High Street Multiverse is an interactive public art project designed specifically for Dumfries Town Centre.
First conceived by the Stove’s Artistic Director, Martin Joseph O’Neill, with support from Dumfries & Galloway Unlimited, the project places audio stories inspired by the High Street in various locations stretching from the Burns Statue to the Loreburn Centre.
High Street Multiverse launches on 11th March 2022 at a special event hosted at The Stove Cafe on Dumfries High Street.
The project, initiated in late 2021, saw five emerging writers from the local area work under the mentorship of Dumfries & Galloway based writers: Karen Campbell, Des Dillon and Karl Drinkwater.
The emerging writers: Davey Payne, Carolyn Hashimoto, Jasmine McMillan, Kris Haddow and Cameron Philips collaborated over four months to craft five separate imaginative tales inspired by Dumfries. The works are imaginative interpretations of Dumfries High Street, traversing time and space, from sci-fi tales 1000 years in the future, to a parallel universe hidden in the undergrowth.
These stories have now been recorded, designed, and produced, by Sound Engineer John Dinning, into immersive audio pieces which the public can access on smartphones and smart devices via QR codes embedded into sculptural works that will be placed in several locations throughout the High Street.
Martin Joseph O’Neill, Artistic Director of The Stove Network commented; ‘This is a really inspiring project. The writers involved have managed to craft truly unique and imaginative stories, inspired by the town and for the town. This project sets about a new way for the community of Dumfries, and those who visit, to interact with our historic High Street in a new way and one that offers a moment of escapism which, for many, will be a welcome distraction from the events of the last two years.’ The High Street Multiverse will launch at the Stove Café on Friday 11th March at 07:00pm and will feature a preview of the works themselves alongside readings and talks by the writers involved. There will be a complimentary creative workshop on Saturday 12th March, open to all ages, to explore the works and write their own imaginative tales inspired by the High Street. All events are free. To sign up visit the Stove website at www.thestove.org/events
