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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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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.

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News Project Updates

Thinking Differently About Our Town

Dumfries is a town at the gateway to Scotland. Famous for its relationship with Rabbie Burns, the town is the nodal point of the region (Dumfries and Galloway) and has a strong heritage and an even stronger cultural potential.

Cities, towns, and villages across Scotland are reimagining their centres and the functions they serve within their urban settings.

Inverness is creating various artworks along its River Ness, ranging from simple signage installations to engineered viewing platforms. Oban is reinventing its waterfront and becoming a hub for the Hebrides. Helmsdale has centred its village around arts and heritage, with a wonderful cultural centre that is growing by leaps and bounds. Even rural Scotland is part of the movement, with initiatives such as the Scottish Scenic Routes, Spring Fling, and the North Coast 500 aiming to redefine the landscapes in which they are situated.

Dumfries shares a similar ambition: to reinvent, reimagine, and reactivate its high street, town centre, and the wider region. The Stove Network, working in collaboration with Lateral North and creative organisations throughout Dumfries, would like to invite you to contribute your ideas for the future of Dumfries—ultimately to generate new concepts within the town to showcase the heritage, cultural, environmental, industrial, and creative communities that thrive here.

Join us to design these interventions, contribute your ideas, and discover the Dumfries you don’t yet know.

If you’re someone with a passion for the town of Dumfries and a commitment to being part of its future, join us for the Cultural Wayfinding Workshop on 15th July at The Stove.

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Musings News Project Updates

Reclaim The High Street – Sign Language

It’s interesting how obsessions grow. A current obsession is for signs—hand-painted and homegrown. We’ve been holding onto our sign-free frontage: The Stove, now under new management, is becoming a growing, changing space in the town.

The face of our high streets and their signage has, of course, changed dramatically with the introduction of mass-produced, nationwide branding. The loss of independent retailers has also transformed the landscape and language of our streets.

Even RS McColl’s had nice signs at one point! (Look closely)
My Product Will Enrich Your Status In Life from Mobstr

Also appearing in our social media stream this week is the phenomenon of ‘ghost-signs‘: the remnants of old signs, shops, businesses, and brands—gone and almost forgotten within our urban landscapes. At first, we couldn’t identify too many in the Dumfries-scape, but upon closer inspection, we are starting to notice them cropping up around town.

You Couldn’t Make It Up from KidAcne

This one on Buccleuch Street—double-layered signs? Does anyone have any idea what these signs may have been, or know of any other good sites around the town? If so, please get in touch!

Where are we going with this? That, of course, is all to be revealed. Guid Nychburris Day is fast approaching, and over the next week, the town will be gearing up for the annual festivities on the 20th of June.

We will be holding a hands-on, sign-themed event and workshop during our first Saturday Drop-In. Drop by between 12 noon and 4 pm on Guid Nychburris Day and get involved! It will be suitable for all ages and abilities, and participation is free.

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Musings News Project Updates

Beyond Doubt Into Love

What would Dumfries say?

Sometimes things start small.

Thank you Lauren!!

Whilst working with the Young Stove to imagine what The Stove could become, this thought arose: The Stove would undoubtedly have quite a lot to say. But what about the rest of the town? If the old buildings in Dumfries could speak, what stories would they tell?

If the old brig would speak, what stories would it tell?

Would it shout loud, or whisper quietly to a neighbour? We thought it best to ask around.

Responses are flooding in, and orange speech bubbles are floating around town. (What would Rabbie say, sitting with his view of the High Street?) Which places have the loudest voices? Voices began to pour in thick and fast, helped along by Herald Moxie and a band of merry Young Stovies.

Want to see more speech bubbles? A selection is available here.

Which speech bubbles could we stand up for? Which voices could we wear?

There comes a time when it is wise to call in an expert. Our expert on hand was the talented and patient printmaker and artist, Sarah Keast. An island of calm amidst the apparent chaos, The Stove was like a ship sailing through a wild afternoon of frenzied T-shirt printing.

And still, we printed on. We ran out of T-shirts, made a quick T-shirt run, printed more T-shirts, and ran out of ink before the afternoon was through—printing nearly 140 T-shirts in just four hours. The Young Stove proved themselves to be an unstoppable tide of creative energy.

Beyond Doubt Into Love may well be a T-shirt for a moment in time. One thing’s for sure: they are a rare and precious commodity, created by our community. If anyone has a large men’s in neon pink, we’ve had a request for one.

This is less of an end and more of a beginning—keep an eye out for speech bubbles. Once you start noticing them, they tend to pop up all over the place…

#GetDumfriesTalking