Tagtool Interest Group

This week nineteen people involved in arts and community projects in the city attended the Tagtool network event at Hannah Maclure, all of them interested in working with or using the tool.

My Nine Trades time in Dundee is coming to an end, I'm happy there is now an active group of people keen to utilise the tool in the city. The grand plan is to establish a core Tagtool interest group to support and encourage the use of the tool in the city. Laura Simpson from Nine Trades project will initially communicate with key players to get the ball rolling.

I'm delighted to say that a few things are already underway, we have several arts and community organisations with ideas in the pipeline, and at least ten people/organisations who want to build their own Tagtool.

Plans are underway to host a Tagtool building workshop to happen in the autumn. Hannah Maclure are interested in hosting this as they are already involved with NEoN Festival. The University of Abertay has a strong commitment to working with digital media, computer gaming and illustration.

We have local artists keen to get proficient in using the tool the working Tagtool kit installed at Dundee Central Library is being well used. The library would like to participate in THE BIG DRAW event happening in October 2010 www.thebigdraw.org.

I delivered an event for Sarah Derrick and her team at the DCA's Education department last week and they are enthusiastic about working with the tool in the future.

Keri McGowan Creative Learning Officer at McManus has supported the Nine Trades project from the initial ideas stage so has a special interest in continuing to support the project. McManus wish to train their artists to work with the tool and use it for ongoing projects.

D-Air ( Dundee Artists In Residence) are launching a series of events over the next year that showcase the Tagtool. Starting on Friday 2 July at Hannah Maclure, an event with local VJ's using the library's Tagtool. Jackie from Grey Lodge Community Centre hopes to bring along some young people from their AAAA project who worked with the tool earlier this year.

Dundee Central Library, Grey Lodge and Youth Literacy Team are making connections with students and established artists in the city to work with the Tagtool.

The guys at OMA International (the Tagtool creators) are fully aware and delighted that Dundee is on the Tagtool map. Alistair and I were shown such wonderful hospitality at their event in Austria earlier this year that we hope to be able to welcome them to Dundee one day.

Finally for those of you itching to get your hands on the Tagtool it will be available for you to play with at the Nine Trades Final Gathering 10.30- 17.30 at the DCA Saturday 17 July . If you haven't yet seen it that's a chance for you to drop in and have a go. My work in Dundee is due to be completed at the end of June, but of course I will be back in Dundee for the Final Gathering.