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Young Stove Member Profile: Lauren Souter

Tell us about your creative process? I’m still trying to figure out what my process is. I tend to start by gathering things that inspire me and then focus on what catches my eye. I suppose I take the process as it comes—I go with my gut feeling more than anything.

What drew you to the Young Stove? The upcoming artist event last summer. A friend told me about it, and I went—it was the first time I’d seen an artist-type event in Dumfries and Galloway, so I was excited.

Which person do you most admire, and why? Nicola Sturgeon. I love Nicola—I admire how she stands up for Scotland and how down-to-earth she is. She’s not superficial like most politicians.

Would you share three words you love? Buzzing, kale, biddy.

Share your hopes and dreams for The Stove? I’m not sure, but I’d really love to see it flourish across all of D&G and beyond. I’d also love for The Stove to gain more recognition locally for everything it does.

What’s something that you’ve found yourself enjoying that you never thought you would? Bingo! I’ve always hated numbers, but my family goes every week, so I’ve joined them on occasion. Surprisingly, I’ve found it’s quite weirdly fun—haha.

What film changed your life? I’m not sure if any film has truly changed my life, but maybe Legally Blonde. I love how Elle suddenly excels—it’s actually quite motivating to watch, haha.

What’s been the most exciting part of The Stove process for you? I’d have to say Parking Space. I absolutely loved that event—it was really, really interesting.

What makes you feel alive? Midnight car journeys and visiting new places.

What songs do you carry close to your heart? I’m on and off with songs, but I’d say We Bros by a group called WU LYF.

What’s your dream for the artists in D&G? For them to receive more recognition. I feel D&G has so much to offer in terms of its artists.

lauren

Who throughout history would you like to sit and have a good chat with? Elizabeth I—she might be a bit intimidating to talk to, but I think she would be absolutely fascinating.

What instrument would you play if you could instantly master it? The harp, or perhaps the art of making music from glass cups.

What would you consider your greatest achievement? Surviving a six-hour journey on a bumpy Stagecoach bus while carrying a box of delicate glass—and none of it broke, haha!

Where’s your favourite place to be in D&G? Portpatrick—it’s such an idyllic and beautiful coastal town.

What’s your favourite piece you’ve produced? Creating a collection of glass vessels with glass artist Amanda Simmons. I’ve never had many opportunities like that, and it really opened my eyes to what’s possible out there.

What five books do you think everyone should read?

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
  • The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
  • The BFG by Roald Dahl
  • The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
  • The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

What makes you happiest? Travelling—especially car journeys, but I love train journeys too. Good food.

Tell us your passion? Most creative things! Art, though I’m not sure exactly what yet—but definitely something within the field of art.


The Young Stove’s first collective exhibition, Not to Be Sold Separately, will open at The Stove on Friday, 11th September. The opening will feature performances, live art, and installation events. More details about Not to Be Sold Separately will be shared soon.

Are you aged 16 to 30 and interested in the arts? Find out more about the Young Stove.

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Young Stove Member Profile: Sullivan Michael

What is your earliest memory? I remember being in the flat with Mum and the radio playing a song with brass instruments. It was night-time, and the kitchen was yellow. (It was usually yellow at night and blue-grey during the day.) This might have been in winter. We were making a pizza with a smiley face on it—it tasted disgusting, and we laughed.

What drew you to The Stove? Sauron.

What’s your favourite place to be in D&G? Kirkbean—the woods, the fields, the river with the cave.

What’s been the most exciting part of The Stove process for you? I suppose the most exciting part is seeing a variation of ideas and being involved in intriguing discussions with all these different artists. Meeting new and fascinating people with great imaginations has been a brilliant experience.

What instrument would you play if you could instantly master it? The Ocarina of Time.

Would you share three words that you love? Sing, treasure, lux.

Tell us about your creative process? Sometimes it’s hectic, sometimes it’s structured. I’d say it’s a balanced combination of the two. When I’m certain of what I’m doing, uncertainty may suddenly arise and spur on an unexpected avenue. If I’m not sure where I’m going, I’ll just wander blindly until my right hand grips the banister a split second before what could have been a plummeting journey down the staircase. Sometimes I take that plummet too. Beneath all the chaos, I am quite orderly… or maybe it’s the other way around.

What’s the best thing anyone’s said to you? “Eyes down.”

Tell us a joke? (At this point, we had to pause the interview as Sullivan began breathing into a paper bag, body contorted, rocking back and forth in a most awkward manner.)

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever got? “Keep going.”

Tell us your passion? My passion is to express myself, so I’ll do that to the very best of my ability. On those formidable lazy days, I’ll drag myself into action kicking and screaming—it’s the least I can do for myself.

What’s your dream for the arts in D&G? Uninhibited imagination (with bells on).


The Young Stove’s first collective exhibition, Not to Be Sold Separately, will open at The Stove on Friday, 11th September. The opening will feature performances, live art, and installation events. More details about Not to Be Sold Separately will be shared shortly.

Are you aged 16 to 30 and interested in the arts? Find out more about the Young Stove.

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Musings

Members Profile: Melissa Gunn

Following on from Tea with Moxie, our herald, she has become interested in the many different kinds of members in The Stove Network. She’s been catching up with and speaking to various members, and we’ll be introducing one every Friday over the next wee while.

This week, it’s the turn of Melissa Gunn!

Melissa is a full-time Business Lecturer, part-time radio presenter, and all-round promoter of local music. She has lived in Dumfries all her life and presents the Thursday Night Showcase on community radio station Alive 107.3, a show entirely dedicated to promoting Dumfries & Galloway musicians and gigs. She also runs Small Town Sounds, a small project that uses local music to raise money for local charities. Melissa also did a radio show as part of last weekend’s Radio DMC.

What drew you to The Stove? I love the whole concept of The Stove because it has the potential to bring together such a wide range of art ‘genres’. I am hugely passionate about local music and was pleased to see that The Stove classified music as an ‘art’. I wanted to be a part of The Stove to try to raise the profile of our local music scene.

Share your hopes and dreams for The Stove. I hope it will be all-inclusive and help put Dumfries & Galloway on the map when it comes to creativity.

Which film changed your life? The Crow – I was totally obsessed with it as a teenager.

What keeps you in and around Dumfries? My job, my hobbies, my friends, my family, the fresh air, and the beautiful scenery.

What makes you feel alive? Listening to amazing music with fantastic company and great conversation. And Berocca.

Where were you when you saw your favourite sunset? Eden Festival.

What’s your dream for the arts in D&G? I want it to be more accessible and for there to be something that appeals to everyone.

What’s your favourite piece/event that you’ve produced? I co-organised the Small Town Sounds CD launch (as well as the creation of the CD) back in October 2013. Small Town Sounds is a charity CD featuring local musicians, and every penny raised goes to local charities. To date, it has raised around £1,700.

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Musings

Stove Member Profile: Denise Zygadlo

Following on from Tea with Moxie, our herald, she has become interested in the many different kinds of members in The Stove Network. She has been catching up with and speaking to various members, and we’ll be introducing one every Friday over the next wee while.

This week, Moxie has been speaking to Denise Zygadlo.

Denise has lived in Dumfries since 1980, moving from London with her husband to start a cabinet-making business and raise four children. As the children grew, she gradually returned to her artwork, beginning with running art classes and community projects, making quilts and wall hangings (e.g., the 1996 Thornhill quilt hanging in Thomas Tosh).

Having studied printed textiles at Winchester School of Art, her interest lies in printing and cloth, and she has developed her own practice, focusing on drawing and exploring the relationship between the human body and cloth, through the use of photocopied images and transfer printing onto fabric.

Her work has been exhibited in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and in ‘Affordable Art’ shows around the country and abroad. She has also had two solo shows at The Mill on the Fleet and Gracefield Arts Centre.

Portrait of an Artist – a short film by Jo Hodges and Roger Lever

Did your life take an unexpected direction? Suddenly finding myself saying “further education in art” when asked about career moves at school. Moving to Scotland. Discovering I was pregnant with our fourth child and singing with him 23 years later on his first album. Becoming part of the psychology department in Dumfries. Being a mushroom on wheels with Oceanallover. And lots more.

What is your greatest fear? Driving on an eight-lane freeway in America.

Tell us about your creative process? Looking at inspiring images and talking to inspiring people. Making notes and drawing.

What is your earliest memory? The dressing-up box.

What drew you to The Stove? The first meeting at Parton—the energy, vision, and determination of the core group, and the excitement of it all happening in Dumfries.

Share your hopes and dreams for The Stove? That it becomes a place where everyone feels comfortable visiting and enjoying.

What keeps you in and around Dumfries? Family, friends, the landscape, art opportunities, and support.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? A dancer.

What’s been the most exciting part of the Stove process for you? Seeing the activities they create and put on outside in the centre of town, where everyone can get involved.

What makes you feel alive? Performing.

What songs do you carry closest to your heart? Ella Fitzgerald songs, music by my son Rudi, and ‘Lovin’ You’ by Minnie Riperton.

What’s your role within The Stove organisation? An ordinary member who likes to get involved.

How would you like to be remembered? Often.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Let go.

What’s your dream for the arts in D&G? That it continues to grow in all directions, as it seems to be doing now.

Categories
Musings

Stove Member Profile: Mark Lyken

Following on from Tea with Moxie, our herald, she has become interested in the many different kinds of members in The Stove Network. She’s been catching up with and speaking to various members, and we’ll be introducing one every Friday over the next wee while.

First up this week is Mark Lyken!

Mark Lyken (b. 1973) is an audio and visual artist. He creates music and sound pieces, films, paintings, and installations. His recent residency work has explored relationships to place and the complex interactions between nature, industry, and culture. He is particularly interested in revealing the musicality of the environment and regularly collaborates with other artists and specialists from different research fields. In 2014, Lyken and Emma Dove established the Glasgow-based art label ‘Soft Error’. Mark is also a Cryptic Associate Artist.

Tell us about your creative process? It’s a process of gathering, layering, refining, and removing. I think that holds true whether I’m painting, making music, or working in film. Our work over the last three years has had high levels of public engagement, which is a new development—particularly for me, as my default mode is hermit!

Working collaboratively with Emma over the last few years has been a real eye-opener. We make work together that neither of us would create alone. It’s quite an odd thing, and one that we are wary of questioning too much in case it stops working! Each of you has a voice, but combined it’s something greater than the sum of its parts.

What drew you to The Stove? I genuinely believe they are making a real difference, and I think the way they present themselves is pitch-perfect. The residency seemed like an excellent way to continue a line of work we are interested in, i.e., relationships to place, but in a completely new location that was culturally and geographically unfamiliar to us. We knew that we would have to move down to D&G, lock, stock, and barrel, as we would have struggled to get under the skin of the place if we hadn’t been living here. Six months is a very short time to be in a place, and any work created in that time can only ever be a snapshot, but I imagine this work will be part of a larger whole. We’re not in any hurry to rush away.

What time of the day do you like most? Between 7 and 9 am. I find that a super productive time. If we are filming, that “Golden Hour” before sunset can be very magical.

Which films changed your life? Tarkovsky’s Solaris, Blade Runner, and Clerks.

What keeps you in and around Dumfries? At the moment, Emma and I are completing a six-month residency with The Stove. We had assumed we would head back to Glasgow afterwards, but we’re gradually being seduced by the region.

What songs do you carry closest to your heart? It’s an album called Raining by Rolf Julius. Rolf was a sound and visual artist from Berlin, who sadly passed away in 2011.

It’s a very simple record—I think it may have originally been part of an installation. It’s nothing more than field recordings of rain with some very subtle electronics. His concept of “Small Music” and the overall aesthetic really speak to me.

Another piece is The Disintegration Loops by William Basinski. It’s one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard. The story is that Basinski set out to digitise old magnetic tape loops he had. He loaded up the loops, set them playing, and hit record. Gradually, over the course of 40 or 50 minutes, the tape literally disintegrated as it repeatedly passed the play head. The sound becomes progressively more distorted, with bigger and bigger gaps, until there’s nothing left to play at all. It’s hypnotic.

Who, from throughout history, would you like to sit and have a good chat with? Andrei Tarkovsky—although I’d need a translator, as my Russian is pretty bad.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? I came runner-up in a Star Wars short story writing competition in 1982 and received a letter of congratulations from C-3PO and a Chief Chirpa figure.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Show, don’t tell.

What’s your role within The Stove organisation? At the moment, I’m an artist in residence along with Emma Dove. Beyond that, I hope to rent a studio space within the new Stove building and use it as a base for upcoming projects. I find The Stove a really exciting organisation and imagine the relationship will continue.

Tell us your passion? Modular synthesizers.

Read more about Mark and Emma Dove’s collaborative residency project, HAME, which is part of The Stove’s Open House, [here].

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