The ancient trading routes of an historical port and market town will come to life at the end of the month in an innovative arts event that will highlight forms of transport from a bygone age.
As part of the celebrations of Wigtown’s Book Town festival, Trading Journeys will commemorate the Royal Burgh’s historical importance as a county town and trade route as well as give a nod to Billy Marshall, the Gypsy King, who travelled the roads into town.
Organised by The Stove Network, an artists collective based in Dumfries, and involving the local schools and communities, the celebration takes place on Saturday, September 27, and will see a few intrepid travellers journeying into Wigtown by different methods of transport by land and sea.
The day will then culminate in one big celebration of the good old ways, which includes a gathering, parade, flotilla, home-made scones and jam, a mobile forge and a “surprise” performance in the evening.
Stove artist and event curator Will Levi Marshall said: “The idea came from the environmental festival we held last year. We became very aware that the festival’s organisation involved a lot of travelling to and from different places and how the journeys became part of the art experience.”
“We decided to integrate travelling into this new event; exploring different methods of travel around the region.”
“Trading Journeys is a chance to celebrate Wigtown’s historical importance as a trading hub and pilgrim route. By bringing different people and materials into town using diverse forms of transport, each separate element is recognised then fused into new creations.”
In the first journey, five days before the event, Auchencairn artist Alice Francis will begin her 60-mile route to Wigtown by horse and cart. She will pay homage to the legendary tinker, Leveller, and “King of the Randies”, Billy Marshall. On her way, she will collect tokens and wooden spoons left in the hedgerow by local schoolchildren and craft a “standard” from the tokens to form the centrepiece of the parade.
“The spoon is a significant part of this event,” Will explained, “as it is closely associated with Billy Marshall: his gravestone is etched with crossed spoons. Spoons will play a big role on the day with opportunities to make a spoon mould and cast them in metal in the specially commissioned mobile foundry which will be powered by bicycle and heated with charcoal made by Creetown Primary School children.”
Leaving around 9am on September 27 from Balmaclellan, Uula Jero will be peddling his bicycle-powered furnace to Wigtown, picking up cyclists on the way through Galloway Forest Park.
At 12.30pm on the day, a flotilla of small boats will launch from Creetown harbour by the A75. The Creetown flags will be raised and new Ferry Bell rung. These boats will be travelling with charcoal. The boats are expected at high tide (2pm) in Wigtown harbour.
At the gathering, there will be spoon crafting, flag-making and drumming workshops and the boats and cart will be dressed with bunting. There will be music throughout the day and an opportunity to try out the home-made scones and jam.
The parade begins at 4pm with a procession around the town centre. This will
include horses and carts, boats, flags, drumming and the travelling foundry.
Casting the spoons will take place at the corner of the County Buildings from 5pm.
A “surprise performance” closes Trading Journeys 2014 around 7pm.
