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Making Dumfries – Part 1

Week beginning 28th March sees the Stove welcome the Scottish Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design into our world with a series of events and activity, as the first part of an ongoing project, Making Dumfries. Over the course of the next few months, Making Dumfries will create opportunities to contribute to the development of a new vision for the town centre, with workshops facilitated by leading local designers and cultural groups, of which our events are the starting point of.

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Square Go
Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of March 10am – 4pm daily
Join the Stove alongside a team of local architects, artists and planners in creating a giant pavement drawing re-imagining the town centre – whatever your interests. How would you like to experience Dumfries in the future? As part of Square Go, the Glasgow Institute of Architects will set up the travelling pavilion, Eolas in the square which will be the HQ for our Square Go project, drop by and get involved.
If you are interesting in participating in the development of this project there are more details available here

Possible Scotland
Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of March Lateral North’s touring project, Possible Scotland will visit Dumfries as it travels around Scotland in 2016 to support and work with the Square Go project. Join the team for an open workshop on Wednesday, from 2 – 5pm.

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Scottish Scenic Route exhibition
28th March – 8th April
From the 28th of March, the Stove will host the Scottish Scenic Route exhibition, a project exploring the impact and possibility of small architectural interventions along Scotland’s key tourist routes.

Film Premiere
Tuesday 29th March 7pm
The premiere of a specially comissioned film by artist and filmmaker, John Wallace exploring the history and culture of Dumfries High Street. The screening will be accompanied by talks and discussions on the past and future of the High Street. All welcome.

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News Project Updates

Lateral North and the Norway Connection

You are invited to share your ideas and contribute to our Cultural Wayfinding event, taking place from 5th to 7th November with Lateral North and The Stove Network.

Town centres are a hot topic throughout Scotland at the moment, with a focus on how they might once again become vibrant and populated spaces. Initiatives have been established by the Scottish government and partner organisations such as Scotland Can Do Towns and the Scottish Towns Partnership, who are leading the way by working with communities across the country. Discussions, conferences, innovative ideas, and project proposals are increasing as we strive to reconnect communities with their local shops and town centres.

Dumfries is one such place taking an exceptionally innovative approach, where art and design take centre stage to provide creative solutions for the town centre. The arts resource, The Stove Network, has been leading various projects aimed at regenerating the town centre. They have transformed a building previously out of use into a hub of creative thinking and forward-thinking design.

The Stove Network has teamed up with Lateral North, an architecture, research, and design collective based in Glasgow with strong ties to Dumfries, to collaborate on an exciting and dynamic project. This initiative reflects on the culture, heritage, and built environment of Dumfries town centre, focusing on elements that have been overlooked or not adequately highlighted.

Their Cultural Wayfinding project aims to create a range of opportunities that will not only boost tourism but also serve as an economic catalyst for new jobs and initiatives for local people. These efforts are centred around art and design, demonstrating how they can illuminate the rich culture of this historic town.

The first of these initiatives focuses on Dumfries’ connection with Norway, particularly the buildings hidden within the town centre that once hosted the Norwegian army in exile during World War II. These buildings provided the army with spaces for meetings and accommodation throughout the war.

Lateral North and The Stove Network will host a three-day workshop from 5th to 7th November, inviting the public to contribute ideas for a public art installation. This project will highlight Norway House at 8 Church Street, the building used as Headquarters and Cultural Centre by Norwegians in exile during 1940. Currently empty, the building remains unused due to extortionate retail rates, which are likely to persist for the foreseeable future. However, this initiative aims to emphasise the creative possibilities for such spaces, encouraging communities to attract tourists, revitalise town centres, and generate economic activity through existing built environments.

Graham Hogg of Lateral North, who grew up in Dumfries, said: “I’ve watched Dumfries town centre slowly lose more and more of its local shops, with vacant shops becoming increasingly common. This has had a detrimental effect on the town as a whole, and I believe it is fantastic that The Stove is leading this exciting project. To be part of it is a real honour, and hopefully, through the Norway House project, we can create an exciting and innovative model that can be applied to Dumfries town centre in the future and adopted throughout the rest of Scotland.”

NB: There are paid opportunities for Stove Network members to assist with the project on 5th, 6th, and 7th November.

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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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