SUMMER OF CREATIVITY AHEAD
Professional contemporary dance artist Parsifal James Hurst performs ‘History in Movement’ at the Robert the Bruce Statue, Bannockburn.
Bannockburn and the Eastern villages are set for a summer of creativity, following a successful spring arts pilot last month.
New network Vantage Points ran free cultural activities in May giving locals a chance to get creative, from a window art trail in Cowie to maquette making in Fallin.
The artists behind the network are now working with partners Scene Stirling and Macrobert Arts Centre to develop their summer programme and they’re looking for local feedback.
Silvia Sinibaldi of Scene Stirling said: “The aim of the creative network is to grow the local arts scene and widen access to cultural activities in Bannockburn and the Eastern Villages.
“It has been very encouraging to see the great response we’ve had to the pilot arts programme.
“We’re now looking for community feedback on these pilot activities, to help us shape our plans for a larger scale arts programme this summer.
“You can let us know by emailing hello@scenestirling.com or by joining the Vantage Points Facebook Group.”
The spring pilot programme was led by a group of six creatives with a local connection.
Professional photographer Joanne Boyle organised a window art trail, turning the streets of Cowie into an open-air art gallery.
Joanne said: “I really enjoyed being part of the project. The window displays that the Cowie residents created were great and a lot of effort and thought was put into them, as well as detail.
“Everyone was given the same materials, but they all produced something really very different from each other, which was lovely to see. The themes of coalmining, military and landscape was very apparent, and they should all be very proud of what they have created.
“I’m so happy to see that some of the artists artwork has now been linked with the Landscape Legacies of Coal app, which goes through Cowie, and so the display will continue to live on.
“It’ll be great to keep up the momentum that Vantage Points has created so far. Continuing to collaborate with the eastern villages’ residents. I’m excited to see where this journey will take us all.”
Professional contemporary dance artist Parsifal James Hurst performed ‘History in Movement’ at sites across Bannockburn.
PJ said: “My performances portrayed the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, showing different scenes, scenarios and encounters in a two-day project around the Stirling area, culminating at the Robert the Bruce Statue.
“It was great to be out exploring, creating and expressing the history of Bannockburn through dance on the locations where the battle took place..
“The idea of bringing it all to life through dance comes from my desire to combine my two passions, dance and history, to engage, connect and interact with the community.
“During the project, passers-by enjoyed watching the dance movements and were greatly intrigued. Many people asked questions about what I was doing. It was brilliant to have this interaction, at a social distance of course.
“I plan to expand the project by running dance workshops, involving local schools and art groups, to expand their knowledge of this major event in Scotland’s history whilst encouraging and promoting dance.”
Artists Lesley McDermott and Eloise Kerr held an online maquette making workshop and delivered art packs to residents in Fallin, giving the local community a chance to experiment with sculpture.
Lesley said: “We wanted to give people living in Fallin the chance to engage with their local places, by learning how to make models of outdoor sculptures. Maquette making is great for fostering imagination and play.
“We’d love this project to lead to a larger scale outdoor sculpture later this year, within a public ‘garden’ or other interactive, installation space.
“We’ll be consulting with local residents to develop ideas for this and would love to hear from groups or individuals who have an interest in local history, their environment, community, gardening or photography, or who just want to get creative.”
Forth Valley College Art & Design student Carolyn Fraser gave away free art packs in Plean Country Park:
Carolyn said: “Plean is an ideal setting as it encompasses both natural and industrial heritage within a beautiful natural landscape. There is plenty scope for inspiration.
“The art packs contained a variety of art materials, pens, pencils, crayons and a sketchbook, what the people created was a personal response to the environment. One child who loved writing wrote some words, while another child used a plant to colour the piece of paper. Each work that was created was unique giving a new perspective and viewpoint into the park.
“The adults and children that took part said that they really enjoyed the experience, and many took the drawings and art packs home to continue their creative journey.
“Having had the opportunity to do this pilot project I can see it being developed into using different parks around the Eastern villages. I’d also like to connect with the local schools.”
Retired clinical scientist and amateur photographer Anne Sproul has been photographing people and places throughout May for her project ‘Living in Plean’:
Anne said: “This is all new to me, I haven’t been involved in something like this before and I’m loving the interactions with the other artists and the Scene Stirling team.
“Working in such a creative group has helped me develop the ideas for my project. It started as a series of portraits of people going about their lives in Plean, but it will now be a combination of images of people and place – including photos of those little details around the village that people may have never noticed or have forgotten as they see them every day.
“My challenge will be to draw the final images together in a cohesive way to tell the story of the place where I live and how it relates to its past as coal mining village.
“I have been going round Plean Country park with my camera documenting the traces of Plean’s industrial and social history and how nature is slowly spinning her green web over the bings and absorbing the stone structures into the woods. I am often ‘discovered’ by dogs as I lie in the grass with my macro lens; so, I am planning to capture a series of portraits provisionally titled ‘The Dogs of Plean Country Park and their Humans’.”
To share your ideas or request further information email hello@scenestirling.com