As part of the upcoming launch of Kathy Hinde’s Luminous Birds installation in Dumfries, Stuart Macpherson will be introducing the first in a series of pieces of his newly commissioned work Flight. Both works launch on Wednesday, 7th September, starting from the Stove at 7.30pm, ahead of the switch on of Luminous Birds at 9pm at the Globe Inn. Full details available on our events page here
Flight – Is a moving soundscape/composition influenced and inspired by the migration of barnacle geese from Svalbard to Caerlaverock. Taking the idea of Migration from Kathy Hinde’s Luminous Birds installation, Flight explores the ability to move from one place to the other, using multiple sounds sources to create something that mimics the movement of the birds. Individual parts are composed to work together as a movement.
This opening is an introduction to the piece which will continue with further developments and performances through until November. You are invited to come along and immerse yourself in the first run coinciding with the opening of Luminous Birds at The Stove.
Stuart Macpherson is a freelance bassist and composer based in rural Dumfries & Galloway. He has been involved in numerous projects and performances, mostly recently the highly acclaimed orchestration of GRIT by Greg Lawson at the Edinburgh International Festival. He also plays in a recently formed quartet with local musicians Wendy Stewart, Gavin Marwick and Ruth Morris. Short-listed twice for the Martin Bennet Prize for Composition Stuart’s work ranges from soundscapes such as his work with Chinese pole artist and performer Phil Hardie on Welcome my Son to pieces written for Red Note Ensemble and Mr McFalls Chamber. His compositional work has been taking an expansive swing towards more experimental pieces and collaborative work such as this.
Special acknowledgement to Sound recordists Geoff Sample and Simon Elliott who have very kindly allowed their recordings of the geese to be used for this piece.
This years Nithraid sees us welcome a new team of young interns to help kick-start our now annual sailing race up river and into the centre of Dumfries. First up is Euan Macrory, a musician from the town and joining the event production and marketing team. We asked Euan to tell us a little more about himself and his music:
I am a musician that is driven by giving opportunities to other performers and artists. I hope to contribute my part to the Dumfries music community by encouraging new performers and hopefully allow people to try music as a hobby even if they never have, purely so people can discover a new passion. My main passion at the moment is combining genres and changing music. This has involved me taking genres that are not always perceived as exciting, like traditional folk and combining it styles like funk, flamenco and jazz. In the future I hope I can encourage a rise in the interest of the Dumfries music scene and try to change music.
I was drawn to Nithraid because I wanted to try being part of the organisation of an event so I could participate in events from a new perspective. I have been a performer at events but I am looking forward to experiencing events under different circumstances and gaining new skills in fields that present unique challenges and rewards.
Nithraid 2014 – Procession and Nithraid Band
I think Dumfries is a town with a lot of potential. I think it has a really nice local community that you struggle to find in other areas. I believe that with our close community values we can make a modern town with more reasons for young people to stay here and build careers.
The most exciting part of the Stove process for me is the involvement it permits. The stove opens up a wide variety of opportunities for people to get involved in, including different types of workshops and events for activities that people would not consider if the Stove was not offering these unique opportunities.
Five books I think everyone should read are Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck, The Symposium by Plato, How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky, If On a Winters Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
There are so many songs that I couldn’t live without but if I had to name a few it would be Santeria by Sublime, Emily by the Bill Evans Trio and just every song by a spoken word poet and rapper George Watsky.
I never expected to enjoy volunteering in a charity shop as much as I did. Honestly when I started I thought it would be a fairly quiet standard shop job but I had so much fun and made so many great memories from it.
My passion is music, it means so much to me and it always has. I couldn’t see my life without it.
Today our new friend and sign painting ninja Ciaran Glöbel led a group of Stove members in an inspirational workshop on the art of hand painted lettering.
An example of Ciaran’s work – you can see more at his website
Ciaran talks alphabets
There is a resurgence of interest in the traditional art of sign painting – this is partly because the sameness and ubiquity of computer generated plastic signage is wearing thin and partly because street artists (graffiti etc) are rediscovering the old arts of hand painted signage as a language for their work. Ciaran Glöbel is good example of this – he is a street artist who for the last two years has been making a living as a sign painter.
Letters by Elli, Ciaran + Jo, Katie, Lyndsay
Single stroke brush lettering practice
The day was rounded off with a public screening of ‘Sign Painters’ a movie which is a moving call to arms for artists to take to the streets and bring back the quality and originality of bespoke designed and hand made signage and street art.
‘I think every human being has the ability to alter their own environment with their bare hands.’ ……absolutely goddamn right!
Just imagine how different Dumfries High Street could look if all the independent traders had hand painted signage by local artists? #MakingDumfries
Thanks to Katie for organising everything and Ciaran for being so generous with his knowledge and having great banter
Throughout the year, we like to make sure we keep in touch with all our members and ensure that everyone has chance to easily express their hopes, wants and needs relating to the development of The Stove and joint creation of a better Dumfries. Whether that be more formally at the members ‘Housewarming’ event; ‘Cultural Wayfinding’ sessions; via Tea with Moxie (yep, that’s still going if you want a natter and a cuppa!); at drop in sessions; during live events; the speechbubbles project; or just casual encounters in the street: the core team are keen to hear thoughts, suggestions and ideas on how to take things forward.
Moxie at work at Guid Nychburris
The Stove has really blossomed since opening its High Street doors earlier in the year and there are lots more exciting adventure on the horizon so here is just a quick recap of the kind of things you were asking for and what we’ve done by way of response.
Spoken Word and creative writing was very high on people’s agenda and an increase in events was suggested by many. April saw Open Mouth blast onto the scene with Sarah Indigo and Eryl Shields leading performance and creation workshops with school students during the day. The success of this has led to Brave New Words being developed into a regular Open Mic night at The Stove, the next of which is this coming Friday October 30th, and is open to all (musical or spoken word, Brave New Words is open to all original writing). In the run up to Christmas, various other word based events are planned, including Wagtongues Pop Up Bookshop at the end of November and there is an open-call out for new writing for exciting art installations in the closes of the town.
Brave New Words – poetry slam September 18th 2015
A number of conversations around food were sparked at the Housewarming event, perhaps sparked by the delicious Chai Tea made by Open Jar and the Bannocks baking on the open fire in the square! People were keen to harness the power of nourishment in all its senses, suggesting gatherings; gardening experiments where people could come to learn how to grown and learn how to cook seasonal produce; cup return schemes for our café and film evenings and talks linked to food and produce. We’ve also been in talks regarding community gardens, rewilding, and working with groups around the region to provide a chance to explore the lines where the act of growing becomes art.
The amazing Alice Thompson from Social Bite talking food and social enterprise at The Stove (http://www.social-bite.co.uk/)
The latter was explored during our recent film season at The Stove where films such as Moo Man, Vanishing of The Bees, and The Lunchbox were accompanied by wonderful talks and equally wonderful tasty, relevant treats.
We also had an incredible talk by Alice from Social Bite who shared their journey from scratch to building an amazing network of Sandwich shops which help the homeless back on their feet and into work.
Work has started on The Stove Café which will provide a vibrant meeting place in the heart of Dumfries and a base for further creative exploration of how we think about, grow, distribute and cook food. The tender was won by Angela and Colin Green and we are very excited to see what this new development brings.
Stove members at Housewarming talking about ideas for the future
We are really keen to hear from people who might like to host groups in the early evening (for example we have a regular Craftivism (Creative Activism) workshop beginning on October 28th) which will encourage people to linger a little longer once the shops have closed, and build on our commitment to breathe new life back into the town centre.
The Craftivism workshops also touch on a couple of other points raised by members. It became apparent that people were keen to form Skill Sharing groups and to engage in Mindfulness initiatives. Craftivism encourages both and we hope will be the catalyst for other Skill Sharing/Skill Swap events to be born.
It was suggested we take ‘The Stove’ outwith the building and do more projects around the region. One such project involved The Young Stove working with a group of school aged children in the woods near New Galloway where they ran a workshop called Survival Art School and then showed the youngsters around their own show at Gatehouse of Fleet., another was the co-production of EAFS; a wonderful Off Grid Adventure in the grounds of Morton Castle that, amongst many other magical things, encouraged the sharing of food as a point of human contact and engagement, calling on that primal need to break down modern social barriers and open up a world of friendship and communication around shared nourishment.
Rajasthan heritage Brass Band at The Stove
People asked for Drumming and what a line up we gave them! Not only did we fill the day with the incredible Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band, who brought huge smiles to everyone they encountered, but then an evening which gave way to a spectacular workshop with local drumming groups which brought the community together in a loud and joy filled way.
Thinking of the future vision, in addition to calls for giant water slides, segways instead of Orange Bike Schemes, permanent Block Parties, Adult Ball Pits and Drive in Cinemas, it was clear people wanted to feel the love coming back into the town centre.
Phrases like:
“Let’s celebrate what we have and what we can be rather than focusing on what we don’t. We are a vibrant town with vision. Work together to make it happen.”
“Keeping Dumfries’ heritage but being more upbeat and welcoming to new things”
“Convert dead shops into flats = get people back into town.”
“Use empty shops as art galleries/installations – artists get work shown, town gets colourful, vibrant art instead of empty shops full of litter.”
have been repeated in various forms and, although a little less exciting than gigantic bowling alleys made of foam, are a little more tangible and form a good starting place for change.
It’s obvious that the regeneration has already begun with many people commenting on what a positive difference having The Stove present on the High Street has already had but there is, clearly, much more to be done.
We had some great public sessions working with Lateral North to discover how interventions and Cultural Wayfinding could help develop Dumfries, help her be more welcoming, and make it easier (and more exciting) to navigate, just as it has in other towns; and there’s more of that to come with an event surrounding Norway House next month.The building itself has had a wide range of personalities since its birth. It’s provided a messy space for The Young Stove and other artists, been an exhibition space for a range of artists, housed workshops, meetings, gatherings and music gigs. It’s welcomed a wide range of people through its doors from immensely varied walks of life, and that makes us very proud. It’s also become an ideas exchange, a place where people can come to give inspiration and take it, to bring ideas and help them grow.
Radio DMC
Music has been another hot topic for members and the public and we have been growing a Music strand since The Stove began through our Dumfries Music Conference – since 100 High Street has been open this has continued to blossom through partnerships with other local music groups, such as Small Town Sounds, Music Plus and Electric Fields. These partnerships have led to great gigs showcasing local talent such as Rudi Zygadlo, MØGEN and Mark Lyken. You can even learn guitar at The Stove now with guitar teacher David Bass.
Other things that have come up in chats include:
Partnerships with the Crichton Campus – exciting news on that next February
Fast Public Broadband – big up to Ailsa for making The Stove the first business with fibre-optic broadband in the town centre
Space for screenprinting – we’re supporting Upland and Maklab in trying to start a facility at Maklabs premises on the High Street
Classes in IT and Film Editing – our digital making suite will be taking bookings soon…watch this space
Support for research projects into Environmental Issues – Stove was the base for the recent Environmental Art Festival Scotland and watch out for ArtCOP Scotland @ The Stove in early December
More for young people in the town – the Young Stove continues to flourish and is integrated into just about everything we now do
Be part of making Dumfries better – The Stove continues to be a place that people come to debate and take positive action for the town…we are taking an active part in the current debate about the Whitesands and there is exciting news coming up about major improvements to the High Street.
‘Not to Be Sold Separately’ an exhibition by Young Stove
So, let us know what you think. Book in with Moxie for a cuppa, send an email or drop our Herald a line on Facebook. The Stove is ever evolving and its quiet energy is building all the time; so get in touch and let’s see how we can sail together into the next phase.
PS if you are ever wondering what is going on at The Stove then please check our Events Calendar – here or to check back over what has been going on our Blog – here
Clem from Open Jar cooking Bannock on Dumfries High Street
By Mark Zygadlo
I offer my reflections on a couple of aspects of the mustering to mark the reopening of 100 High Street, Dumfries on the 29th May 2015.
First, the building is just a building; open or closed. The Stove, on the other hand, has never been away. However, the resumption of 100 High Street is a cause for celebration because, occupied by the Stove, the building becomes a symbol, a statement of intent, a declaration in the heart of the town redolent with possibility.
These are carefully chosen words. When you get to be an old Stovie like me you can laugh in the face of cool and bravely speak of sentiment, and for this I take my lead from Moxie who put her wares gently on the table at the re-opening and slid under the radar to remind me, at any rate, that to be anything meaningful, an artist not least, you have to be a human being first. This was cleverly done. Addressed obliquely and full of ambiguity, her condimental list invoked the mysterious nine tenths. Elementary my dear Moxie, fundamental.
I love that browny orange
Onward, the mugs. Whisked back to my first days at art school longer ago than even my new bravery wants to consider; messing about with a process I couldn’t quite handle, yet desperate for my mug somehow to transcend its mugginess and become art, then not caring if it did or… hang on – I love that browny orange, let’s get some more of that… The noise level, the concentration, the babies… what’s going on? Is this a family or something?
The sledgehammer of the Young Stove finally cracked it
Thanks to a shock resistant bottle and the shock absorbing qualities built into the fabric and spirit of the old Stove, useful qualities against the vicissitudes of the future, the sledgehammer of the young Stove finally cracked it. “Jules, fetchez la vache,” comes to mind for some reason. A phrase so poignant for an old Nithraider that I include it despite its irrelevance. So what? So what? So what? John Dowson, the only other resident of the High Street, told us what. The making of history, he said, quite rightly. Now, here’s a thing and it’s one of my favourite things: life is lived forward but looked at backwards. History is the backward view, a mash-up of memories, archives, documents, photographs and of course the way we have shaped the environment, it’s all history. But the making of history is the process of living, of doing, making things happen and changing the place we live in.
Good definition of the Stove.
The noise level, the concentration, the babies… what’s going on? Is this a family or something? Mark Zygadlo – standing centre…Moxie DePaulitte – far left (pink hair)
mugginess
John Dowson, the only other resident of the High Street, told us what. The making of history, he said.
Thanks to a shock resistant bottle and the shock absorbing qualities built into the fabric and spirit of the old Stove. Heid Wetting attempt by the Young Stove…..see very funny video – https://www.facebook.com/thestoveherald/videos/250690988434614/?pnref=story
Bannock Making led by Open Jar Collective
Clem from Open Jar cooking Bannock on Dumfries High Street
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. You can get in touch with Moxie on The Stove Herald facebook page here or by email.
This week is 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 of her life and presents the Thursday Night Showcase on community radio station Alive 107.3, a show which is entirely dedicated to promoting Dumfries & Galloway musicians and gigs. She also runs Small Town Sounds, a small project which uses local music to raise money for local charities. Melissa also did a radio show as part of last weekends 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 hope 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 by 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 making of the CD) back in October 2013. Small Town Sounds is a charity CD which features local musicians and every penny made goes to local charities. To date it has raised around £1700.
