Our Bounce Back project, led by Martin O’Neill has been popping up in and around North West Dumfries over the past few months, including film screenings and the launch of the Ignition Fund, as well as supporting other events in the Lochside and Lincluden areas.
A month ago, Bounce Back began a series of Upcycling workshops, sharing skills and ideas to repair and reimagine unwanted clothes into something new.
Workshops run every second Thursday, with sessions still to come on the 10th and 24th of August at the Lochside Family Centre.
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.
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.
‘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
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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