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Musings Project Updates

As Above So Below

From Ivor Gott

“Hey Ivor, it’d be pretty neat if you could write a blog to tell us about your project for Nithraid,” announced Katie Anderson excitedly at the last Young Stove meeting. The first thing that went through my mind upon hearing these words was, “Crikey! How on earth am I ever going to explain this to the general public?” After much careful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best approach would be to just tell the truth.

So here goes…

It all started with a pirate ship. A great big pirate ship. A great big pirate ship made out of recycled plastic bottles. How did I get from a pirate ship to two pyramids—or should I say tetrahedrons—a chrome unicorn, and an art performance loosely based on the concept of enlightenment? The truth is, I didn’t get there on my own. The pirate ship was a snap decision made during a meeting with my Stove mentor, Denise Zygadlo. I was under immense pressure to come up with a decision for the project. At this point, it had been two weeks since the commission began, and my initial idea, although perfect for the Dock Park site (where Nithraid was originally intended to be), just wasn’t going to work at Mill Green.

“Come on, Ivor,” my inner voice urged. “What are you going to do? It must be good—no, better than good—it must be fabulous!” So, before I’d even thought it through properly, I found myself telling Denise that I might make a pirate ship out of plastic bottles.

This idea evolved from a pirate ship into a Viking longboat, inspired by a workshop held at The Stove that evening. However, this didn’t remain the case for very long. After a few meetings with my fellow creatives—The Mad Jackals (Majikals)—the idea of making a Viking longboat was beginning to feel tiresome. I just couldn’t get excited about it. It didn’t reflect me or my wonderfully creative friends.

And then it just came to me. I said, “We need to make a pyramid and float it down the Nith! We have to have a unicorn inside the pyramid!” The words of a mad person? Yes, probably.

At that point, it was me, Sophie, and Michael in the studio. You could feel the collective excitement crackling between us. I started scribbling ideas down. It must—and I repeat, must—include the Mer-ka-ba, rainbow smoke, flash grenades, horned elementals… I was really getting carried away. Credit to Sophie and Michael—they were running with me. We were organic and free, if perhaps a little overly optimistic.

The next day, I met with my little brother in the Queensberry. I was expressing anxiety over the scale of the project. Conor is often the voice of reason and someone I consult when mashing around creative ideas. He’s a creative too, but where I veer off into tangents and allow my concepts to grow bigger than I can handle, he has a knack for reducing it down and keeping it real. I can always trust him to tell me the truth and be realistic.

“One question?” he pondered, eyebrow raised. “How are you going to do this in two weeks?”

I knew he was right. The idea had to change again—and fast. More of the Jackals were arriving at this point. Ideas were flying thick and fast.

“Time capsule…” Did you say time capsule?

That’s perfect. The Mer-ka-ba… As above, so below… We’ll make a time capsule, and it’ll be in the shape of an inverse tetrahedron. Of course, we’ll need a non-inverted tetrahedron too. Ah, it’s perfect. There’ll be two tetrahedrons. The unicorn stays, and so does the rainbow smoke.

To maintain some mystery about the performance and workshop, I’ll stop there. But in a nutshell, that’s how an idea that first birthed itself as a plastic bottle pirate ship evolved into an exciting, interactive art performance loosely based on the theme of enlightenment. We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday when all will be revealed.

One thing I’d like to say before I get back to putting the finishing touches on everything is this: although this commission was applied for as a solo project, it’s been a collaborative effort. I often find collaboration much more exciting than working alone, and I’m lucky to have the most fabulous team of creative individuals in my life. We are The Mad Jackals. They think we’re mad, but we know we’re majickal.

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Musings Project Updates

New Distractions

We asked ourselves a question: “Can a sign above a High Street building ever do anything other than promote and brand? Can it ask questions, be part of a conversation with other signs… Can our High Street ever become a space that prioritises people as well as sales?”

Whose downturn is this?

As a species, we show ourselves to be resilient and endlessly adaptable, but what true opportunities exist between the moss and the ‘for sale’ signs? How do we reimagine the spaces between the High Streets we remember and what remains when our High Street no longer meets the bottom line of the multinationals?

Our town centres have grown out of a need to gather, connect, meet, barter, and exchange. Dumfries owes its place to the river, the cattle marts, and the passage of people. Yet, from our largely rural context, Dumfries has also served as a gathering point—a melting pot where communities meet and exchange not just economically but socially, forming our connection to the wider world.

‘A marketplace (rather than a “market”) is a sociable space where buying and selling take place surrounded by other activities—a place to see friends, hear stories, and argue about ideas. Crucially, unlike a Starbucks or a department store, it is a space where your welcome is not determined purely by your ability to spend money.’*

What is valuable on our High Streets?

Dumfries stands at a crossroads, questioning its identity and place within the world. While Primark may not have arrived, there is an air of anticipation and change quietly murmuring amongst a growing number of the town’s communities. Now is the time to search for the new role we can play in shaping the future of Dumfries—to reach out for a possible, renewed Dumfries.

Dumfries is not dead, merely sleeping. Hidden Dumfries lies in plain sight, behind the sagging bus stances and solitary street furniture.

Now is the time to act.


How do we judge what a downturn is anyways?

This action does not require grand master planners or large-scale redevelopment, but rather a little collective energy and small, positive acts. Testing and experimentation, problem-solving, and lightweight interventions can pave the way towards a more active High Street, and a more vibrant town centre. Small actions can highlight, question, explore, and initiate discussion, growing from an inquisitive response to our everyday surroundings.

This is a call for new distractions.

Can we create a new visual language for our High Streets?

*Dougald Hine, Space Makers, quoted in How to Save Our Town Centres, by Julian Dobson.

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Musings

Ode to a Moody Cow

From Moxie de Paulitte

Nithraid procession marching over the Devorgilla Bridge
Ode to a Moody Cow

She can be a moody cow, This town of ours. Swinging between Udderly lovely and Udderly unbearable, Just as her unmarked udders Swing, Back and forth, Almost clanking Like a long-forgotten souvenir Swiss bell. Heaving with untapped potential. Nostalgic for a time long gone, That was never really there— Endless sunny days And sweet pastures, Not having to lock front doors, And tender loving care. Where the milk of human kindness flowed abundantly And you knew the names of all your neighbours.

Moody she may be, But her mind is open, As she stands by the river, Sniffing the air, And smiling at the heady scent of a New Calf On the Block.

Intoxicated, She welcomes the change, This moody cow, Happy that her milk, Again, Can nourish. Her wisdom valued, Just filtered differently, No longer weighed down By burdens of her own making.

The sun returns, Igniting hope, Flooding dark, Forgotten, Moody corners. And she can flourish in its glow, This moody cow, This town of ours.

A tide turned. Goodbyes waved. Missions accomplished. Rebooted. Updated.

Nithraid was conceived as a public artwork to activate the riverside in Dumfries in the summer of 2013, bringing new focus and people down to celebrate the Nith. Now in its third year, Dumfries is preparing to welcome sailors upriver to the heart of the town as Nithraid 2015 sails into town on Sunday, 2nd August. Nithraid is free and open to all, and last year saw crowds of 4,000 lining the banks to watch the winning boats cross the finish line. Find out more about this year’s Nithraid.

The discussion is open, and we invite contributions to our artistic conversations. Whether you’ve been involved in Nithraid in previous years or are interested in the changing face of public art—where a sailing race becomes an artwork—please get in touch via the comments box below or send your contribution by email to [email protected].

Image: Nithraid 2013, Tom Telfer.

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News Project Updates

Not To Be Sold Separately

From Emily Cooper

Months of planning, budgeting, and—most importantly—creating had led to the Young Stove finally making their debut on the art scene of Dumfries and Galloway. Not to Be Sold Separately, our maiden voyage into exhibiting as a collective, launched on the 3rd of July and was met with a wave of excitement and glowing feedback.

As a group of eight young artists, each with contrasting styles and creative visions, coming together to form a cohesive show seemed like a daunting task. However, rather than becoming an obstacle, it turned into one of our greatest strengths, resulting in a vibrant and diverse collection of work that reflects who we are as a group.

Installation day brought its own challenges. With only a matter of hours to transform a beautiful yet unconventional space—complete with complex lighting—and to install all our work before opening that same evening, the pressure was intense. The learning curve was steep, as our experience ranged from seasoned exhibition veterans to those of us (myself included) who had never exhibited publicly before. Yet, remarkably, we pulled it off without a hitch! Having complete creative control and taking responsibility for hanging our own work proved to be an invaluable experience, one that will undoubtedly shape how we approach exhibitions in the future.

Not to Be Sold Separately closes on the 26th of July and will travel to Dumfries to be reimagined and reopened at the start of August. With a new space, fresh pieces, and even more artists added to the line-up, it presents an exciting opportunity to redevelop and build on the success of the exhibition’s first leg. Mill on the Fleet has been a fantastic opening venue. Transplanting a thoroughly modern, edgy collection of work into such a historical and characterful building has resulted in a glorious, colourful discordance—truly symbolic of the Young Stove.

Categories
Musings

The Udder Hand. The Quantum Field.

By Anonymous

Nithraid’s Mascot ‘The Salty Coo’
The Udder Hand. The Quantum Field.

The centred text of a poem, making the outline of a cow's teat on the page, threw me back to my childhood when we milked by hand in that famous winter. All frosted, the universe, but my cheek was warm on her flank when I stripped—that's what we called it, stripping—two quarters into the pail.

Black-and-white backs smell so pink in the byre. The weight of a full udder, its high shape between her hocks, and her sighing, her blowing, as I get the feel of it and she lets down her milk. Blessed animal, still giving her warmth when there's nothing outside but ice.

Neatsfoot oil, I thought today, a last gift rendered from her hooves and cannon bones. And "Near," an archaic name for cattle, or "Kine", "Dà" in Welsh, the same as the word for "good".

Nithraid was conceived as a public artwork to activate the riverside in Dumfries during the summer of 2013, bringing new focus and drawing people down to celebrate the River Nith. Now in its third year, Dumfries is preparing to welcome sailors upriver to the heart of the town as Nithraid 2015 sails into town on Sunday, 2nd August. Nithraid is free and open to all, and last year saw crowds of 4,000 lining the banks to watch the winning boats cross the finish line. Find out more about this year’s Nithraid here.

The discussion is open, and we invite contributions to our artistic conversations. Whether you have been involved in Nithraid in previous years or are interested in the changing face of public art and how a sailing race can also be an artwork, please get in touch via the comments box below. Alternatively, to send your contribution, please email [email protected].

Categories
Musings

Cooland

From Matt Baker

Foggy Beltie Cap

When the Earth’s crust thickened and cooled deeply, it cracked, and four avenues dropped neatly in lines: four invitations for four rivers—Annan, Nith, Dee, and Cree. Water, washing soil over the rock, posted another invitation—for a beast to graze the land, to break it with footprints for germinating seeds, and to re-fertilise it with their dung.

We know the coos, slabbed together on a cold, damp morning, their breath hanging together like the breath of the Earth; or contented and dispersed across a summer field, chewing in deep rhythm. We know them as part of the oneness of our place.

Our land is pastureland, home to a kinship between humankind and cookind that has spawned a million inventions with milk, meat, and leather.

Our coos have been our wealth—their mobility precious in times when you couldn’t hide a field of barley from ancient raiders. Always moving from winter to summer pastures, and to market over Annan, Nith, Dee, and Cree.

Humans moved too. In tough times, we spread far across the seas, and as migrants found their feet, they called for their coos to follow. Great Uncle Jimmy raised Shorthorn cattle in Wigtownshire to send on boats to the Argentine. The canny exiles sent us meat home in cans. Corned beef is still the favourite food of one of Jimmy’s daughters, and the other drank unpasteurised milk straight from the farm all her days.

We are Nithraid, and this land is where we bide; so we race the tide up our river to release the salty spirit of Coo.

Nithraid was conceived as a public artwork to activate the riverside in Dumfries during the summer of 2013, bringing new focus and drawing people down to celebrate the River Nith. Now in its third year, Dumfries is preparing to welcome sailors upriver to the heart of the town as Nithraid 2015 sails into town on Sunday, 2nd August. Nithraid is free and open to all, and last year saw crowds of 4,000 lining the banks to watch the winning boats cross the finish line. Find out more about this year’s Nithraid here.

The discussion is open, and we invite contributions to our artistic conversations. Whether you have been involved in Nithraid in previous years, are interested in the changing face of public art, or are curious about how a sailing race can also be an artwork, please get in touch via the comments box below. Alternatively, to send your contribution, please email [email protected].

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