Apr 112017
 

By Fin Hall.

Nuart Aberdeen has finally arrived. A first for the city, sees a collection of street artists, organised by Aberdeen Inspired gather to paint, talk and show films etc over the Easter

Old and rarely used doors on the streets within the city centre, mainly around the Merchant Quarter, are being painted in different styles by different artists.

Among the artists participating in this current international project is Julien de Casabianca, a French/Corsican artist.

His Outgoing project features images of paintings in art galleries, often taken by members of the public on their phones, the main subject from said painting isolated via photoshop, then printed onto paper.

This paper is then pasted on buildings, walls etc in public spaces.

To this end various primary schools were invited to send a group of children to Aberdeen Museum Treasure Hub in Northfield, a building which stores many of the works of art that have been relocated from the Art Gallery during the refurbishment that is currently ongoing.

I was in invited by Aberdeen Inspired and NuArt to catalogue this process, working with Manor Park, Riverbank and Walker Road schools.

On arrival, the children were told what the general purpose of their visit would entail, before being split into two or three groups. I would stick with one of the groups each time. This took place on three Thursdays in March.

In the first part of their session, the children would be in an almost classroom like situation where they were given practically free rein to express themselves art wise.

They had a large wall mounted monitor complete with a white screen where they could copy images from the Art Gallery’s digital representation of the art works in it’s collection, or just draw whatever they wished; there were props and dressing up clothes so they could utilise and get their friends to take photos of themselves, or take selfies, with their iPads.

Also, there were word searches and sheets of A4 paper which had a pre-printed frame on, so they could draw whatever took their fancy. It was interesting to watch and see how they reacted and the choice they made. Some would throw themselves wholeheartedly into it, others just sat quietly and concentrated on drawing.

After about 45 minutes, the group I was with were taken through into the first of two storage rooms, with their iPads, to view and photograph the paintings, or rather, parts of paintings, be it a figure, an animal or something like a tree.

the youngsters had ever seen such paintings, and they were quite amazed

This room contained paintings of various sizes and from various eras, stored in racks which slid out when pulled. These works of art were paintings done on either canvas or or other fabrics, but not paper.

Some of the works they weren’t able to capture because they are still under copyright, or were covered in protective tape and plastic, but many others were available.

This was the first time that many of  and interested in them. I had to explain to them that they should concentrate on just part of a painting, and not fill their screen with the whole thing, some of which, as you can imagine were rather large.

After that they were led into a smaller room where paintings and drawings done on paper, were stored in drawers. Some of these drawers were already pulled out and at just the right height for the children to stand over, making sure that their device covers were either removed or held securely up, and snap until their hearts’ content.

The net result is that selected photographs the children have taken will be chosen to be the ones used by Julian to paste up in the East Green – an area other artists will be utilising, and where the official opening ceremony on Saturday 15th April will take place.

This part of he city already has several doors from the Painted Doors project already in situ. So it is the perfect location for the hub of the event.

Saying that, there will be several events taking place in the few days leading up to that. See the NuArt website for details.

All in all it was a pleasure to be involved with the schoolchildren.

The Treasure Hub is available for group and organisation tours. It is well worth visiting. So, this coming week get out and about in the city centre and see this unique event.

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Apr 072017
 

With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

Youngsters from Aberdeen schools have delved into the city’s prestigious art collection to get inspiration for their special involvement in Nuart Aberdeen.
Pupils from Manor Park, Woodside, Riverbank, Seaton and Walker Road primary schools got the opportunity to explore a wide range of art at the Treasure Hub in Northfield, currently being kept in safe storage while the Aberdeen Art Gallery undergoes its multi-million pound redevelopment. 

The sessions were held as part of The Outings Project, a participatory public art project founded by the globally renowned artist Julian de Casabianca.

The artist, who is participating in the inaugural Nuart Aberdeen festival, will work with the youngsters to paste their selected characters at specific sites in Aberdeen city centre.

Pupils had the opportunity to examine a number of paintings from the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums Collections, from Portrait of a Lady (The Artist’s Wife) by William Dyce to La Perla de Triana by John Phillip, among others, choosing and photographing their favourite characters to share with the Aberdeen public.

They will then enlarge and paste them up in the city centre under the guidance of Julian, as well as in their own schools and neighbourhoods – getting the change to turn the streets into temporary art galleries during the festival, which is taking place from Friday April 14 to Sunday April 16.

The artworks that the children accessed for this project aren’t currently on display, giving the public a wonderful opportunity to enjoy them in a new way.

It is hoped that the project will help children feel involved in the festival, especially as their efforts will also be displayed in their local areas, as well as encourage new audiences to engage with the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums collection.

There are a number of fun ways for youngsters and families to get involved in Nuart Aberdeen including street printing and chalk drawing workshops, walking tours and an Easter Sunday Street Art hunt.

Nuart Aberdeen will officially open on Saturday April 15, when Herakut’s monumental mural on the façade of Aberdeen Market will be unveiled before the guided Street Art tours begin.

Local breakdance group Bring It Boys will perform a ‘Street Art’ inspired routine created especially for the event.

Also on Saturday, the street printing workshop with Berlin-based collective Raubdruckerin will teach participants how to transform old clothes with street inspired graphic designs from the area in and around Castlegate.

The Chalk Don’t Chalk workshop, being held on St Nicholas Centre’s Rooftop Garden on Sunday April 16, gives children of all ages the “freedom of the city” to create their own chalk street art pieces, with professional artists on hand to teach and guide children on their designs.

Belgian street artist Jaune has been busy hiding his mischievous bin men and women around Aberdeen city centre for the Easter Sunday Street Art hunt also on Sunday. Children can follow the hints provided to find six hidden artworks and win a special Easter Sunday prize.

Elaine Farquharson-Black, director at Aberdeen Inspired and partner at sponsor Burness Paull, said:

“It was wonderful to see the children enjoying the sessions at The Treasure Hub and getting so involved. Nuart Aberdeen is a legacy project for us and we are really looking forward to seeing their paste-ups in the city centre and their local communities.

“This particular project was the brainchild of Julian de Casabianca and it was intended for local children to feel ownership of these images. It is also hoped that they will bring their families to enjoy the Art Gallery when it re-opens in 2018/19 because it will feel, quite rightly, as if they are artists, in the same way as those displayed in our local art space are.

“We would like to extend our thanks to Aberdeen City Council for supporting school staff during these project, as well as community staff who will help with the next stage, and of course, the Aberdeen Art Gallery staff who facilitated the sessions at the Treasure Hub.

“There will be a range of fun events that youngsters and their families can take advantage of during Nuart Aberdeen and I would urge everyone to check out the programme and enjoy what is on offer.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said:

“We are absolutely delighted that our schools and pupils are participating so enthusiastically in the latest festival offering in Aberdeen’s cultural calendar. We have placed a huge emphasis on culture and education and to bring the two together at the Treasure Hub and for the children to work with a globally renowned artist is absolutely fantastic.”

For more information on Nuart Aberdeen please visit http://www.nuartaberdeen.co.uk/

Aberdeen Inspired is the banner under which the Aberdeen BID (Business Improvement District) operates. It is a business-led initiative within the city centre in which levy payers within the BID zone contribute. Proceeds are used to fund projects designed to improve the business district and driving footfall to the zone.

More information on the work of Aberdeen Inspired is available at www.aberdeeninspired.com

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Oct 062016
 

erskine-care-2With thanks to Judith Haw.

The second Blooming Big Aberdeen friendly bench has been unveiled in Seaton Park by veterans’ charity Erskine in their centenary year.
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, George Adam, officially revealed the Erskine bench, painted with the colours of the medal ribbon which features on the charities logo, on Cathedral Walk.

The purpose of the ribbon is to connect Erskine in a clear way to its core focus – provision of care to members and ex members of the armed services.

Erskine has four care homes in Scotland, providing nursing, residential, respite and dementia care to veterans and their spouses. The charity supports over 1,000 veterans and their spouses each year.

The friendly bench project is one of the most recent initiatives to have arisen from the Big Aberdeen Event in September 2014 and is supported by ACVO TSI in partnership with Aberdeen City Council. Third sector organisations were invited to claim and design a bench in the city to raise awareness of the support and services they provide, with Erskine jumping at the chance to get involved.

Erskine Community Fundraiser for the North, Michael Parkes has invited local volunteers and supporters to the unveiling at 1pm as a thank you for all they do for the charity.

Speaking about the bench Michael said:

“It is a great honour for Erskine’s Blooming Big Aberdeen friendly bench to be in one of Aberdeen’s most popular green spaces. Thanks to our bench designers, Neil and Louise McIvor, they have helped make Cathedral Way even more picturesque! 

“The project is a fantastic way to promote the charity in the city. We will also be able to use it as an outreach point for local supporters, volunteers and veterans.  The North of Scotland has a rich history in the services so it is great that we can recognise this with the Erskine bench.

“One of our veterans currently being cared for at The Erskine Home is originally from the Hilton area in Aberdeen. Previous residents have also served in the Gordon Highlanders.”

Lord Provost George Adam said:

“This initiative is a creative way of promoting the vital work of the third sector and at the same time adding something new to our parks and open spaces. Erskine does an outstanding job caring for our veterans and I hope people using the park will see the bench and take the time to find out more. A lot of work has been done in Seaton Park recently and I’d encourage everyone to come down and see how great it’s looking.”

Anyone interested in supporting Erskine locally can contact Michael Parkes on 07811 326 206.

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Sep 072012
 

Next Tuesday, a sub-committee of Aberdeen Council meet to discuss various initiatives under the heading of the “Management of events in Aberdeen’s Parks and Open Spaces”. Mike Shepherd writes.

The document, on a seemingly innocuous subject (Aberdeen parks), is in fact highly controversial. The first item proposes charging groups for the use of the city’s parks for social events.

Each stand alone event incurs a minimum daily hire charge of £250, regardless of status – charity, corporate, private or otherwise.”

The charges range up to £1000 depending on the size of the event.

The scale of the charges will inhibit the organisation of many fun events by community groups happening in our parks. A £250 charge is too steep given that you are never too sure how many people could turn up to an event  given the uncertain Aberdeen weather.

It could also put paid to the activities of community support groups for parks, who aim to raise money for the upkeep of our city’s open spaces through events that they could now be charged for. Support groups have emerged for many of our parks and one would have thought that such a spontaneous community initiative and public-minded spirit would have been encouraged.

Such groups can also attract external funding for park improvements that would not otherwise be available to the council.

This initiative looks very short-sighted as a result.

A second item is authoritarian and looks to be in violation of existing UK law. The councillors at the sub-committee will be asked to:

“agree that the Castlegate is the only recognised location within Aberdeen that can be used for political party and pressure group events.”

This looks like an infringement on basic human rights and is probably unenforceable in practice.

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Apr 192012
 

With its wonderful trees and open space and, of course, the Don flowing round it all in the legendary shape of a bishop’s crook, Seaton Park is our little bit of countryside in the city.  With thanks to Old Aberdeen Community Council. 

It offers us all kinds of leisure opportunities, walking the dog, playing football, picnicking by the river, letting the children and grandchildren run around, or perhaps just reading on a bench by the formal flower beds or snoozing in the walled garden.

Did you know there was a walled garden?

Seaton Park is a well-loved space,  but there is a growing sense that it could be so much better with more focused care, protection and attention.

It’s the poor relation of Duthie and Hazlehead Parks which seem to get all the attention at the moment, so perhaps it’s time for the community to pay more attention to OUR park.

With the support of the surrounding communities, Old Aberdeen Community Council is encouraging the formation of a residents’ group as a focal point for:

  • safeguarding the park
  • linking with the different agencies who already look after its trees, gardens and paths so well
  • raising its profile and generally promoting well-planned development to enhance its natural attractiveness and popularity.

We must ensure that the park survives these hard financial times and is recognised by our City Council as important a part of the city’s natural heritage as Duthie and Hazlehead parks which seem to be attracting all the funding .

You’ve probably heard how the Friends of Duthie Park have been able to access funds to bring fresh life to their park. Closer to home, Sunnybank Park has been revitalised by its local community.

Just think what we could all do for Seaton Park.

A number of residents have already offered ideas on how they would like to see the park improved.

Some would like to see a formalised barbecue area by the river, others have asked for a play area for older children with a skateboard ‘half-pipe’ and a zip line, still others feel that more toilets are the priority.

We would all like to see some means for letting people know about events being organised.

So, perhaps it is time for the community to play a more active role.

If you think this is a good idea, please show your support by getting in contact with us. We won’t ask you to start mowing the grass or to dig ditches, just let us know you are keen to support the enhancement of Seaton Park.

Our Facebook page is Seaton Park Friends. Join that, or email us at seatonpark@oldaberdeen.org.uk

You can also write to
Dewi Morgan,
107 High Street,
Old Aberdeen
AB24 3EN

Come to a meeting!

We plan to hold a meeting in Dunbar Street Hall on Saturday 21 April at 2pm to discuss creating a Friends of Seaton Park group. We hope to have speakers from the Friends of Duthie Park who can pass on their experiences and suggestions and Aberdeen Council have promised its support too.

If you possibly can, please come along and lend your support. If you can’t make the meeting, do drop us a line to give us your support and to be put on our contact list.

Let’s work together to create the park we want.

Remember:
Dunbar St Hall,
Saturday 21st April at 2pm
– we hope you can join us!

Feb 102012
 

City support organisation the Friends of Duthie Park (FODP) has welcomed the news that an action group has been formed to investigate ways of re-establishing Hazlehead Park as a top Aberdeen attraction, Dave Macdermid informs Voice.

Tony Dawson, FODP Chair commented:

 “I was delighted to hear that an Action Group had been formed for Hazlehead Park. In recent years, it has visibly suffered from a lack of investment.

“However, all is not lost, as can be seen with the developments in Duthie Park, itself visited by over 700,000 people annually.

“This year will see significant restoration works to Duthie Park and its iconic Winter Gardens, thanks to the grant awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The ponds and mound will be completely revamped, as will several other areas, to benefit the people of Aberdeen and tourists from all over the world, allowing the Park once again to be an attraction we can truly be proud to have in our city.

“A substantial amount of work has gone into the £5m HLF-funded project. For this, Aberdeen City Council, and the dedicated officials involved, deserve great credit especially in these cash-strapped times.

“It was the largest HLF project in the UK for 2011 and this year will see the regeneration of large parts of this great Park.

“The Friends wish every success to the Hazlehead Park Action Group and are more than happy to support them wherever necessary. But why stop there? What about Victoria , Westburn and Seaton Parks as well as Johnston Gardens? Let’s get support organisations set up from those parks’ users. It’s amazing how far a bit of enthusiasm and commitment can go and we cannot depend on the City Council to do it all. Such successful projects can go a long way towards restoring civic pride in our great city.”

The Friends of Duthie Park AGM will take place on Tuesday 6 March at 1900 in the Winter Gardens and is open to all. To add to a successful year for the group, Tony is appealing for additional expertise in specific areas.

“We have a wonderful committee but everyone is a volunteer and we could certainly do with some help in fundraising, IT and last, but definitely not least, in finding more people who would be willing to help by being the voice of Spike, the Talking Cactus!”

Anyone who is interested in assisting the FODP can attend the AGM or contact: info@friendsofduthiepark.co.uk .

Jul 012011
 

Calling all groups in Seaton, Tillydrone, Bucksburn, Danestone, Bridge of Don, Middlefield, Dyce, Woodside, Bucksburn, Muggiemoss, Stoneywood….Aberdeen City Council is offering you a chance to air your views on the Don.

Over July and August the Sustainable Urban Fringes (SURF) Aberdeen project is keen to hear your views on the quality of the environment along the River Don.
Do you use the paths?
What about signage?
What do you like or not like about community woodlands, parks, playing fields or other open spaces?

How could they be better and better used?
What are the barriers to use?
How would you like to be involved in improving your local environment and open spaces?

If you would like Stephen Bly, Community Woodland Ranger, to come to one of your meetings, events or informal get-togethers to have a chat about your views and suggestions, then give him a ring on 07824 626303, or email him, StephenBly@aberdeencity.gov.uk.  Stephen can come along with maps and aerial photos of the area and you can tell him a thing or two.

The Aberdeen SURF project is working to improve the environment and open spaces along the River Don so that they can make a positive contribution to the quality of life of residents, businesses and recreational users. The project recognises that urban fringes – the areas on the edges of towns and cities – need as much attention as urban centres.

SURF Aberdeen is being managed by a partnership Steering Group which brings together officers from the City Council, SEPA, Aberdeen Greenspace, Forestry Commission Scotland and the River Don Trust.

Following on from initial consultation the SURF Aberdeen project will work to deliver a series of improvement projects in the project area.

So, why not take this opportunity to tell us what’s important to you?

For more information on SURF and SURF Aberdeen, visit the website at www.sustainablefringes.eu, or contact Sinclair Laing, email SiLaing@aberdeencity.gov.uk, tel (01224) 522725.

Notes :

•           The Sustainable Urban Fringes (SURF) Project Partners are:-

UK: Aberdeen City Council (lead partner), School of the Built Environment at Leeds Metropolitan University, City of Bradford and Norfolk County Council;

Netherlands: City of Enschede, Saxion University, City of Almelo and City of Hengelo;

Belgium: Province of East Flanders, Province of West Flanders and Province of Antwerp;

Germany: City of Hamburg; and Sweden: Municipality of Harryda.

•           The project is part of the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme, which promotes trans-national co-operation through four priorities. The SURF project was approved in 2009 under the “Delivers Sustainable and Competitive Communities” category. http://www.northsearegion.eu/ivb/home/.

Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme is part of the European Territorial Co-operation Programme which is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This programme is designed to encourage cross-border, trans-national and interregional co-operation and balanced development of the European territory.

For more information visit: europeanregionaldevelopment