Deveron Projects
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Deveron Arts is a contemporary arts organisation established in the Aberdeenshire town of Huntly in 1995. It brings together international artists from a variety of disciplines and the town community through residencies that address issues with both a global and local dimension. Over 20 years this has brought artists from as far afield as China, the Americas, India, Africa and mainland Europe to North East Scotland. Uniquely, Deveron Arts has no dedicated art venue, but rather uses the town as the canvas for the residencies and the work created. The town is the venue residencies have also led to a number of annual events, including the Slow Marathon initiative, and the creation of a major collection of contemporary art in the town. This socially engaged practice that brings art out of the gallery context forms the focus of ARTocracy, a curatorial approach devised by Deveron Arts and published in a handbook in 2010.
In 2008 Deveron Arts joined forces with the Huntly Development Trust and artist Jacques Coetzer to create a new branding for the town: Room to Roam and reprised the initiative for the Aberdeenshire [link to Wikipedia] region in 2014 with Aberdeenshire Ways. In 2012 Huntly won a Creative Place Award from Creative Scotland which supported the creation of a signature menu for the town, and in 2013 a further Creative Place Award led to a new initiative spearheaded by Deveron Arts: The Walking Institute. As part of its 20th anniversary year Deveron Arts has commissioned a new work of public art inspired by one of the pivotal figures in modern art [1], Joseph Beuys' seminal 7000 Oaks.
the town is the venue residencies
Room to Roam
ARTocracy
The Town Collection
The Walking Institute
Artist List
References
External Links
the town is the venue artist residencies
A new model of artistic and curatorial practice has emerged that takes place in the public realm, but can’t be subsumed under the familiar category of “public art” [2]. Deveron Arts “the town is the venue” artist residencies, which have explored the history, context and identity of Huntly with the town acting as studio, gallery and stage for the artists, exemplify this new type of practice. Most residencies last three months, others have been over a more extended period, and see the artists researching and creating work that addresses topical issues – economic, social, political – that affect both the local community and the wider world. Over 80 artists from 23 countries across five continents have undertaken a Town is the Venue Residency since 1995. They include Baudouin Mouanda, Böller und Brot, Celia - Yunior, Dalziel + Scullion, Emily White, Gayle Chong Kwan, Gemuce - Pompílio Hilário, [[Hamish Fulton], Jacqueline Donachie, Kenny Hunter, Mihret Kebede, Nancy Mteki, Paul Shepheard, Paul Anderson, Peter Liversidge Priya Ravish Mehra, Roderick Buchanan, Ross Sinclair, Stéfanie Bourne and Utopia Group. Each artist leaves at least one work at the end of their residency, which has seen Huntly build up an unrivalled collection of contemporary art: The Town Collection. With the first of two Creative Scotland Creative Place Awards Deveron Arts invited leading food consultant Simon Preston to undertake a Town is the Venue residency in 2012. The Town is the Menu residency led to the creation of a signature menu devised to show off the best of the Aberdeenshire larder [3].
Room to Roam
THIS is a story about a pop star and a 19th-century poet, an artist from South Africa and a little town in the north-east of Scotland. It's a story about what contemporary art can do in a small community: some pretty odd things, and some significant ones.[4] In 2007 Deveron Arts put out an international call to artists to come to Huntly for an ambitious project to unite a disparate set of groups and create a branding for the town. The commission was awarded to Cape Town-based artist Jacques Coetzer who spent 6 months in the town developing the brand. During his research Coetzer came across the poem “Room to Roam” by acclaimed Victorian author and son of Huntly, George MacDonald and this led inevitably to the Waterboys setting of the poem. Through the residency Coetzer struck up a friendship with Mike Scott who donated the Waterboys’ setting of the poem to the town as its anthem. Coetzer’s branding was unveiled in 2008. Its overarching, flexible theme provided freedom for all kinds of groups and businesses to interpret the wider identity and promote both themselves and the area. The contemporary logo design reflects the traditional Scottish antler, a road map, social diversity, growth and energy. The Room to Roam branding was was officially accepted as part of the town crest by the Court of the Lord Lyon in 2010.
ARTocracy
ARTocracy is a 20-year cultural experiment devised in a Scottish rural town, but with global potential. Two complementary methodologies - the town is the venue artist residency and the Shadow Curator – form the core of ARTocracy. Proposed by artist Nuno Sacramento, the Shadow Curator concept borrows from the Shadow Minister role in Anglo-Saxon politics. The Curator is constantly (and agonistically) challenged in the development of topics and projects. Mary Jane Jacob from the School of Art, Chicago is among the leading international curators to have taken on the role. In 2010 Deveron Arts published a curatorial handbook in collaborative practice critiquing the methodology and offering a practical guide to the development of socially engaged public art practice, and how ARTocracy might be applied in similar towns across the UK and beyond.
The Town Collection
With each artist donating at least one work following their The Town is the Venue residency, Huntly has acquired a major collection of contemporary art, The Town Collection. Art hangs in bike and car shop Autospares and in a local estate agent. The words to the town song are etched on the walls of a local hotel. Work by Eva Merz hangs in a second-hand bookshop, and a massive mural by Dalziel + Scullion in the assembly hall of the Gordon Schools. There is even a striking print work hidden in Hilda’s cleaning closet in the local library [5]. The collection now numbers some 65+ pieces.
The Walking Institute
For some years walking has formed an important part of Deveron Arts residency programme. In 2010 Hamish Fulton (link) made the 21 Days in the Cairngorms artwork which was largely about drawing attention to the existence of wild land in the UK [6] - as part of his town in the venue residency, and in 2012 Ethiopian artist Mihret Kebede introduced the Slow Marathon concept as part of hers. With numerous world records, Ethiopia has consistently produced some of the best long-distance runners in the world. Kebede’s project tapped into this tradition, but turned it on its head leading 100 people in a 26-mile slow walk in the countryside around Huntly [7]. In 2013 Deveron Arts formalised the programme in the Walking Institute, which explores, researches and celebrates the human pace, brings walking and journeying activities together with arts and other cultural disciplines. The 2013 Slow Marathon, Cabrach to Huntly, marked John Muir Day and the 2014 event started at the Glenkindie on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. Other Walking Institute projects have included: In the Footsteps of Nan Shepherd: a long distance round walk looking at issues, plights and pleasures of women walking in wilderness and Hielan’ Ways, a programme that included poetry (Alec Finlay), music (Paul Anderson) and art (Simone Kenyon, Gillian Russel). Hielan’ Ways explored the old drover routes that cross north-east Scotland and culminated in a symposium with contributions from mountaineer Doug Scott , Turner-prize- winning artist Richard Long and the Cloud Appreciation Society.
the town is the venue: Artist List
Year | Artist | Country of Origin | Residency Project | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Ewan McClure | Scotland | The Three Degrees | Deveron Arts' first artist in Huntly. Paintings of local people in a realistic style. |
1999 | Julia Douglas | Scotland | Threadbare | Looking at Huntly's historic and contemporary connection to textiles |
2000 | Paul Carter | Scotland | Messiah 1/Chapel Barbarossa | Messiah 1 acted as a space-station whose purpose was the retrieval of the Messiah, and was installed in the Brander garden. |
2000 | Wilhelm Scherübl | Austria | Structure | Questioning community structures through analogies with plant life |
2001 | Jonathan Claxton | Scotland | Groundword | Exploring the relationship between nature and language by looking at our physical horizons |
2002 | Leena Nammari | Palestine | Belonging | Negotiating a feeling of belonging in an alien country |
2003 | Eva Merz | Denmark | Empty Shop / Modern Monument | Exploring the problem of declining retail in rural communities. |
2003/4 | Umesh Maddanahalli | India | From Here to There | Influence taken from the Ingmar Bergman classic film, The Seventh Seal, in which a journeying knight passes through plague-infested towns and duels with Death over a game of chess. |
2003/4 | Paul Anderson | Scotland | Strathbogie Collection | A collection of tunes on vernacular Huntly life |
2004 | Colonel - Thierry Geoffroy | France | Made in Huntly | Exploration of identity - documentation and photographs of participants displaying a personally |
2004 | Eva Merz | Denmark | Space/Retail/Magic | A critical view of supermarket development in rural locations |
2004 | Eva Merz | Denmark | Country Living | Publication on Life, Art and Work in the North East of Scotland. |
2004 | John Kenny & Chris Wheeler | Scotland/England | Doric | Poemes Poetiques: an exploration into Huntly's vernacular sounds and languages |
2005 | Donal Brown | Scotland | Huntly in Harmony | Development of a series of tunes inspired by local places and people. Collection contains 30 new pieces |
2005 | Fabiana Galante | Argentina | ¡La Pipeta! | An exploration of soundscapes through a merging of the traditional pipe with Argentinian Tango music |
2005 | Kenny Hunter | Scotland | Where In? Where At? | A public monument for the fantasy writer George MacDonald depicting the raven from Lilith. |
2005-7 | David Blyth | Scotland | Town Artist | A collaborative project seeking to develop dynamic partnerships between local groups and Deveron Arts. |
2005-7 | Deborah Beeson | Scotland | Artist For All Seasons | Investigating how Huntly operates on a day-to-day and a seasonal basis, studying social and economic staples of the town's fabric. |
2006 | Dew Harrison | Scotland | Action Paintings | An experimentation with digital media in a sporting context. |
2006 | Elsebeth Jørgensen | Denmark | Cinemagic Tour II: Scenes from an Imaginary Place | Research into the social history of Huntly's former picture house. |
2006 | Jelka Plate | Germany | MONO | Project began with the subject of youth isolation and boredom in the rural environment. |
2006 | Roderick Buchanan | Scotland | Salon des Refusés: ARTCUP | A project bringing two teams of artists/footballers together during the World Cup in Germany. |
2006-7 | Bob Pegg | Scotland | Secret Doorways, Strange Worlds | A celebration of the work of Huntly fantasy writer George MacDonald through new storytelling. |
2007 | Böller und Brot | Germany | Homemade | A TV-style film series questioning what we eat to sustain our busy lifestyles. |
2007 | Duncan McLaren | Scotland | George MacDonald Diary | Looking at the life work of George MacDonald from the perspective of a fictitious grandson. |
2007 | Nuno Sacramento | Mozambique | Exposure | While developing the role of Shadow Curator with Deveron Arts, Sacramento played a significant role in the development of projects during the George MacDonald festival. |
2007 | Paul Shepheard | England | How to Like Everything? | A look beyond oppositional tactics, and creation of a method of criticism on the way the world truly is, and consequently, how art is. |
2008 | Emily White | England | Center of Huntly | A comprehensive project including the first full performance and recording of Ronald Center’s string quartets. |
2008 | Garry Williams | Scotland | Music for Street Fights | Undermining the brutality of street fighting by transforming it into a form of choreography. |
2008 | Jacques Coetzer | South Africa | Room to Roam | A considered brand for Huntly, looking at both physical and more spiritual opportunities. |
2008 | Leàn Coetzer | South Africa | Maypole | Exploration of everyday travelling while also acknowledging traditional forms of movement undertaken during celebrations. |
2008 | Merlyn Riggs | Scotland | Feed the Five | An examination of hospitality through traditional North East cooking. |
2008 | Sally Garden | Scotland | Center of Huntly | A project celebrating the life and work of Huntly composer Ronald Center |
2008-12 | Norma D Hunter | Scotland | Arts Visitor | Collaborative project on community issues where local people are often central to the design and final outcome of the work. |
2009 | Catriona McKay | Scotland | Skimmerin' | Exploring the boundaries of the traditional clarsach (harp), through experimental music and improvisation in the environment. |
2009 | Gemuce - Pompílio Hilário | Mozambique | Money Crunch | Confronting inflation, inability to manage without money, and the results of benefitting from modern money. |
2009 | Hans Abbing | Netherlands | The Value of Art | A social study of art, artists and the arts economy from the perspective of value. |
2009 | Jacqueline Donachie | Scotland | Slow Down | An exploration of what a car-free town would look like through a festival of all things slow |
2009 | Richard Demarco | Scotland | 7000 Oaks | Development of the concept of the tree being an element of regeneration and representative of time in itself |
2009 | Utopia Group | China | Palace of Puzzles | Project exploring the legacy of Huntly-born sinologist, James Legge |
2009 | Senzeni Marasela | South Africa | Jonga: Look at Me - Museum of Women, Dolls and Memories | An exploration of women’s self-perception, in the 50th year of the Barbie doll. |
2009-12 | Catrin Jeans | Scotland | Cultural Health Visitor and supporting artist for all occassions | Nurturing common contexts for cultural happenings through her work as the Cultural Health Visitor |
2010 | David Sherry | N. Irleland | Health and Safety Effects | A wry look at health and safety and how the issue affects our lives |
2010 | Hamish Fulton | England | 21 Days in the Cairngorms | Linking Huntly with the Cairngorms National Park through a 21-day walk |
2010 | Maider López | Spain | How do you live this place? | Mapping community relationships and routines inspired by the 17th century cartographer James Gordon |
2010 | Shona Donaldson | Scotland | Short Nichts and Lang Kisses | Looking at the North East ballads through a contemporary exploration of the Greig Duncan collection. |
2010 | Stéfanie Bourne | France | Red Herring | Investigated production, distribution, consumption and composting, highlighting what we eat and how it gets to us. |
2010 | Tim Brennan | Scotland | Deveron Manoeuvres | Linking many of Huntly’s artworks in the Town Collection to provide a walking route from the town library to the butchers, garages and other venues. |
2011 | Amy Fung | Canada | Huntly Review | Identity politics and the locality of place. Fung edited The Huntly Review, an online archive of cultural observations and commentaries |
2011 | Anthony Schrag | Scotland | A Perfect Father Day? | Investigation into the role of fathers in today's society. |
2011 | Baudouin Mouanda | Congo Brazaville | SAPE: Swagger | Society of Ambient People's Elegance across the world, urban and rural. An investigation into youth culture, with emphasis on fashion. |
2011 | Peter Liversidge | England | Proposals for Huntly | Proposals questioning whether the artist's job is done once the idea is formed. |
2011 | Priya Ravish Mehra | India | Making the Invisible Visible | Looking at textile traditions with the assistance of darners Intekhab Ahmad and Zakir Hussain. |
2011 | Rocca Gutteridge | England | UK Border Walk | Gutteridge and Claudia Zeiske walked along the Scottish/English border in reaction to the Tier 5 visa policy for foreign artists. |
2011 | Roman Signer | Switzerland | Transmissions from the River | Transmitting imagery from the middle of a river to a place inhabited by people. |
2011 | Ross Sinclair | Scotland | Real Life Gordons of Huntly | Contemporary examination of the ancestral home of the Clan Gordon and their world-wide diaspora. |
2001-12 | Rocca Gutteridge | England | Walkingand… | Working towards an Institute of Walking Appreciation through an online archive. |
2012 | Alan Macpherson | Scotland | Minor Path | A writing and research residency investigating the relationship between art and path-making. |
2012 | Allysson Velez | Brazil | Nordeste/North East - Ceilidhcatu | Exploration of the cultural similarities and traditions of his home state of Pernambuco in the North East of Brazil with those of Huntly and the North East of Scotland. |
2012 | Michael Höpfner | Austria | Walking Off The Grid | 14 days walking a 30-mile circuit around Huntly, looking to reconstruct the geography of the landscape |
2012 | Mihret Kebede | Ethiopia | Slow Marathon | A collaborative 5,850 mile walk. The Slow Marathon has become an annual event at Deveron Arts. |
2012 | Simon Preston | Scotland | The Town is the Menu | An investigation of local food and eating customs to develop a signature menu for Huntly. |
2012 | Rocca Gutteridge | England | Walkachat | Excursions into the Scottish landscape to chat about art and other parts of life during day-long walks. |
2012/13 | Anne Murray | Scotland | With and against the Flow | A joint project with Jake Williams Mapping of walking along the river Deveron against and with the flow from the Cabrach in the foothills of the Cairngorms to the Moray Coast between Banff and Macduff. |
2013 | Celia - Yunior | Cuba | Faceloop | Mapping friendships looking at direct human relations and cyber connections. |
2013 | Jake Williams | Scotland | With and Against the Flow | A joint project with Anne Murray Mapping of walking along the river Deveron against and with the flow from the Cabrach in the foothills of the Cairngorms to the Moray Coast between Banff and Macduff. |
2013 | Mary Jane Jacob | USA | Fernweh | Consideration of the notions of art in community through hosting, visiting and travelling. |
2013 | Nancy Mteki | Zimbabwe | Mbereko | Investigating the delights and issues of maternity and childhood in relation to material culture. |
2013 | Stuart McAdam | Scotland | Lines Lost | A series of performative walks linked the 50th anniversary of the Beeching Report bringing into focus historic and contemporary concerns around transport legacy. |
2013 | Caravan Gallery | UK | Pride of Place Project | A project recording the ordinary and extraordinary details of everyday life in Huntly. |
2013-14 | Paul Anderson | Scotland | http://www.deveron-arts.com/paul-anderson-symphony/ | Having walked the Hielan' Ways routes near the his home in Tarland Anderson wrote a symphony inspired by the landscape and local traditional tunes. |
2013-4 | Alec Finlay | Scotland | Some Colour Trends | Innovative mapping of the landscape, not as a distance to be conquered, but a series of views, and colours, to be reflected upon. |
2013-4 | Simone Kenyon | England | In the Footsteps of Nan Shepherd | Long distance round-walk exploring the issues, plights and pleasures of women walking in wilderness. |
2014 | Clare Qualmann | England | Perambulator | Performance project, making visible the issues around walking with a pram. |
2014 | Gayle Chong Kwan | England | Wandering Waste | Adopting the role of a traveller to fantastical lands, to address aesthetic food ideals and notions of waste. |
2014 | Gill Russell | Scotland | Maps and Meanders | Mapping the archaeological, mythological, historical, sonic, and poetic, ancient and contemporary. |
2014 | Sanaa Gateja | Uganda | MacKay of Uganda | Exploration into the life and work of missionary and Africa explorer Alexander MacKay. |
2014 | Xenson Znja | Uganda | The Lubare and the Boat | An exploration into the life and work of missionary and Africa explorer Alexander MacKay. |
2014 | Jacques Coetzer | South Africa | Aberdeenshire Ways | A joint project with the Caravan Gallery exploring the identity and uniqueness of the region through its people, colour and ways of life. |
2014 | The Caravan Gallery | UK | Aberdeenshire Ways | A joint project with Jacques Coetzer exploring the identity and uniqueness of the region through its people, colour and ways of life. |
2015 | Caroline Wendling | Germay | Oaks and Amity | A new piece of land art reflecting on pacifist notions around WWI,
inspired by Joseph Beuys’ seminal 7000 Oaks and using saplings grown from acorns collected from Beuys’ oaks. |
2015 | Aidan O’Rourke | Example | Example | Example |
External Links
Deveron Arts Huntly Development Trust
References
- ^ Phil Miller, Trees planted in art project to commemorate First World War, The Herald, 12 January 2015
- ^ Jennifer Thatcher, ARTocracy and Parade, Art Monthly, September 2011
- ^ Cate Devine, Signed, sealed, delivered, Scottish Field, June 2013
- ^ Susan Mansfield, Room to Roam artistically, The Scotsman 24 June 2008
- ^ Phil Miller, North-east town of Huntly puts art on the map, The Herald, 15 March 2010
- ^ Emily Rodway, A Life’s A Walk, TGO December 2010
- ^ Walkers take part in Slow Marathon, BBC News website, 12 May 2014