Lochside Public Art Project is an exciting new development that is about involving local people in adding some new colour and creativity to the local area. The project is based in and around the new housing built by Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership (DGHP) at the western edge of Lochside (near Max High school). The project is being led by a group of artists from the Stove Network in Dumfries and commissioned by DGHP.
Katie Anderson, who is taking the lead on the project, is a young local artist using the experiences she has gained from working within the Stove Network over the last 4 years to deliver a series of workshops within North West Dumfries. Katie comments, “This project has opened up an opportunity to explore how our surroundings reflect and interact with our daily lives. With the new housing development nearing completion, I hope the project inspires a conversation around the kinds of places we want to live in and grows potential for various groups and ideas in Lochside to add to their local environment.”
In all there will be 4 different projects, offering opportunities for local people to gain new skills and take an active part in adding something new and unique to their own area. The areas of natural landscape around the housing (known locally as The Swamp) are teeming with wildlife and interest – these will be a particular focus of the whole Lochside Public Art Project. Mark Whytcock, DGHP’s Programme Delivery Manager, commented, “We are looking forward to seeing the outcome of the work, which is the final stages of a large project.”
The four projects which will be undertaken in the area of the housing are ‘Tattiefields’; sculptures to be specially designed and made for a newly landscaped area of ground, ‘Signs and Symbols’; motifs with local relevance which will be applied to fences, handrails and lampposts, ‘Corners and Offcuts’; specially designed bike stands, bollards and sitting places, and ‘Wildlife’; small projects to encourage and make accessible the wildlife in the wild areas near the housing.
The first two events as part of this project were held at the Family Centre in Lochside in which Katie hosted a Weaving and Basket Making workshop and a Printmaking and Design Workshop. The next event as part of this project will be a Play and Public space workshop on Friday 18th August at 2pm. These workshops are a chance for local people to come together to find out about opportunities through the project, try out a new craft skill and chat about ideas for the project moving forward.
Katie and her team will also be running art activities during ‘Apple Pie Day’ at the orchard alongside Lincluden Abbey on Saturday 26th August between noon and 4pm. For more information and information on how to get involved with the project, please contact [email protected].
