This Midwinter, we invite you to experience something truly special along the Dumfries riverfront. From the 15th – 17th January, The Stove Network will present Phanto Spectra, a free immersive audio-visual journey that brings new light to one of the town’s most fascinating, and often overlooked, cultural histories: the legacy of Scotland’s Travelling Showpeople.
Over the past two years, our team has been working closely with local partners and with members of the Showpeople community, whose traditions of illusion, spectacle and early entertainment run deep through Dumfries. Their influence stretches from historic fairs and ghost-show performances to the beginnings of cinema itself. Phanto Spectra is our way of honouring that heritage while inviting audiences to see the riverside in an entirely new way.
Martin Joseph O’Neill, The Stove Network Artistic Director, shares:
“Phanto Spectra is a bold new direction for The Stove – an experiment in technology but also a continuation of our commitment to honour the stories that shape this place. The Showpeople of Scotland are a lineage, a bloodline back to the earliest forms of immersive entertainment. This project celebrates that legacy while also telling a wider story about our town – its memories, its connections and the generations who have lived alongside the fair and will continue to do so.”
Using original binaural sound design, theatrical light and carefully crafted scenic elements, the experience invites visitors to explore a dreamlike environment where traces of the historic Rood and Spring Fairs subtly re-emerge. The riverbanks become a space where memory, atmosphere and storytelling intertwine, offering a reflective and imaginative encounter with the past.
Developed with local artists and presented as part of our ongoing Hear Here programme, Phanto Spectra also responds to the present moment. As Dumfries continues to transform through major flood defence developments, the work reflects on how the riverfront shapes our collective identity and how it might continue to do so in the future.
Phanto Spectra is free, accessible and open to all, with pre-bookable time slots available.
We look forward to welcoming you to this unique exploration of history, place and creative innovation.
More details coming soon!
