Guerilla Gallery event

Here's a few images from the Hannah Maclure centre last week. The Tagtool made its presence, it's the first time it has been used at an independent arts event in the city. Thanks to Garry Whitton for sending in the images, he tells me they're currently making a time lapse video of the Tagtool drawings.

Click for more images on the Guerilla Gallery Facebook page

Spacebusters!

For the next 6 Thursday evenings I will be at the Hannah Maclure Centre running The Spacemakers in collaboration with a local arts initiative known as D-Air. Together we will be examining the role of contemporary arts in relation to direct democracy. We'll be looking at a range of responses by individuals and groups across the globe.

I'll be featuring work by groups like Improv Everywhere who were invited by the New York Public library to stage a performance to highlight the serious budget cuts the library is facing.

They chose a Ghostbusters action as the New York Public library features in the opening of the movie.

For more on IMPROV EVERYWHERE and further images of the Ghostbuster action click here

My Dads Strip Club night

7.30 Thursday 15 April 2010

Hannah Maclure Centre

Top Floor Abertay Student Centre

1-3 Bell St

Dundee

As well as working on the Nine Trades project at the library, Im going to be putting on an entertaining evening featuring the work of My Dads Strip Club at The Hannah Maclure Centre at 7.30 - 9.00pm Thursday 15 April. its free and open to the general public. I'm hoping some of the great people I have met so far will come because it will be my pleasure to entertain them.

This is a one-off event, which is going to be followed by a set of six presentations running on Thursday evenings in May and June called The Spacemakers designed to build and support community and creative interventions in the city for more info on this click here.

The events are organised by D-AiR... (pronounced Dare) which stands for Dundee Artists in Residence a new initiative in the city that profiles the work of Dundee-based artists, celebrates Dundee as a city of culture and creativity, and fosters links between artists and the wider community.

Link to D-AiR's website here

The LIFE group and The Spacemakers

Generally at the start of the week I support Alistair (library worker Science & Business) who runs a weekly support group called LIFE for people recovering from problems of drug and alcohol abuse. The group produces it's own newsletter Oor Paper, Oor Stories to help people understand what kind of life experiences members are struggling with...

I've met with Philip Malcolm the AXIS project worker (who refers members to the group) and Alistair to tailor a series of entertaining presentations relating to the shared experiences of participants in the group. Each session introduces a set of art linked a particular theme, such as 'rules and containment in contemporary society'.

I've included contemporary work by a variety of artists working on the international scene. Group members have been enthusiastic to talk about the questions and issues raised in relation to their own experiences. Of course not only is this new to the group participants but also introduces the workers to a body of arts work relating to the issues that link into their practice. Word got around at the Axis project and last time we met we were joined by support worker Linda Thomson. Linda also volunteers for the Vice-Versa project ( which aims to tackle street prostitution).

If this sort of thing interests you and you'd like to broaden your thinking on what can be art and who can be an artist you might be interested in a series of six Thursday evenings I'm running between 20 May -24 June called The Spacemakers - Celebrating the Art of Urban Subversion at the Hannah Maclure centre.

This is organised by D-AiR ( Dundee Artists in Residence) it's free and open to the public, but places are limited and you'll need to book a place in advance. Either come and find me in Science and Business or check out the D-AiR website if you'd like to know more.