Events Archives - Page 28 of 34

Join Aberdeen Against Austerity

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Articles, Community, Events, Featured, Information No Responses »

Jan 212011

By Aberdeen Against Austerity.

We need a change in direction, not a return to business as usual.

Since the election, the Tory-led coalition Government has launched the most serious assault on the lives of ordinary people that we have seen in the UK since the 1930s. These cuts will decimate jobs and services across the country and will devastate the lives of untold millions of people. We are not only being made to foot the bill of debts run up by reckless bankers, we are being made to fund their offensively lavish lifestyles.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the austerity agenda is unavoidable or even economically sound, as this is the mantra of much of the mainstream, corporate media. This is, however, simply not the case. The Government’s cuts are ideological and unnecessary, and it is becoming increasingly clear that, far from putting us back on the road to recovery, we are being hurled, blindly and arrogantly, towards disaster.

It is for these reasons that citizens from across the North East of Scotland came together on the 15th of December to found Aberdeen Against Austerity.

We continue to see the financial crisis as an opportunity to change the world. We will not accept our lives and communities being destroyed in order to return to a ‘business as usual’ under which wages stagnate while the cost of living increases, under which the gap between the rich and poor – both within and between countries – reaches ever greater proportions, and under which services which represent a lifeline to millions of people are handed over to faceless, profit-driven corporations.

This crash – the latest in a long line of such crises – should prove for the last time that no system that puts the whim and will of international finance before human need is sustainable. We have the ideas and the numbers; let’s create a better alternative.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Articles, Community, Events, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

Jan 212011

By Suzanne Kelly.

Peacock Visual Arts is hosting two exhibitions at present; Aberdeen Voice was on hand for the opening on 14th January of “Menie: a portrait of a North-East coastal community in conflict” photographic portraits by Alicia Bruce.

To describe in simple terms the method of working used to create the images in this show, Alicia Bruce takes iconic painted portraits from art history and re-creates them.
In this instance she spent time with the inhabitants of Menie who have lived under the threat of being displaced by the Trump golf development.

As she acknowledges, she is neither the first nor the only photographer to use past art as source material for recreations, but as an essay on the exhibition by Catriona McAra explains (and as the work demonstrates) Bruce stamps something personal and clearly reflective of Scotland on her portraits. The subjects have lived with the stress caused by the Trump development for quite some time, and their faces reflect this in varying degrees. All of the subjects have several characteristics in common which Bruce successfully catches – different kinds of strength and earnestness.

There is strength and defiance wonderfully captured in the powerful re-creation of the iconic Grant Wood ‘American Gothic’ painting. In this reworking featuring Michael and Sheila Forbes, Michael’s folded, tattooed arms block the would-be adversary from taking the land and farm he stands before, confrontationally facing an invisible Donald Trump, and the gallery viewer is put in Trump’s place, staring in Forbes’ eyes. When the Voice team arrived early at the show, this piece was the first thing we could see as we peered through the gallery doors – powerful, immediately both familiar and new and it made a bold statement of strength that is still fresh in my memory.

The striking desolate beauty of the Menie Landscape is ever present in the photographs, and, like the lost ways of life the original paintings captured, the viewer is left wondering if these portraits are capturing a people and environment doomed to soon be lost themselves like the art they are re-creating. It is this idea that takes the photo of Molly with a gaggle of geese and changes it from a whimsical re-creation of a happier time but instead something poignant.

The show was well attended, and feelings inside the gallery ran high. Molly Forbes said she was ‘most pleased’ with the work; she seemed somewhat overwhelmed and genuinely impressed. Comments given to the Voice and other media present were all powerful; Gordon Maloney had this to say:

“At its heart, this is not a question of what benefit this development could bring to the North East, although it’s very questionable that it would bring any. The question here is how much are we willing to sacrifice for economic gain. Do we want to live in a world where people are evicted from their homes and unique and beautiful stretches of land are ripped up to make way for hotels for rich tourists? I don’t. That’s why it is crucial to show the human side of this story; we can never forget that these are people’s lives, not just what economists derisively call ‘externalities’“.

Along with the Bruce portraits, the back of the gallery area had been used for a projection of the grey north sea waters. Bruce also created a series of shots of boundary markers, taken at different points in time. Near a visitors’ signing book there was a small collection in a simple frame of cards that had been sent in support to the Menie residents. Perhaps the most poignant and heartfelt message can be found on a Christmas card sent to Molly Forbes.

My recommendation is to go to this exhibit and think about what will happen to these people and their world.

Peacock Exhibition

Image 1 of 7

Credit: CSD Images

Fashions At The Forum On February 4th

Aberdeen City, Articles, Events No Responses »

Jan 202011

With thanks to Caroline Maroh.

Diva Darling Boutique are excited to announce that they will be hosting a fashion show and salsa party at The Forum in Aberdeen. ( click here for more info )

Diva Darling is a popular online fashion boutique, specialising in high street and authentic designer labels from casual to special occasion and bridal wear.

“This is a great opportunity to meet our team and get involved!! We will be showcasing our Spring/Summer 2011 collections from casual wear, beautiful made to measure exclusive wedding and evening dresses, imported accessories, jewellery and handbags.

“It promises to be a brilliant evening of food, party and show – perfect antidote to the winter blues. If you are around the area, we invite you to join us for an evening of glam, fashion and fun!”

The event will take place at 7pm-10pm (party after), on 4th February at The Forum, 3 Skene Terrace AB10 1RN.

Tickets: £14 per person (includes door gifts for early birds, fashion show, Asian food buffet, Salsa party & chance to win a lucky draw)

Salsa party ticket: £4 per entry & £3 for students

Book your tickets now! For booking information, email us at katie@diva-darling.com

A Community In Conflict – Exhibition At Peacock

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Articles, Community, Events, Featured, Information No Responses »

Jan 142011

With thanks to Kylie Roux.

An Exhibition by award winning photographer Alicia Bruce, showcasing a coastal community in conflict launches at the Northeast’s Centre for Contemporary Art, Peacock Visual Arts on Fri 14th of January, 6pm

Alicia Bruce spent the summer of 2010 collaborating with residents of the Menie estate, an area of outstanding natural beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) situated twenty minutes north of Aberdeen.

The resident’s family homes are currently under threat of compulsory purchase as Trump International starts construction of a golf course, hotel, and private housing development with plans to re-name Menie ‘The Great Dunes of Scotland’.

Through socially engaging and interacting with the residents of the estate, Bruce has produced a stunning body of photographic and moving image works that present a humane story about people and place – an observance of conflicted territory and those who inhabit it.

A number of the works within the exhibition are staged photographs referencing artworks from Aberdeen Art Gallery’s permanent collection. With the Menie estate in the background and the residents as the subjects these respond to the subjects and create not only a reference to the original artworks, but a portrayal of the subjects in the photographs and the ordeal they are currently facing.

Bruce, an Edinburgh Napier University 2006 PFI Graduate, was previously awarded an Artist in Residence at Aberdeen Arts Centre in 2008 where she spent her time creating new work responding to the city of Aberdeen as well as teaching a series of community based workshops.

Her photograph Flood in the Highlands after Sir Edwin Landseer, has gained international recognition winning several awards and bursaries. This image has been exhibited at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Rhubarb-Rhubarb International Review. Made possible with the financial assistance of the Aberdeen Visual Arts Award, Bruce now returns to the Northeast to exhibit in the city’s centre for contemporary art – Peacock Visual Arts.

This exhibition is a humane story of a conflicted territory and those who inhabit it

With support from Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, Bruce predominantly works in photography and moving image. She describes her work as a collaborative process with the subjects she photographs, with the photographic portrait being a key aspect of her work.

“This exhibition is a humane story of a conflicted territory and those who inhabit it” says Alicia.

“I was deeply upset to see the harassment the residents of Menie undertook simply for wishing to remain in their family homes. If these compulsory purchase orders go ahead no home in Scotland would be safe.

“Menie is a stunning piece of coastline and, in spite of living in constant threat the residents welcomed me with hospitality and above all dignity.

“We short listed paintings we saw in Aberdeen Art Gallery and restaged these as large-scale photographs outside the resident’s homes with them as the subjects. We drew parallels with the artworks and the current situation in Menie. The image in the show of 86 year old Molly Forbes was her tenth day without running water.”

Kylie Roux, Marketing Manager at Peacock Visual Arts told Aberdeen Voice:

“Peacock’s exhibitions often highlight very relevant topics and with this exhibition Alicia has managed to capture the stunning landscape of the Menie Estate whilst sympathetically telling the story of the residents who live there. At a time where the future of the area is such a pertinent topic we feel bringing the issues of the development to the attention of our audience to be very important. The exhibition can be appreciated by all, from those interested in the current situation to those who just want to view the captivating works that Alicia has produced.”

David Milne of Hermit Point, Menie comments:

“This exhibition shows us the real residents of Menie, around our homes and in the environment we love and cherish and now have to fight for the basic right of staying in.”

Running in conjunction with ‘Menie: a portrait of a North-East coastal community in conflict’, is an exhibition displaying the results of an off-site project carried out on the city’s renowned traffic island, Mounthooly Roundabout.

Last May artist Anita Jean Stewart changed the identity of the roundabout by taking up residency, along with her trusty mobile studio, and bringing with her; shadow-shows, tea-parties, poetry, glitter-balls, gigs, hula-hoops and artist’s talks.

Stewart successfully transformed the roundabout into a creative bubble for the month of May, the results of which can be seen at Peacock Visual Arts from January 14th. So if you missed out last spring – there is another chance to re-live the excitement of Mounthooly in May.

‘Menie: a portrait of a Northeast coastal community in conflict’ and ‘Mounthooly in May’ both launch on Friday 14th January, all welcome.

Exhibitions run from 15th January to 26th February 2011.

The Burning Of The Clavie

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Jan 072011

By Fred Wilkinson.

Like many of our readers I’m sure, it is with mixed feelings that I take down the tree and pack away the baubles and tinsel. The old year is out, and the new one is suddenly almost a week in the making. For better or worse, normality returns and all the fuss is over for another year. Or is it?

In the Northeast village of Burghead in Moray, residents are looking forward with anticipation to their own unique annual Hogmanay celebration. Condemned in the 18th century by the church as “an abominable, heathenish practice”, the Burning Of The Clavie is surely one of Scotland’s most bizarre and spectacular events.

The event takes place on 11th of January every year – or the 10th should the 11th fall on a Sunday – in correspondence with what was the last day of the year before our calendars were changed in 1660.

To summarise the event as simply the carrying of a burning barrel through the town fails to convey the deep-rooted and elaborate nature of the ceremony.

Fire has strong associations with Hogmanay.

From the symbolism of a single lump of coal as a first footing gift to wish comfort, health, and/or luck – or in other words the wish that the recipients ‘lum may aye reek’ – to the extravagance of the Edinburgh Fireworks display, The Burning Of The Clavie has more in common with the former, but with detail, ambition and meaning more in common with the procession of the Olympic flame.

The ceremony commences on the night with the clavie itself – a half barrel full of woodshavings and tar, which is nailed to a post. It is believed by some that the same nail is used every year. It is carried, borne on the shoulders of a single male resident to the home of the Burghead provost so that he can light the clavie with embers from his own fire. The flaming barrel is carried in turn by around 10 men, clockwise around the town, and embers from the barrel are presented to homes/households of significance.

The clavie is then carried to the ‘clavie stone’ – believed to be the altar of and old fort on Doorie Hill, where it is set down, and more fuel is added until the whole hillside is set ablaze.

The ceremony, in a manner similar to many rituals around the world, across faiths, and throughout the ages, is completed as attendees take away embers from the fire to light their own home fires on ‘New Years Day’ symbolising perhaps the cycle of life, renewal, the passing of cold winter and the promise of spring, or simply as the tradition dictates – for good luck.

Click for more info

Hogmanay Hootenanny

Aberdeen City, Articles, Events, Featured, Gigs and Concerts No Responses »

Dec 262010

By Peter Coutts.

It’s that time of year when everyone is frantically trying to pin down exactly which social gathering they will attend this Hogmanay. Well, the answer to your New Year party prayers is here….

The Blue Lamp will be hosting its second Hogmanay Hootenanny, on December 31, funnily enough.

Following the success of last year’s festivities, the Lampie is once again home to this tasty event, featuring the cream of local talent firing at you traditional and not-so-traditional music from both sides of the Atlantic.

Local 6-piece bluegrassers Smokin’ Catfish have been surprising audiences in Aberdeen for over two years with their stunning harmonies and foot-stomping live performances. This traditional bluegrass line up with its inbuilt rock ‘n’ roll attitude will wear out your dancing shoes in an explosion of high-octane, string-pickin’ fun.

Catford, new to the Aberdeen scene, feature local multi-instrumentalists and singer/songwriters Steve Crawford and Davy Cattanach, augmented by the amazing Jonny Hardie, Davy’s former Old Blind Dogs bandmate. The boys have just released a new album, Chronicles, which should be on your January sales shopping list. Driven by Steve and Davy’s percussion and guitar and underpinned by Jonny’s luxuriant strings, Catford’s blend of exquisite songs, jaw-dropping harmonies and virtuoso musicianship will leave you mesmerised.

Also joining in will be local firecracker and host of SHMU FM’s Monday Session, Naomi Ballantyne, an exciting local fiddler who will bring a smile to your face, a twitch to your toes and a song to your heart. Naomi will be joined by members of Catford and Smokin’ Catfish for a rip-roaring transatlantic session.

So, this Hogmanay, give yourself a last-gasp 2010 gift and get down to the best venue in Aberdeen and hae a rare auld time in the friendly atmosphere. Slainte mhath.

HOGMANAY HOOTENANNY, The Blue Lamp 31 December 2010, featuring

Smokin’ Catfish (kickass bluegrass)

Catford (Davy Cattanach, Steve Crawford, Jonny Hardie)

with special guest Naomi Ballantyne

8.30pm (onstage 9.30) till LATE

A View From Inside The Kettle

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Dec 232010

The mainstream media have been vocal in their condemnation of the so-called student riots. An alternative view is offered by Aberdeen student Gordon Maloney, an activist in the protests.

The last couple of months have been incredibly exciting for student activists. Four of the biggest student demonstrations in recent memory have taken place within a month of each other, and between these there has been continuing news of University occupations, demonstrations and stunts across the country.

In the beginning, these actions were more or less focused on the Coalition’s proposed increase of the cap on tuition fees and abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in England and Wales The focus has since broadened significantly and action is bound to accelerate since the government’s success in raising the cap.

“What are you protecting? Your job’s next”, protesters chanted at lines of masked, baton-wielding police between horse charges and demonstrator scatterings on the day of the vote. These protesters – many of them school children – have come to understand more quickly than some other sectors of UK society, the extent to which the same reckless cuts to further and higher education will decimate jobs, services and communities across the country.

After the damage done at Millbank in the first demonstration, many in the student movement seemed concerned not with the damage done per se, but rather that it provided the government and the right wing media with the opportunity to de-legitimise the protest altogether and to dismiss what happened as the work of “socialists and anarchists” – not students – as if these terms were somehow exclusive. We were repeatedly told that images of masked students smashing windows, graffiti on police vans or students throwing bits of placards at police would be used against us. They were, but it hasn’t worked.

When our marches were kettled and we were denied our right to protest, anger boiled over

This tactic, employed so successfully by the right after G20 in 2009, seems to have failed this time. At the time of writing, a Daily Mail poll asking, “Do you still support the students after these riots?”, showed that 76% of respondents do. Since September, I have spent countless hours campaigning and speaking to people on university and college campuses and around areas without large student populations. The only difference I have noticed in people’s attitudes after the protests is a much greater awareness of the issues. People have heard about the fee increase, the broken pledges and the scrapping of the EMA. They have, of course, also heard of smashed windows and burning placards, but they understand that this just showed the scale of anger of demonstrators.

The people I speak to understand that we have already gone through the democratic process. We have had the debates, and in terms of public opinion we have quite convincingly won. We even won the election. A party which pledged to abolish tuition fees altogether is in government. People demonstrating already felt betrayed not just by the Liberal Democrats, but by democracy. When our marches were kettled and we were denied our right to protest, anger boiled over. Criticism of this has been less widespread than might be imagined.

It seemed that the only outcome of the damage to property – I refuse to call it violence – was to ensure widespread coverage of the events.

It is easy to argue that it is understandable that people broke windows at Millbank. It is also reasonable to argue that, faced with cuts as potentially devastating as we are, it was proportionate. The question then becomes one of necessity. Would the 10 November demonstration have acted as such a catalyst for future demonstrations if it had remained, as NUS President Aaron Porter wished, a peaceful A to B march? Would it have changed anything at all? Realistically, probably not.

Despite the repeated mantra that protestors have gone on demonstrations intent on chaos, nobody at these protests wanted to be violent. This was made crystal clear to me when I saw a lone policeman trip up in the middle of a crowd of protesters who, just a minute before, had been pushing police lines and throwing sticks. Nobody touched him. Not because they were scared of repercussions, but because that wasn’t why they were there. People backed away from him, allowed him to get up and return to the line of police.

Damage to property shouldn’t be necessary for people to be heard, but in a society that seems to care more about paint being thrown on a car than the well-being of an innocent man who suffered a brain haemorrhage as a result of a police attack, it seemed to many demonstrators that there were few alternatives. Michael Gove told reporters, on 24 November, that the Government would, “respond to arguments….not to violence”. We have had, and won, the arguments. They didn’t listen, and they can expect more of the same if they continue not to listen.

A ‘Cracker’ Of A Ceilidh This Christmas

Articles, Community, Events, Featured, Gigs and Concerts, Information, Satire and Humour No Responses »

Dec 172010

With thanks to Charlie Abel.

Local band Iron Broo are returning to the Culter Club this Saturday for a night of festive fun and dancing.

Their Christmas Ceilidh night has become a popular annual feature in their hectic gig schedule and is a rare opportunity to catch the band in action at a public event. Most of the band’s gigs are private functions, weddings and corporate events; only a small number are open to the public and are often sold out. So don’t miss your chance to hear them.

Tickets have been selling well for the Christmas Ceilidh but there are still some available.

The Iron Broo ceilidh band have exported their particular style of Aberdonian ceilidh music all round the globe. In recent years they have been to Ireland, Netherlands, Latvia, Norway, Spain and even darkest Englandshire. They have also appeared no less than seven times at T in the Park.

“We’ve sailed the seven seas, fought a hundred battles, shed a thousand tears and lifted the spirits of millions …” said the bouzouki man Fred – tongue firmly in cheek.

Their only commercially available CD which was recorded Live at the Moray Ceilidh Club in Elgin is available through out the world on iTunes and is advertised as a best seller by Amazon.

The Culter Club is a private club and has one of the largest dance halls in the Aberdeen area. It also hosts regular dances throughout the year for members and their friends. It is always a risk having a Ceilidh out of the centre of the town but as the Christmas Ceilidh has become a regular event at Culter, there is a real sense of community spirit and the audience span the ages. Many locals brave the snow to make it to the ceilidh every year; and the band have also offered to assist in towing out anyone who happens to get caught in the snow in the car park after the gig!

So forget the forecast, ‘Snow’ good bidin’ at hame, ‘Skate’ on doon and keep warm in style!

There will be the fantastic Iron Broo M&S Christmas Hamper raffle and a special guest Ballroom DJ during the break giving some instruction to some ballroom classics. Iron Broo will also call all the ceilidh dances so even if you have never been to a ceilidh before they promise to have you ‘jiggin’ awa furiously in nae time!’

There will be a bar available for various refreshments.

Christmas Ceilidh
Saturday 18^th December 2010
The Culter Club, Cairn Road, Peterculter. 01224 733578

Doors will be open from 7.30pm and dancing will start around 8pm.

Tickets £10 adults – £4 under 16 – Free to under 6.

Seating reservations available with advance bookings (call Charlie 07802 861390). Tickets also available on the door.

Ticket information is available on their website. (link to:http://www.ironbroo.co.uk/CeilidhGigsNews.html )

The Funeral for Higher Education

Aberdeen City, Articles, Events, Featured, News No Responses »

Dec 172010

By Simon Gall.

‘The Funeral for Higher Education’ was organised by students at Aberdeen University last Friday. The action followed the vote in the House of Commons to raise tuition fees in England. The students marched through the University campus in silence, dressed in black. The Pallbearers carried a coffin draped in a black sheet. The procession continued on to the student association building where the protestors laid white flowers on the casket and listened to a short speech by student activist, Gordon Maloney, about the potential effects of the vote.

Mr. Maloney said “What happened on Thursday was far more than an increase in tuition fees. The cuts to the Further and Higher Education budgets don’t just mean a savage attack on social mobility, they represent a fundamental assault on the role Education plays in society. The fact that these changes do not mean any immediate increase in revenue also blow the argument that we need cuts now out of the water. This attack on Education – and, indeed, the entire welfare state – is ideological and it is unnecessary.”

Willows Animal Sanctuary Needs Help Now!

Aberdeenshire, Articles, Charity, Community, Environment, Featured, Information No Responses »

Dec 112010

With Thanks To Suzanne Kelly.

A unique North East animal sanctuary is fighting to avoid closure after the recent cold spell has scuppered a much needed fund-raising open day.

Willows animal sanctuary near Fraserburgh has been rescuing creatures, great and small, from distressing situations since 1989 and is home to a wide variety of domestic, farm and wild animals. However, the charity is struggling to meet its winter feed bill.

The recent spate of extremely bad weather has added to the worries of the sanctuary. Not only did their long-planned open day, which would have brought in much needed funds, have to be cancelled due to the snow, but over the weekend the heavy snowfall caused severe damage to one of the sanctuary’s barns. With means already stretched, the sanctuary is extremely concerned for the coming months.

It is well known that animal rescue charities across the country are being stretched to their limits: not only have donations dropped as people try to decrease their expenditure, but many households have found themselves unable to care for their pets, resulting in twice as much strain on shelters and animal charities alike.

Willows is not only a sanctuary for animals in distress, but also organises a very special Animal Assisted Therapy programme designed for people suffering from learning and physical disabilities. This innovative programme allows vulnerable members of the community to learn new skills and develop confidence in a caring and supportive environment while drawing on the amazing effects that contact with animals can have upon a person’s treatment. Being the only programme of its kind in the region, it has proven very popular and successful.

However, none of the amazing work that Willows are able to conduct within the community is possible without funding.

If you would like to offer some assistance to Willows, to allow them to continue offering support and care to those who need it most, please contact the sanctuary at www.willowsanimals.com

Willows Animal Sanctuary ( Registered Charity No: SCO29625 )
Lambhill
New Pitsligo
Fraserburgh
Aberdeenshire
AB43 6NY

Tel: 01771 653112
Click to Email

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