The Stove NetworkMike Inglis pasted up his Devotional Shrines around the medieval centre of Dumfries today – these are based on real people Mike has met in the area, all of whom are concerned with protecting the spirit of Dumfries for future generations.
Those who follow the work of Mike Inglis will be very intrigued and excited to see the image below. Mike’s work is all about layers of exposure, and his relationship with public space is often a troubled one. There is an aspect of his work that involves the 3D assembly of very private shrine works. Mike has often talked about ways that he could bring this side of his work into the public domain alongside his paste-ups and graphic work. Maybe Dumfries is about to see something very significant in Scottish art history…
One of Scotland’s leading public/street artists, Mike has been researching ‘outsiders’ and ‘custodians’ in Dumfries since May 2012. He has worked with community groups and historical information ranging from the execution of nine women accused of witchcraft in 1659 to the groundbreaking therapeutic community at the former Crichton Hospital.
Mike’s work around Dumfries will include two ‘window shrines’ and six ‘paste-up street shrines’ – these will begin to appear in the town centre on 4th November and will be visible for as long as the good folk of Dumfropolis choose to leave them unmolested.
Find out more about Mike Inglis’ work here.
The artist collective The Stove has put together a week-long programme that celebrates Dumfries and offers people the chance to be part of the future of their town. Six specially commissioned art projects will be presented in public spaces, accompanied by public performances and talks from leading thinkers, as well as film screenings and concerts.
Highlights include:
‘Why Andy Warhol is Shite’ – A performance lecture by international artist Bill Drummond.
Street Shrines – New work around Dumfries by one of Scotland’s leading street/public artists, Mike Inglis.
Greyfriars 1 – The world premiere of Suzanne Parry-John’s song cycle about the Nith and the launch of artist Lisa Gallacher’s bespoke clothing collection.
Nithscoping – Environmental artist Hannah Brackston invites an investigation of Dumfries’ river.
Also, look out for Marion Preez’s blue ‘Frames’ around the town, and whatever you do – don’t miss ‘The Lost Supper’, a simultaneous voyage back in time and into the future, with great food!
What’s even better is that it’s all free!
The Stove committee has been pushing forward on all fronts over the past year, and we would like to invite you to a catch-up meeting on Wednesday, the 5th of September at 7 pm at The Stove building.
At this meeting, we will report back on progress with the building and projects and discuss the future structure of The Stove as an arts organisation. The Stove began as an open invitation and opportunity for D+G practitioners; we’d like to discuss ideas we have for sustaining this ethos into the future and are eager to involve as many of you as possible in these discussions.
Some of you may also be aware that we have been commissioning artworks to accompany a two-week-long programme of public arts activity in and around Dumfries at the start of November. Artist Mike Inglis was awarded one of The Stove’s Inbetween commissions; Mike is one of Scotland’s leading street artists and will present a short illustrated talk on the 5th of September about his practice and what he has planned for the November events.
We will also be introducing a two-day symposium we are presenting in November, where invited speakers will address issues surrounding the identity of contemporary market towns in the UK: ‘Place, Sustainability, and Future Culture’ in Dumfries on 8th and 9th November.
We hope you can join us. If so, please RSVP via [email protected] with the text ‘Stove Meeting Wed 5 Sep’ in the subject line.