The Regeneration of Dock Park

The Stove set up temporary residence one afternoon last week in the newly regenerated and renovated Dock Park as part of the ongoing festivities celebrating the park's clean face. In anticipation of this year's Nithraid, we took to the river - send massed flotillas of paper boats downstream and out to the Solway. 

Photographs: Galina Walls - more available here 

The boats were christened after famous links to the Park's history including: 
The Great Pedalo (Kirpatrick MacMillan - inventor of the bicycle and honoured by the footbridge) 
The Dragon Slayer (.. St Michael's Bridge at the top of the park)
The Tweed Rose (Rosefield Tweed Mills on the opposite bank) 

The Rosefield Mills featured as part of one of Lisa Gallaher's pieces made for TDRM: Dumfries during InBetween Dumfries. Working with local artist Evelyn Gray, Lisa produced a tweed coat incorporating Evelyn's sketches of the mills... more of that and other Inbetween projects here 

 The two week long youth festival coinciding with the school holidays was envisioned to shape how the park as a public space could be used by the good folk of Dumfries, and the re-instate the park within the psyche or awareness of the town, as opposed to a periphery space. 

With the park's Victorian history, could a new fashion for a contemporary promenading culture be re-invented? 

promenade (ˌprɒməˈnɑːd) 
 — n 1. chiefly ( Brit ) a public walk, esp at a seaside resort 
2. a leisurely walk, esp one in a public place for pleasure or display 
3. ( US ), ( Canadian ) a ball or formal dance at a high school or college 
4. a marchlike step in dancing 
5. a marching sequence in a square or country dance 

 [C16: from French, from promener to lead out for a walk, from Late Latin prōmināre to drive (cattle) along, from pro- 1 + mināre to drive, probably from minārī to threaten] 

On walking around the park, The Drying Ground particularly caught my interest - as Glasgow City Council looks to controversially impose new rules on the use of their public parks, with Drying Grounds clearly outlawed: 

" 11.1 No one shall in any park, except with the prior written consent of the Director: 

 (f) hang linen or other material, beat, shake, sweep, brush or cleanse any carpet, rug, mat or other article. "

The trampolines are due to make a comeback as part of the regeneration works 

The full list of proposed banned activities includes organised sports, gatherings of more than 18 people, walking more than 4 dogs and outdoor education - a full and interesting article on the A Thousand Flowers blog or to read the rules for yourself head here

The importance on non-commercial public spaces, and their benefit to town and city life not just in terms of regenerating the surrounding areas but also in creating spaces (and therefore towns) where people want to be is discussed by Animal Behaviourist turned City Planner for NYC, Amanda Burden in her recent TED talk (available here) 

The bandstand has also had something of a facelift.. a new alternative music venue for Dumfries?

As groups like the Incredible Edible's continue to promote and grow a greener vision for the town, how can the parks play an active role in this? How do these public spaces become once again instilled as part of the townscapes' sense of self? As 100 High Street remains closed for the time being, do keep an eye out for the Stove in exile throughout the town over the next few months, and if this great weather continues, we can maybe reconvene our meetings in the park.. 

We keep forgetting to put this video up on the blog - finally getting round to it today. Here is John Wallace's brilliant wee film of the Inbetween:Dumfries project The Stove did in November 2012

Inbetween:Dumfries by John Wallace

enjoy!

Open Invitation - Creetown Sculpture Design Unveiled

Exciting things are happening in Creetown this week. Artists from the Stove Network have been working in and around Creetown since January this year, developing a new way-marking sculpture for the town. 

This is the first chance to see all of the work produced thus far coming together, as the final designs for the sculpture are unveiled and artists involved in the project will be on hand to discuss their work on the project. 

We would like to extend an invitation to all those from the wider Stove community and those interested in the project to attend our open evening, which will take place this Thursday, 3rd October in the Gem Rock Museum.

For more details please contact the stove by email info@thestove.org
Reposted from the Ferrythorn project blog

Greyfriars 1

Highlights of Greyfriars 1 now on flickr

TONIGHT - Art Music + Art Fashion!!!

WEDNESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER - 7PM 
GREYFRIARS CHURCH, DUMFRIES DG1 1DF
FREE

The much anticipated launch of Lisa Gallacher's bespoke garment collection 'TRDM:Dumfries.
PLUS  
The World Premiere of Suzanne Parry John's song-cycle 'Tidemarks'

Schiaparelli Pink Dumfries fabric

  Lisa Gallacher has been working for 4 months with a group of 10 voluntees from the community of Dumfries - members of the group range in age from 15 to 86 years old. The work started with conversations about each persons individual relationship to the town and this then grew into an idea for a 10 bespoke garments. Lisa has designed and printed the fabrics, then designed and made all of the work herself. At tonight's event she will give an illustrated talk about the project and her group will be in attendance wearing the garments they have created together.

Detail of Queensbery Street fabric

Suzanne Parry John

Suzanne Parry John is a young contemporary composer based in Edinburgh. Commissioned by The Stove to produce an original piece of music for Inbetween:Dumfries, Suzy turned to the River Nith as a starting point and happened upon the poems of Hugh McMillan. She made contact with the poet and the pair have worked together on this original song-cycle inspired by the Nith and called Tidemarks.

A fragment of Suzanne Parry John's score for Tidemarks

FREE EVENT: 7th November - Music and Fashion

For more about Lisa Gallacher's work for Inbetween:Dumfries - see all posts on this blog - here and her own project blog - here

For Suzanne Parry-John - see here

Something Special this Way Comes

Lisa Gallacher is an artist from Dumfries who has worked all over the UK and Europe since graduating from Glasgow School of Art with an MFA in 2003. Since April Lisa has been working on a project called TDRM:Dumfries which has involved detailed research and making articles of bespoke clothing for 10 local folk.

Lisa Gallacher - Queensberry Street Fabric

This has been a truly ambitious undertaking with Lisa first designing and printing her own fabrics before turning them into new garments. This was the scene at the artist's temporary studio in The Stove in the centre of Dumfries today:

We'd urge anyone with an interest in the arts and seeing an artist working at the top of their game to come along to the public event marking the project (NB - the garments will not be on show like this again...this is a once only opportunity)

COME TO GREYFRIARS CHURCH, DUMFRIES....7pm on Wednesday the 7th November.....FREE (and a glass of wine to boot)

more details here

InBetween:Dumfries. DGLife

Nestling deep within the pages of D&G Life, one encounters some fine visuals and a bit of explanation into what's happening with Inbetween.

Inspired by Dumfries

Dumfries and Gallowayt Standard has had its reporters oot and aboot:

It wouldn’t be the first town you would think of if you were asked to name a fashion hot-spot of the world.

But thanks to visual artist Lisa Gallacher, a collection of bespoke pieces created and inspired by Doonhamers, and their town, will be exhibited here next month.

Fabric based in Paling's Window by Lisa Gallacher

TRDM: Dumfries is one of eight creative projects specially commissioned by artists’ collective The Stove for their exhibition InBetween:Dumfries.
The project will culminate in a collection of “Dumfries Inspired” made-to-measure garments being shown at The Stove’s base on the town’s High Street throughout the beginning of November.

The Dumfries born, internationally acclaimed artist has collaborated with ten local residents of all walks of life, to create an item of clothing, representing what the town means to them.

full story here 

more details and where you can see Lisa's work - here