Our Cup of Tea – Teabag Paper Fashions Shown at Spring Fling
Council Support Helps Serve up a Treat for Thousands of Visitors across Dumfries and Galloway this Weekend
Fabulous frocks made from teabag paper will be among the amazing exhibits at Spring Fling this weekend.
Scotland’s premier open studios contemporary visual art and craft event will feature everything from paintings, photography and original print to ceramics, jewellery, sculpture and textiles.
And this week paper artist Isabell Buenz has been making the final adjustments to some of her stunning creations. Her work will be on display at The Aquarium in Gatehouse of Fleet and the nearby Cally Gardens.
No fewer than 94 studios are taking part in Spring Fling 2015. Now in its 13th year the event attracted over 13,400 visitors in 2014, half from beyond the region, who contributed £1.4 million to the economy.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is supporting the event with a £38,000 investment as part of its Major Festivals and Events Strategy.
Councillor Colin Smyth, the council’s Events Champion said: “Spring Fling is a huge attraction and we are looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors from all over the country and overseas for a fantastic weekend.
“The level of creativity in Dumfries and Galloway is really inspiring and it’s something we are proud to be supporting and encouraging as this region-wide event is such a great showcase for our region. The council’s targeted investment is one cause, together with the dedicated work of the event team and the quality of our artists and craftmakers, in Spring Fling growing in economic terms so strongly over the past two years. ”
Many visitors come because there is always be something fresh to enjoy – like the dresses, accessories, flowers and other artworks which Isabell makes from materials including teabag paper and books. Her work enjoys a huge reputation for its stylishness and sense of fun.
The dresses are all made from lengths of the finest quality teabag material – with enough for 600 cuppas going into the smaller and 850 into the more elaborate one. And while they are really intended for display rather than use, the artist says that they are surprisingly practical.
Isabell said: “You could go out to a party in one of these dresses and it would be fine – but you’d need to be careful getting between the car and the front door in the rain!”
Her love of making things from paper developed when she was a child in Germany.
“My father worked in newspapers and there were always lots of them lying around. I loved making things from them so I guess I was recycling and upcycling from a very early age.
“I loved to experiment with different sorts of paper and met the rep for a teabag company on a plane once and he agreed to send me some – I’ve never looked back. It’s great to work with, and quite strong.”
The models for the final tweaks, which took place at The Grange, near Kirkcudbright, were Megan Giblin (17), from Auchencairn, who has recently completed training to become a lifeguard, and Megan Shnapp (18), from Moniaive, who is studying English and philosophy at Glasgow University.
Spring Fling takes place from 23-25 May and visitors can download or collect ready-printed maps to get around – or join bus and cycling tours.
Leah Black, Spring Fling Director, said: “This is our 13th annual Spring Fling and it’s going to be loads of fun. There’s so much for everyone to enjoy – from superb visual art and craft to fantastically quirky works like Isabell’s dresses.
“It’s great to be working in a region where the arts are really supported and recognised as something which adds quality and colour to life, help the economy and create career opportunities for existing and future generations.”
