.

The Market of Possibility was an opportunity to work with our Open Hoose groups towards realising an ambitious project exploring the future identity of the town as a thriving, connected and creative place to live. Being able to connect these campaigns, communities and enterprises within the larger Dumfries Partnership Action Group action plan, rooted the ideas and activity to a broader campaign towards the grassroots regeneration of our town. From music to history, the idea of a diverse, cultural and community-led town centre once again felt more than tangible.
Martin O’Neill, Artistic Director

The space that held the Market was transformed by the Stove’s production team from an empty retail space into a collaborative playground with tactile exhibitions, interactive elements and areas where the public were urged to get involved and share their own thoughts about the future of the town.

The space was open three days each week over the two months from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, and was visited by Dumfries locals, visitors, and tourists who delved into a world of grassroots campaigns, electrifying projects, and inspiring initiatives, all led by local people.

Being involved with the transformation of the unit in the Loreburne Centre was a fantastic opportunity to bring together so many fantastic community groups from Dumfries into one cohesive, stimulating, and accessible space. We sectioned the ‘market’ into different town sections, where those visiting the space could explore different futures for Dumfries just by walking around taking everything in. As the production team, we were able to engage and talk with the public, which resulted in very meaningful and insightful conversations about our town that we are excited to build upon in the future.
Sal Cuddihy, Production Lead

Referencing Dumfries’ history as the regions key market town, the Market was focussed on the celebration of local innovation and creativity and featured a plethora of creative workshops as well as interactive installations in partnership with some of the town’s most popular creative community groups.

The local community groups that were involved with the Market of Possibility were Re:Dress, DMC, For Enjoyment, The Missing Museum, Dumfries Pride, Deep Green Space and Paragon Music.

Our Open Hoose groups were also involved, with Doughlicious, Free Improvisation, Queer Club, Write, Nith Life and Repair Shop hosting drop-in events for the public.

The space as a whole asked those who entered “What if Dumfries was…”, where visitors were urged to ponder the possibility of our town being a green, creative, making, inclusive, music, and historic town. Each of these avenues of thought roused hundreds of responses, and from this exercise we can explore what the future of Dumfries might look like, and all the different possibilities that may shape it.

The legacy of MOP is so vast that being able to boil down to a few key actions is a little daunting but certainly something we can’t wait to explore. Using the different ‘towns’ within the space was particularly well received as a means of exploring not only the Dumfries of the future, but the town as it is today. We’ve over 400 postcards of creative ideas from the public to rifle through which may well lead to the next big thing for Dumfries. Above all however, working across all the community groups, partners, organisations, campaigns and businesses towards realising this project has laid a fertile ground for more collaborations in the near future. Collaborations both enterprising, creative and surprising. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Martin O’Neill

Learn more about the Market of Possibility, and each of the groups involved with the project here.

Tags 2023, Community, Dumfries, Making Dumfries, Market of Possibility

News Opportunities

Wild Goose Festival Volunteer Opportunities

Post author By Kirsty Geddes
Post date September 20, 2023

(This opportunity is now closed)

During the eleven-day Wild Goose Festival, our town centre nature hub found in the Loreburne Centre, Dumfries, will be open daily from 10:00am – 4:00pm, offering a range of family-friendly activities to enjoy.

This year, we have various volunteer opportunities available. Find out more about each opportunity below.

Pre-Festival Volunteers

Role Description:

In collaboration with the Wild Goose Festival and supported by Creative Scotland, the central hub will host a festival-long ‘drop in and do’ collage mural. The mural will be created using recycled and natural materials.

Working in pairs before the festival, volunteers will gather materials for art packs, sort them, and maintain a record of all that was collected. Volunteers will then use collected natural and recycled materials into ‘art packs’, ensuring children and young people who participate will receive equal amounts of material.

Previous volunteer experience is optional, but a positive attitude, desire for fresh air, and enjoyment of working within the local community is essential. Gathering sessions will be held rain or shine; please ensure you come prepared for all weather possibilities. In the event of dangerous conditions making gathering impossible, volunteers will be offered a ‘rain date’.

Responsibilities:

In groups of 2, walking the natural areas of Dumfries town centre, gathering materials such as acorns, leaves, sticks, grasses, flowers, pine cones, pine needles, etc.
Sorting materials by type at the Stove.
Counting and taking stock of all gathered materials.
Following directions, gathering and sorting the provided materials into brown paper bag ‘preparation packs’ for mural drop-in sessions.
Bringing preparation packs to the hub in the Loreburne Centre.

Time Commitments:

Volunteers helping with the collection of materials: October 11th & 13th. These days will be split in to two sessions, collecting: 11:00am – 1:00pm, and sorting: 1:00pm – 2:00pm.

Volunteers helping with the compilation of Art Packs: October 17th. This day will be split in to two sessions: 11:00am – 1:00pm & 1:00pm – 3:00pm.

Hub Volunteers

Role Description:

In collaboration with the Wild Goose Festival, the central hub will open eight festival days between 10:00am and 4:00pm, offering interactive and creative workshops, partner presentations,
and self-led activities.

The general volunteer role is a dynamic position that will see volunteers engaging with various people, activities, local artists, and organisations. Volunteers will be responsible for assisting the Hub Director in the daily operation of the hub and its activities, shadowing the Hub Coordinator, helping direct the flow of visitors, and engaging with children and young people (CYP) under the direction of workshop providers and Stove staff.

Further supported by a grant from Creative Scotland, the central hub will host twelve interactive workshops ranging from a festival-long ‘drop in and do’ collage mural to interactive art development workshops led by locally established artists.

The Stove Networks Creative Spaces ‘emerging artists’ team will each have a turn taking over drop-in sessions, teaching and inspiring CYPs with hands-on mural workshops, while established artists will teach workshops on illustration, praxinoscope, sound design, cyanotype, etc.

No previous volunteer experience is required, just a positive attitude and enjoyment of working within the local community. A short (30-minute) training session will be held before the festival to familiarise volunteers with the Hub and role.

Responsibilities:

Ensure space is stocked with materials for self-lead activities
Answer questions and engage with the public, (such as greeting visitors, managing image release forms, etc.)
Assist in managing visitor flow/ensuring smooth operation of hub self-lead activities
Assist partners as needed with presentations and activities
Create art packs/gather natural materials as needed
Operate a ‘video station’ consisting of a tripod, camera, and praxinoscope machine, record pictures/videos of CYP creations on Proxiniscope & Engage and record (written) participant responses to the following question(s): What is your illustration about? What does this illustration mean to you?
Help ensure established artist workshops are stocked with paper, pencils, pens, crayons and making art packs as the need arises
Ensuring the organisation of basic art supplies (paints, brushes, crayons, pencils, pens, etc), and assisting with cleaning up art supplies (cleaning brushes, storing materials, recycling scrap materials, etc.)
Document/photograph art workshops when the staff photographer is not available
Interact with CYPs, assisting and providing support as needs arise

Time Commitments:

10:00am – 1:00pm OR
1:00pm – 4:00pm

Clothing Sorting Volunteers:

Role Description:

This year, the Hub will run a clothing drive to support the work of Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL). Clothing donations will be accepted from October 20th till October 26th. On Friday, October 27th, MOOL will host a donations sorting session at their Depot.

Community volunteers are needed to assist MOOL staff and MOOL volunteers to sort and organise what has been gathered.

Responsibilities:

Sorting clothing gathered during the festival week
Organising clothing by size
Organising clothing into piles for shipping to EU camps, clothing to be sent to charity shops and clothing that may be of use to current asylum seekers in the area.

Time Commitments:

October 27th – Time TBD

Questions?

If you have any questions about each volunteer role or about the Wild Goose Festival Hub please contact Wren Winters our Hub Co-ordinator here.

Wild Goose Festival is an annual, family-friendly exploration of nature, creativity, and place. Produced by The Stove Network and held in Dumfries and surrounding areas, it unites key partners from across the region in celebration of the migratory route of barnacle geese between Svalbard and the Solway as well as the five other species that flock to this part of Scotland.

Tags 2023

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