The Droving Project Talks
As part of the current ‘In Land’ exhibition at Gracefield, The Droving Project hosts a day of lively talks and participatory discussion surrounding pastoralism, transhumance – the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures – shepherding, dwelling in the environment, farming, our relationship with large, now domesticated, mammals and the impact of cattle on Scottish culture. The event takes place at Gracefield Art Centre on Saturday 3 October, from 11am – 4.30pm.
The day will feature 4 speakers both international and local to create a fascinating forum for discussion about global farming issues and some of the ideas raised by The Droving Project. We would love to hear experiences or views on any of these matters and look forward to welcoming local stories, perspectives and contributions to this event.
The speakers are: Pernille Gooch, Associate Professor in Human Ecology at Lund University, Sweden. Her ‘At the Tail of the Buffalo’ centres on the relationship between pastoral nomads and the forest in the Himalayas.
Verdiana Morandi, Italian shepherdess from the Venetto mountains in the Alps. Representative of European Shepherds Network and World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples http://wamipglobal.org/?p=1
Janet Grigor is from Galloway, a Gaelic singer and researcher into droving and cattle influence on Gaelic song, author of the new book Ri Luinneig mun Chrò (‘Singing a ditty at the cattle-fold’).
Wilma Finlay, Managing Director at Cream o’Galloway at Rainton Farm near Gatehouse-of-Fleet and instigator of their farming revolution and ethical rearing of cattle http://www.creamogalloway.co.uk/
This event is free and visitors can attend one or more of the talks, but please book in advance by calling Gracefield Arts Centre on 01387 262084. Morning coffee will be served and lunch is available to purchase at Café Hubbub.
The Droving Project is a mixed media exhibition and project about a contemporary cattle drove in Dumfries and Galloway which is produced and co-curated by Katch Holmes. Featuring photographs by Jerwood Photography Award 2008 winner Alice Myers, film from Stevie Whiteford, text from Catrina Davies and sound design and music from Nick Jenkins, Pete Smith and Gareth Griffiths. The cattle drove in the summer of 2014 re-traced drovers footsteps with real life cattle along an ancient drovers route out of Knockengorroch farm in northern Dumfries and Galloway across the border into East Ayrshire to Bellsbank, where they would have stopped off on their way to the market in Ayr. The relationship between Scotland’s people, their land and their cattle stretches back many hundreds of years. The project looks at the significance of walking with cattle, as humans have done throughout history and still do throughout the world.
The exhibition provides a fascinating backdrop to this subject by looking at the changes in farming methods and practices throughout recent history, and is illustrated by work from contemporary artists, archive local images from across Dumfries and Galloway, and selected works from the Gracefield Permanent Collection.
Tom McAughtrie, Chair of the Community and Customer Services Committee, said “being inclusive and building the local economy are priorities for our Council. Our countryside and our people have always been two of our major assets. We’re passionate about working with local people, communities, businesses and other organisations in our region. Dumfries and Galloway is a region of small communities and agriculture is key to our local economy. 70% of our region is agricultural land and a further 25% is woodland. This project explores a vital part of our history, contrasting it with contemporary rural experiences.”
