Tag: Blueprint100

Young Stove Member Profile: Lauren Souter

Post author By Katie Anderson
Post date September 1, 2015

-tell us about your creative process-
I’m still trying to figure what my process is, I find I go from putting a bunch of things that inspire me together and taking out what catches my eye, I guess I take 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, I was told about it from a friend and went, it was the first time if seen an artist-type event in DG so I was excited.

-which person do you most admire and why?-
Nicola sturgeon, I love Nicola, I love that she stands up for Scotland and that she’s really down to earth and isn’t superficial like most politicians.

-would you share 3 words you love?-
Buzzing, Kale, Biddy.

-share your hopes and dreams for the stove?-
I’m not sure, I’d really love to see it flourish through all of D+G and outside, id love to see the stove be more recognised here for what it does though.

-what’s something that you’ve found yourself enjoying that you never thought you would?-
Bingo, I hate numbers but my family all go every week so I’ve joined in the odd time and I’ve found it’s quite weirdly fun? Haha

-what film changed your life?-
I dunno if they’ve changed my life but maybe legally blonde? I love how Elle suddenly does really well and it’s quite motivating to watch haha

-what’s been the most exciting part of the stove process for you?-
Have to say parking space, I loved that event it was really really interesting

-what makes you feel alive?-
Midnight car journeys and going to 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 this group called WU LYF

-what’s your dream for the artists in D&G?-
To get more recognition, I feel DG has so much to offer in terms of artists

-who throughout history would you like to sit and have a good chat with?’-
Elizabeth the 1st maybe, I think she would a bit intimidating to talk to but I think she would be fascinating

-what instrument would you play if you could instantly master it-
The harp or when people make music from glass cups

-what would you consider your greatest achievement-
A 6 hour journey on a bumpy stagecoach bus carrying a box of delicate glass and none of it broke..hahaha

-where’s your favourite place to be in D&G?-
Portpatrick, it’s such a coastal town and it’s really idyllic and beautiful

-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 out there

-What five books do you think everyone should read?-
One flew over the cuckoos nest by Ken Kesey
The bell jar by Sylvia Plath
The Bfg by Dahl
The little stranger by Sarah waters
And the woman in black by Susan hill

-what makes you happiest?-
Travelling, car journeys the most but also train journeys
Good food

-tell us your passion?-
Most creative things, Art, not sure what specifically yet but definitely something within Art

The Young Stove’s first collective exhibition, Not to Be Sold Seperately will open at The Stove on Friday, 11th September and feature performance, live art, installation events as part of the exhibitions opening. More details about Not to Be Sold Seperately coming shortly.

Aged 16 to 30 and interested in the arts? Find out more about the Young Stove here

Tags Blueprint100, Emerging Artists, Interview, Young Artists, Young People

News

Young Stove Member Profile: Sullivan Michael

Post author By Katie Anderson
Post date August 20, 2015

What is your earliest memory?
I remember in the flat with Mum and the radio and a song with brass instruments was playing. It was night time and the kitchen was yellow. (It was usually yellow at night, and bluey-grey in the day.) This could have been around winter time. We were making a pizza with a smiley face on it. It tasted disgusting. 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 exiting part of the Stove Process for you?
I suppose the most exciting part is seeing a variation of ideas and being part of interesting discussions with all these different artists. Meeting new and intruiging people with great imaginations is a brilliant experience.

What instrument would you play if you could instantly master it?
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 it is that I’m doing, then suddenly uncertainty may arise to spur on an unexpected avenue. If I’m not quite sure of where it is that I’m going, then I’ll just wander blindly until my right hand grips the banister a split second prior to what could have been a plumetting journey down the staircase. Sometimes I take that plummet too. I am quite orderly beneath all the chaos though… 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 backwards and forwards in a most awkward manner.)

What’s the best piece of advice you have 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. And on those most formidable of 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).

Aged 16 to 30 and interested in the arts? Find out more about the Young Stove here

Tags Blueprint100, Interview, Stove members

Musings Project Updates

As Above So Below

Post author By Katie Anderson
Post date July 31, 2015

From Ivor Gott

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“Hey Ivor, it’d be pretty neat if you could write a blog to tell us about your project for nithraid” announced Katie Anderson excitedly at the last Young Stove meeting. The first thing that went through my mind upon hearing these words was “CRIKEY!! How on earth am I ever going to explain this to the general public?” . . . After much careful consideration, i have come to the conclusion that the best approach would be to just tell the truth.

So here goes. . .

It all started with a pirate ship, a great big pirate ship. A great big pirate ship made out of recycled plastic bottles. . . So how did i get from a pirate ship to two pyramids or should i say tetrahedrons, a chrome unicorn and an art performance based loosely around the concept of enlightenment. The truth of the matter is I didnt get there on my own. The pirate ship was a snap decision made during a meeting with my stove mentor Denise Zygadlo. i was feeling under immense pressure to make some sort of decision on the project, at this point it had been two weeks since the commission had started, and my initial idea, although perfect for the dock park site (where nithraid was originally intended to be) was just not going to work on mill green. . . “come on Ivor” My inner voice urged. . . “what are you going to do? It must be good, no better than good, It must be fabulous!” . . . so before i had even properly thought about it i found myself telling denise that i might make a pirate ship out of plastic bottles.

This idea then grew from a pirate ship into a viking long boat, inspired by a workshop held at stove that evening. However this was not to remain the case for very long. After a few meetings with my fellow creatives the Mad Jackals (Majikals) the idea of making a viking long boat was starting to seem pretty tiresome. I just couldnt get excited about it. It wasn’t a reflection of me nor was it a reflection of my wonderfully creative friends. . . Then it just came to me i said. “We need to make a pyramid and float it down the nith!!” . . . “We have to have a unicorn inside the pyramid!!” . . . the words of a mad person? Yes, probably.

At this point there was myself, sophie and michael at the studio. You could feel the collective excitement crackling between our minds. I started scribbling ideas down. it MUST and I repeat MUST include the mer-ka-ba, rainbow smoke, flash grenades, horned elementals . . . i was really getting away with myself, credit to Sophie and Michael they were running with me, we were organic and free, if not a little overly optimistic.

The next day I met with my little brother. We were sat in the queensberry, and i was expressing anxiety over the size of the project as it stood. Conor very often being the voice of reason, is somebody who i consult when mashing around creative ideas. He is himself a creative, but where I go off on tangents and allow my concepts to grow bigger than my mind can handle, he has a real skill for reducing it down and keeping it real. i can always trust him to tell me the truth, and to be realistic. . . “one question?” he pondered with his eyebrow raised ” How are you going to do this in 2 weeks?” . . .

I knew he was right. The idea had to change again, and it had to change fast. More of the jackals were arriving at this point. ideas were being thrown around, the ideas were coming thick and fast –

“time capsule” . . . ” Did you say time capsule. . .

Thats perfect. the mer-ka-ba. . . As above so below. . . We’ll make a time capsule and we’ll make it in the shape of an inverse tetrahedron. . . of course we’re going to need a non-inverted tetrahedron too. . . ahhhh its perfect. . . there will be two tetrahedrons. . . the unicorn thats staying, the rainbow smoke has to stay too. “

In order to maintain some mystery about the performance and workshop I’m going to stop there, but in a nutshell thats how an idea that first birthed itself into consciousness as a plastic bottle pirate ship evolved into an exciting interactive art performance based loosely around the theme of enlightenment. We look forward to seeing you all on sunday, when all will be revealed. . . One thing i’d like to say before I get back to putting the finishing touches on everything is that this commission although applied for as a solo project has been a collaborative effort, I often find collaboration so much more exciting than working alone, and have the most fabulous team of creative individuals in my life. We are the Mad Jackals because, they think we’re mad, but we know that we are majickal.

Tags Artist, Blueprint100, Commission, Emerging Artists, Guest Blog Post, Mad Jackals, Nithraid, Performance, Performance Art

News Project Updates

Not To Be Sold Separately

From Emily Cooper

Months of planning, budgeting and most importantly, creating; and the Young Stove were finally ready to burst on to the art scene of Dumfries and Galloway with our debut exhibition. “Not to Be Sold Separately”, our maiden voyage into exhibiting as a collective, embarked on the 3^rd of July and was met with a storm of excitement and positive comments.

As a group of eight young artists, all with contrasting styles and creative visions, coming together to form a cohesive show, seemed a daunting task, however rather than it becoming an obstacle it became one of our greatest assets and resulted in a vibrant, diverse collection of work that reflects us as a group of people.

Installation day had its own challenges as we had only a matter of hours to transform a beautiful, yet unconventional space with complex lighting and to install all of our work before opening the same night. The learning curve was a steep one as our experience level ranged from exhibition veterans, to those of us (myself included) who had never exhibited publicly, but, remarkably we pulled it off without a hitch! Having complete creative control and being responsible for hanging our own work was an invaluable experience when it comes to exhibiting in the future.

“Not to Be Sold Separately closes on the 26th of July and travels to Dumfries to be reimagined and reopened at the start of August. With a new space, new pieces and with even more artists added to the line-up, it’s gives us an exciting opportunity to redevelop and build on the success of the exhibitions’ first leg. Mill on the Fleet has been a fantastic opening venue. Transplanting a thoroughly modern, edgy, collection of work into such a historical and characterful building has resulted in a glorious, colourful, discordance, symbolic of the Young Stove.

Tags Blueprint100, Exhibition, Guest Blog Post, Mill on the Fleet, Visual, Visual Art, Young Artists, Young People

News

Rajasthan Drops-In

Post author By Matt Baker
Post date June 3, 2015

Rajasthan heritage Brass Band at The Stove

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES — photo Graeme Robertson

Every Tuesday at The Stove is Drop-In day…..yesterday we had some very special visitors all the way from India – the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band no less. The band were in the region courtesy of our pals at DG Arts Festival who asked if they could come and hang out with the Stove for an afternoon and run a workshop in the evening

Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band outside The Stove – photo Brian Pritchard

P1270782 — and danced….some local salsa dancers came along and taught some steps to Bollywood tunes – photo Brian Pritchard

and danced....members of the local community from India saw an opportunity to break out their glad rags for the occasion — and danced….members of the local community from India saw an opportunity to break out their glad rags for the occasion – photo Ellen Mitchell

there was hooping – photo Brian Pritchard

there was chatting – photo Ellen Mitchell

there was balancing – photo Brian Pritchard

P1270798 — and the Young Stove discussed it all afterwards… photo Brian Pritchard

quite a day at The Stove….bring on some more….another Drop-In next week, are you coming?

Photos courtesy of Brian Pritchard, Ellen Mitchell and Graeme Robertson

Tags Blueprint100, Open House

Musings News Project Updates

Beyond Doubt Into Love

Post author By Katie Anderson
Post date June 1, 2015

What would Dumfries say?

Sometimes things start small.

Whilst working with the Young Stove to imagine what The Stove could be, this popped up. The Stove would really have quite a lot to say. What about the rest of the town? If the old buildings in Dumfries could speak, what would they say?

If the old brig would speak, what stories would it tell?

Would it shout loud, or whisper quietly to a neighbour? We thought it best to ask around.

Responses flooding in, and orange speech bubbles floating around town (what would Rabbie say, sat with his view of the High Street?), what places have the loudest voices? Voices started to come thick and fast, helped along by Herald Moxie and a band of merry Young Stovies.

Want to see more speech bubbles? A selection are available here

What speech bubbles could we stand up for? What voices could we wear?

There comes a time when it is good to call in an expert. Our expert on hand, was talented and patient printmaker and artist Sarah Keast. An island of calm amongst apparent chaos, the Stove was a ship sailing in a wild afternoon of frenzied t-shirt printing.

And still we printed on. We ran out of t-shirts, did a quick t-shirt run, printed more t-shirts and ran out of ink before the afternoon was through, printing nearly 140 t-shirts in four hours. The Young Stove showed themselves to be an unstoppable tide of creative energy.

Beyond Doubt Into Love may well be a t-shirt for a moment in time. One things for sure, they are a rare and precious commodity, created by our community, and if anyone has a large mens in the neon pink – we’ve had a request for one.

This is less of an end, and more of a beginning – keep an eye out for speech bubbles: once you start noticing them, they tend to pop up all over the place…

#GetDumfriesTalking

Tags Beyond Doubt Into Love, Blueprint100, Community Art, Conversation, Dumfries, Open House, Reflections, Screenprinting

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