St. Art

Grafitty city Glasgow Page 21

FreshAyr Art and comunity

The Big Blu Van Page 5

Page 8

ST ART

Behind the magazine Carmen Venable –Editor/ writer Fiona Mackie – Editor/ writer Manuel Cardo –Designer/writer Petya Plachkova– Writer Erin Kearns –Writer Simon Eriksson –Writer

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Graffiti is a part of our history. From drawings in caves thousands of years ago to the Ancient Romans and Greeks carving their names and protest poems onto the walls of buildings, human civilisation has always had an instinct to graffiti. As our modern society began to change, the idea of graffiti was shunned and seen more as a nuisance and criminal activity than an artform. Now, however, it is becoming more accepted thanks to artists who have redesigned what it means to be a street or graffiti artist and are changing the public’s perception.

Under the 1971 Criminal Damage Act, if someone was caught writing on public property they were charged with a criminal offence. The consequences were a fixed penalty of ÂŁ75 or the judgement of the local authority depending on the cost of the damage. In an effort to stop tagging, the act also made it illegal for retailers to sell spray paint to those under the age of 16. The legality of graffiti can be hard to define as often it comes down to the opinion of the owner of the surface that has been targeted. From the laws point of view, graffiti is nothing but a waste of time and money.

However, many communities have welcomed some forms of graffiti. Either they agree with a message that has been made or just appreciate the brightening up of an otherwise ordinary space. Cities all across the world have begun to engage with graffiti and street artists in a bid to

brighten up urban areas. It is possible that graffiti can encourage people to create. Perhaps an uninteresting and unattractive scribble is the beginning of a skill and career for those behind it. Graffiti can transform from sheer vandalism to public art just by changing a perception of it.

It is unlikely that the issue of whether graffiti is art or vandalism will ever be black and white.

The grey area shows that it can be whatever you choose it to be. Respect for other people in society is important and offensive tagging or spray painting of someone’s private property unquestionably should violate the law. If we continue in the direction we are going now, offering places for young artists to practice, embracing the culture as an artform and not a nuisance, we could empower a future generation of artists.

The Big blu

By Petya Plachkova

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Every so often we are all faced with a dilemma: “Where should we go to eat?” Scotland is a place that offers a diversity of food from different cultures: on top of the usual selection - Indian curries; Japanese, Chinese, and American food - Scotland has also become home to Austrian dumplings, Taiwanese Ninja Bun Burgers, Brazilian crepes, and more.

While most of those places have turned into big food chains with stands all over the country, there is one that has a different idea of how street food should be presented: The Big Blu. Inspired by the work of local artisan food producers and his love of traveling, the founder of The Big Blu, Chris Percy-Davis, serves delicious pizzas from an old French Citroen H van. “I have never had the money to open my own restaurant, but when I saw the van I instantly loved it,” says Chris.

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Chris had been a chef for 20 years before he decided to get into the street food business. He shares that he has always wanted to bring joy to people through the food he serves, from a nice and peaceful place. He got the van without knowing what he wanted to do. After a while he decided to combine his love for food and traveling and that is how The Big Blu was born. “The van is really old so I had to repair it.” The last thing he needed to do before he hit the road was to equip the van with a mobile kitchen.

The food options are simple: pizza, pizza and more pizza! People can choose either Margherita, Pepperoni, or Ham with black olives. “I believe that you do not need a big menu with loads of food options because not all of them will be great. But you should have the ability to sell one product really well, and that is what makes it so unique.”

According to Chris, social media has changed the perception of how food should be. Chefs nowadays sit down and draw the presentation of the meal, and then think about how to make it taste good. His aim is to not pay attention on what the pizza looks like, but to focus on the way it tastes - and he succeeds. His pizzas have become so popular that people hire him for weddings, parties, and even work lunches.

Even though Chris and his team are very busy working at different events, they can still be found on the streets of Scotland. The most common places you can see the Big Blu are East Lothian, Dunbar harbor and Edinburgh. The next time you ask yourself where should you eat, go and visit The Big Blu, enjoy a nice evening at the beach with a mouthwatering pizza and a cold beer, and watch the sunset.

FreshAyr

By Manuel Cardo

Mannequin mannequin one of the bands to Play in Ayr fringe event

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Abandoned store in Ayr’s highstreet.

FreshAyr’s “headquarters” in 2016

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How do you fix a broken system?

You think outside the box…Always.

Ayr, once a major Scottish touristic hub, is now an endangered town. Currently empty streets and boarded shops decorate the landscape across the seaside community.

Artist, Robert Singer, believes he has found the solution to revert the towns’ decaying economy, in an unexpected place.

Robert’s project is called FreshAyr and works on the idea that the only way to help local economies across Scotland is to value the unique and high-end by funding and incentivizing local artists and artisans.

According to Ian, one of the other people behind FreshAyr, the killers of once thriving creative based economies are the internet and big “out of town” shopping centres. “There used to be creative people in high streets, the baker, the person who made the shoes and the clothes, and we think there’s space within this commercial capacity to allow creative people back in.”

Ian, voicing the project’s beliefs and ambitions, says that the way to revitalize this old type of commerce and consequentially strengthen the towns’ individualism and local economy, is to “give the people something that they wouldn’t get on the internet, (...) in other words something that’s unique, like an art object, or drama and music events”

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How do you value creation and incentivize consumption in a pratical sense?

FreshAyr is expressing itself through a series of promoted workshops, concerts, Art exhibitions and several Fringe events. The latter are taking over local businesses, like pubs and restaurants in public artistic demonstrations.

A fringe event, according to urban dictionary, refers to “unexpected and sometimes outrageous events people seek to celebrate all the things that make them unique”, but also to “activities people seek when they've had enough of being a homogeneous drone subscribing to society's mainstream” In this case, it seems to be both. The project presents itself as a scream against the abandonment of Ayr’s high street and traditional commerce as a consequence of the massification of modern shopping culture. Given the nature of the events, it also works intrinsically as a celebration of the unique and wonderful talents that the west coast of Scotland has, to offer.

In the end FreshAyr shows a new reason to appreciate art and diversity, to appreciate Ayr. FreshAyr is the proof of the practical use of artistic expression.

A new pair of eyes. A new approach to regeneration.

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Insider Tips

Tips on starting a successful street food business, right from the kitchen of the founder of The Big Blu van, Chris Percy-Davis

By Petya Plachkova

Everyone needs to eat out every once in a while. Some like elegant, quiet, more sophisticated type of restaurants, while others like to go to the local pub, grab a burger with a cold beer, and have a laugh with their friends. Yet even more prefer to have a bite outside, while enjoying the weather or a beautiful sunset. In Scotland there are plenty of places to go and have a nice mouthwatering meal outside, but if just tasting is not enough for you, and you fancy to dive into the business of street food, then here are some tips for you: 1. Keep it simple!

Find a product that has a unique selling point. Chris’ advice is to find one thing you like making and master it. “If you could do one thing really well, you will always succeed.”

2. Find a good spot!

Chris’ van can be found in quite a few places, but the most common one is the Dunbar harbor, where people can enjoy his pizza and the good view.

3. Don’t focus on the looks, focus on the taste!

“The emphasis should always be on how good is going to be, and not how it is going to look.”

4. Conquer the locals, and then conquer the world!

The Big Blu is a mobile kitchen but as Chris says: “We don’t need to move more than 20 miles north or south because we have enough demands on the local facility to make the business work.” That’s how he makes everyone else come to him.

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Tips on becoming a successful street artist.

By Erin Kearns

With any creative and artistic career, the guarantee of having work and money is not always stable, but here are some helpful tips that may make things a little easier.

1.

Promote, promote, promote! Build a website, create a domain and become active on social media. The more active you are the more people will see and remember your work!

2.

Branch out. In order to gain the audiences you must go and find them. Travelling and creating in new areas will not only inspire you more as an artist but expose your work to new viewers.

3.

Research. Look at different types of art, be inspired by what has come before in order to create something new and broaden your horizons. As an artist it is important to remain open minded to new ideas and inspiration in order to stay creative.

4.

Learn from mistakes and practice. A simple enough tip but an important one. The only way to advance in your art is to reflect on previous works and continue to improve.

5.

Be true to yourself. Create and design your original ideas, the public don’t know what they want to see before they see it so your art could be the next big thing. Don’t change to fit the mould of what is successful at the minute as the very nature of street art is that it is susceptible to change.

International Perspectives

- Destructive Creation (Bulgaria) - Canyon (U.S.A) - Underdogs: street art indoors (Portugal)

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Destructive Creation

By Petya Plachkova

If one day you go on holiday in Bulgaria and you are walking around the streets of the capital Sofia, you might see some unusual street art like “With love for the bees”, or “20 years since the circus came in town”.

They are all an act of the group Destructive Creation - a group of anonymous activists, doing illegal artistic campaigns with strong social and political messages. But their work is not only illegal, they also promote legal campaigns in favour of the city by fixing the road, street benches, and bus stops. They entered the international news in 2011 with their act on painting a monument of a group of Russian soldiers called “V krak s vremeto” (“Up to date”).

Their aim is to create street art by presenting an idea or a current problem through it. Their first project is “The Camels” which is a reference to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

A turning point for them is when they transformed an old police boom lift into a street alcove (1). They realised it is better to create and invest money in something beautiful, rather than just destroying it. This is how

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they came up with the name of the group “Destructive Creation” and the logo “Da go beshe napravil ti!” (“You should have done it first”).

- The lion is a symbol of the country. It adorns the entrance of the Law Courts. The project is about all the years of transgression made by the Bulgarian leaders, using the judicial powers. The lion represents the Bulgarian politician, described as a bunch of clowns.(2) - Destructive Creation covered a few metal sculptures in several parks in Sofia in bubble wrap, as if readying fragile cargo for transportation, and stamping them in Bulgarian and Dutch post stamps. This campaign is trying to accentuate on one big problem for Bulgaria: people trafficking.

People trafficking is one of the biggest paying illegal businesses in Bulgaria and is now on the rise again after 130 years of being calm. This time, however, the traffickers and victims are from the same nationality. (3)

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Canyon

By Carmen Venable

Canyon, Texas is a quaint town. Settled in the north of Texas, just outside Amarillo, Canyon is home to West Texas A&M University; the campus encompasses the better part of the town.

There's not much to do in Canyon - that’s part of its charm - but if you're itching for something fun to do, your best bet is to pick up a can of spray paint and drive twenty minutes into Amarillo.

In an empty stretch of desert just off Interstate 40, your eyes are immediately drawn to the only thing in sight: ten Cadillacs, spray painted a rainbow of colours, point boot-first to the sky.

Dubbed the Cadillac Ranch, the cars have been standing there for forty-three years, erected in

1974 as a public art installation. Their model years ranging from 1949 to 1963, the Cadillacs sported their original paint jobs when they were installed; however in the recent decades, the public has been encouraged to spray paint them.

Anyone can add to the masterpiece; the Cadillacs draw tourists and university students alike, spray paint in hand. “We like to go out and write our names on them,” West Texas A&M student Brooke Paige says, “It really feels like we’re making a lasting mark.”

If you're looking to unleash your inner artist, a trip to the Cadillac Ranch is the way to go.

Underdogs: street art indoors

By Manuel Cardo

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Lisbon has much to offer. Beaches, sun, architecture, tradition and now underdogs.

The name fits with the all-encompassing national feeling, the concept is innovative.

Underdogs is more than an art gallery.

This is a space for both creation and exhibition, professionals and newcomers.

The space encourages interaction between the visitors and the artists working on the top floor, a warehouse that works like a room of

necessities for up and coming artists. The whole aim is to simulate and endorse the urban landscape and connected artistic creation.

In the gallery section one can find works from AKACorleone, Wasted Rita and even Vhils, the Portuguese artist that uses explosives to carve pictures and messages of activism and discontent on the sides of decaying buildings.

This message of recycling the urban environment is present in most modern street art.

“The explosion of street art (in Glasgow) has offered life and colour back into what could be quite a grey city” (Erin Kearns) This is most often the case. Urban artists appear to be an explosion of self-expression detonated at city centres all over the world. An answer against the claustrophobia of city living, a shout against the excessive side of urban landscapes, like AKA corleone’s “Find yourself in Chaos” piece.

Street art is growing fast and now it has it’s own place...indoors.

GraffitiCity Glasgow

By Simon Eriksson

“There has been this great shift from graffiti being a name tag or sectarian slogan hastily sprayed on a wall to these beautiful pieces of art that have now become sights in their own right.” – Andrew Rainnie, Discover Glasgow

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Humans have been drawing art or messages on walls for thousands of years, but the modern day graffiti movement became popular in New York and Philadelphia in the early 1970’s. From the beginning, it was a way for street gangs to mark territories, but it soon also became a way for people to express themselves that was used widely outside of gang culture. A new artform had started to develop.

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Graffiti became a thing in Glasgow ten years later, but it is perhaps more popular than ever today. Big, colourful graffiti artworks commissioned by the city council makes the slogan “People make Glasgow” even more believable, because the pieces show people from different types of backgrounds and occupations. Another central theme is animals and nature itself. The panda made by Klingatron next to the Central Station is one of the most famous ones, together with the two badminton players by Smug on a building in Merchant City.

Aside from the official work, graffiti can be seen in every area and with vastly different meanings and art styles behind them. How

did the graffiti scene in Glasgow grow to become something that people associate the city with?

Andrew Rainnie, founder of Discover Scotland, believes that graffiti artists from other countries put a big mark on the scene in Glasgow: “I know two of the biggest artists, Smug and Rogue One, started getting recognised because of their early works, which led to them being commissioned to do work, rather than doing it on the fly.

I expect it has risen in prominence because it is a global movement.

Smug is originally from Australia and in Melbourne they have alleys dedicated to street art, where new and established artists can go and practise their craft and show new ideas. Banksy brought the idea to the British mainstream, but London too has lots of street artists who were painting walls in Shoreditch long before the hipsters moved in.”

He points out that Glaswegians are proud of having an artistic city and that art is something that is cemented deep in the city’s history, long before the architect Charles Mackintosh’s art style became popular and gave the buildings their distinct look.

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John Foster, Project Officer of City Centre Regeneration at Glasgow City Council, says that the official mural trail in Glasgow developed as part of the Clean Scotland project in 2007. It was set up in order to prevent areas of urban blight from attracting further graffiti and to help brighten vacant buildings. “Since then the murals have become recognised as pieces of art in their own right and have attracted much interest from residents, visitors, business and the media,” he explains.

However, John points out that all graffiti is not good graffiti. Aside from the commissioned work, Glasgow has a lot of graffiti that he is not fond of. Andrew agrees: “I am not a fan of tagging or angry scrawls of hate speak. Our city is unfortunately blighted by a minority who cannot see beyond the colour of someone’s skin, or more often their football shirt and it annoys me when this hatred drives someone to take a spray can and spread that narrow racist or sectarian viewpoint. But smart unofficial art, art that has a purpose, or makes a critique about society in a meaningful way, the

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way many of Banksy’s works do, I think that gives people a voice.”

John believes that the word ‘graffiti’ is often associated with vandalism, anti-social behaviour and urban blight, but that graffiti like the official mural trail can help change that perception and overshadow the negative meanings behind some of the other graffiti seen in Glasgow. “It is clear that they have the ability to enliven urban landscapes and create colourful destinations which help support local areas and local businesses,” he argues.

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With this being said, what will the future be like for graffiti in Glasgow?

“It was announced this week that a number of Glasgow's lanes and alleyways would be getting transformed, with some to become designated art spaces, which I think is a great idea. Glasgow has hundreds of hidden nooks and crannies, so why not say that artists can draw on these walls and see what happens like they do in other major cities? Like our city's motto says: ‘Let Glasgow Flourish.’ We clearly have talented artists, but in this day and age, I think there is a disconnect between art and people. If street art can get people to look away from their phones, to admire art, to go to a museum to see more works, then I think it is brilliant,” Andrew says.

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John explains that a set the future is planned out and that graffiti will continue to be a big part of the city’s appeal: “Glasgow City Council would like to develop the City Centre Mural Trail and Mural Fund further. We are already working towards the publication of a new booklet, as well the development of a City Centre Mural Trail app, both of which will be freely available. At the end of the day, however, the project is reliant upon the continued involvement of artists creating the work, and the support of local land-

lords providing permission for the installation of murals upon their property. Without either of these integral elements the project would not continue.”

Graffiti has evolved from gang signs to an artform and Glasgow is an excellent example of a city that is using it to attract tourism. From the big bear with sunglasses on the Sanctuary Nightclub to the human skull and the squirrel in Kelvinbridge Subway Station - finding eye catching graffiti art in Glasgow is not a difficult task…

Glasgow mural tour

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ry to and is now renowned whole locals and tourists alike walkit round each ofbeing the eighteen murals and in not a miss a single new piece. way.

2008 saw the creation of Glasgow’s first street art murals which were deThe first mural on the tour in is alocated John the Street.

Rouge ‘Hip Hop Marionettes’ signed bid to on reduce amount of One’s vandalism in certain areas of the city. In 2014, a mural trail was created that offered locals and tourists alike stand tall on the side of a building above parking area.murals The design wasmiss influenced by piece. to walk round each of athe eighteen and not a single a Beastie Boys and Run DMC cover two on large puppets in ‘Hip The first mural on art theand tourfeatures is located John Street.decked Rougeout One’s Hop Marionettes’ standbeat tall on the sideupofisaGeorge buildingStreet abovewhere a parking hip hop clothing listening to an old-school box.

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The design was influenced by a Beastie Boys and Run DMC cover art two large puppets decked out instories hip hop clothing listening will be greeted by and ‘Thefeatures Wonderwall’: a 200m and three to seven of Strathclyde to an old-school beat box. Next up is George Street where you will be University coveredgreeted with Rouge-One, Art Pistol and Ejek’sand incredible It features by ‘The Wonderwall’: a 200m three toartwork. seven stories of StrathUniversity withpeople Rouge-One, Art Pistol such and Ejek’s some of Strathclydeclyde Universities mostcovered celebrated and achievements as Doc-incredible artwork. It features some of Strathclyde Universities most celebrated and achievements such as Doctor Whoto producer Verityand Lambert tor Who producer people Verity Lambert who gifted her private collection the university who gifted her private collection to the university and a mural of the a mural of the equatorial telescope which was was usedused to teach nautical astronomy there. there. equatorial telescope which to teach nautical astronomy A left quick detour to thewill left ofyou thewith High Street facefirst youmural with Sam A quick detour to the of the High Street face Sam Bate’swill (Smug) Bate’s (Smug) first mural on the trail ‘Fellow Glasgow Residents’ on the trail ‘Fellow Glasgow Residents’ which features man with birdshim. flyingSmug aroundishim. which features a man with birds aflying around world renowned for his portfolio pieces and does not disappoint with this one.

Smug is world renowned for his portfolio pieces and does not disappoint with this one.

A continuation of this piece is on Ingram Street, the next mural on the trailpiece whichis features theStreet, variedthe wildlife residing A continuation of this on Ingram next mural on in theGlasgow’s trail whichparks. fea- This one is difficult to absorb at first glance as the attention to detail is astures the varied wildlife residing parks. is difficult to absorb tounding.

At theinfarGlasgow’s end of the muralThis you one will enter Merchant City where the next mural ‘Badminton’ created by Guido Van Helten is located. The at first glance as the attention to number detail is one astounding.

At player the far Kiean end ofMerrilees the mural you mural features badminton and was dein the the run next up tomural the Commonwealth Games in the in 2014. will enter Merchantsigned City where ‘Badminton’ created byheld Guido Vancity Helten is located. The mural features number one badminton player Kiean Merrilees and was designed in the run up to the Commonwealth Games held in the city in 2014.

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Recoat and Ali Wylie were the artists behind the next mural, dubbed ‘Spaceman’. Recoat is inspired by his surroundings and his love for pop, Japanese and comic book art which he displays perfectly in this mural.

An essential mural to see on the trail is Smug’s ‘Argyle Street Café’. A revamp of his original painting, Smug chose to replace an ordinary café scene with animals instead of humans. As with the nature of street art, this piece has the potential to be removed as the building is up for sale so see it while you can!

Rouge-One, Art Pistol and Ejek feature once again with their depiction of local history of the Clutha and the variety of famous faces who visited the area.

Rouge-One’s take on what is lurking beneath the Clyde in his next mural ‘A View Of The Clyde’ features some of Glasgow’s landmarks including the Armadillo and the Riverside museum and varied wildlife that lurk in the waters.

Heading along the Broomie Law, ‘Glasgow’s Tiger’ is situated created by Klingatron alongside Art Pistol. Continuing under the bridge there is

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more profile work by Smug, ‘The Five Faces,’ which were designed recently as a replacement for the sporty murals that were there previously.

most famous artwork in the world including a spin on Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa who Smug gives a can of Irn Bru and nicknamed Mona Lassie. The next murals feature Smug’s ‘The Swimmer,’ another Commonwealth piece and ‘Glasgow’s Crocodile, created by Klingatron along with Art Pistole. The last mural on this tour is ‘Hand Shadow Puppets’ by RougeOne on the Cowcaddens underpass.

Mitchell Street is next and is a must see for some of the best artwork in Glasgow. The street features several murals including Rouge-One’s “the World’s Most Economical Taxi’, Smug’s ‘Honey I shrunk the Kids’ and ‘Wind Power’ which was created by Rouge One and The explosion of street art in Glasgow Art Pistol as a celebration of the diverse has offered life and colour back into what sustainable energy within Scotland. could be quite a grey city and has given it a fitting look to match the character of A detour here will lead you to see Glasgow. If you are looking to explore the ‘Glasgow’s Panda’ before heading back wonders of Glasgow from a slightly differto Argyle Street which features Smug’s ent perspective then this trail is the one.

‘The Gallery,’ a new take on some of the

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Springfest

By Fiona MAckie

Set against the backdrop of the Loch Lomand shores on an unusually sunny day in Scotland, the third annual Springfest food festival is underway. The show case of different foods, drinks and homemade crafts from all over the world is what has driven the public to visit the festival, to see this variety of culture in one place.

The first stall to greet you as you enter the festival is Churro Mania, a food truck that was established in 2011 in the US and decided to test the market here in the UK. The traditional Spanish treat of fried dough and cinnamon sugar is usually eaten for breakfast, served with melted Belgian chocolate.

Mary Daniels switches on a complicated silver machine called a churrera that starts mixing up the dough and piping out the warm, crispy ropes: “We were here last year and it was so great we had to come back!” says Mary. “This afternoon has been great. Business really picked up after the sun came out which made up for the morning weather as there weren’t many people out early on.

“People have been really interested in what a churro is,” she continues, handing over a red – and – white pinstripe paper bag of the churros, “and so they usually come over just out of their own curiosity. Nine times out of 10 they end up back for more!”

and more people came to my stall than I hoped.

“Selling my food to customers and hearing what they think, I love it when they give me feedback. I am so passionate about what I cook and I like to hear that other people enjoy a different kind of food to what they are used to.”

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Pitched up next to Churro Mania is a stall called Greek Soulvaki, a traditional Greek dish of grilled meat wrapped in pitta bread. Stall holder Kostas is eager to talk to drum up business as customers walk on by, however visually it is stunning with glossy red and green peppers on display, next to fresh herbs, cheese and tomatoes.

Kostas begins making up a pitta full of grilled aubergine, grilled peppers and grilled mushrooms: “I want as many people as possible to try this kind of food so I go to many food festivals. It was slow for me at first but people became curious later on Further into the festival, everyone milling around is friendly, stopping to chat, not only about the food, but being welcoming about the festival itself. Maps are handed out to help navigate the stalls, winding from a small selection of food vans round to the open market. The smells waft over, from candyfloss to fine cheese. There is traditional Scottish cuisine, Italian sausage and meatball subs, and German salami to choose from.

Next to the highly popular Sea Life centre is a small purple stall with the name Jude’s Jewels embossed on a white piece of wood attached to the front of the fabric. The woman behind the array of necklaces and rings has a kind smile and an infectious warmth. “I sell handmade jewellery and crafted cards. I go to any event in Scotland selling the things I make. It’s a passion of mine and this weekend just happened to be Springfest.

“So many customers have been flooding in all day and even though not everybody has bought something, it’s been good to have so many people admire my work. Seeing so many people having fun, mingling around not only my stall, but all the interesting ones here today makes festivals such as this a huge success.”

The life of a busker

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Conor McCarry

By Simon Eriksson

Street musicians are a common sight in cities and their experiences as performers are varied, just like the music genres that they play. As a pedestrian walking by, it is easy to forget that playing music in the streets is much more than what we see. What are the strangest parts and the possible dangers of it? Is it a good way to get recognition and to promote music? What is it like to be a street performer?

Conor McCarry from Glasgow is an aspiring musician who is seen at Ayr High Street, where he is playing his own soothing singer-songwriter material, as well as covers of famous songs such as “Everyday” by Buddy Holly or Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”.

Conor first started playing music in the street without any serious intentions: “I was in Glasgow at a recording studio with some friends. We finished and thought we still really wanted to play and do all the things we did at the studio again, so we decided just to go and busk and give it a try.”

He has since then learned that busking requires preparation and that it is not as simple as just bringing a guitar, a microphone and a speaker. Furthermore, it is important to be ready for the unexpected. People sometimes steal equipment, which can be very troublesome and an expensive loss.

If the audience do not like the music they hear, some are not afraid to let him know by shouting it at him. “It seems to be only a minority that do not seem to enjoy, but they are the ones you tend to remember, unfortunately,” Conor says. Despite this, there is a bigger obstacle out there: “The rain is my worst enemy when busking.”

The strangest thing that has happened while playing is people pretending to work for record companies, he explains: “That has happened like three times and they have all made everything up. The first time someone told me they were from a record company, I believed them. The police ended up getting involved. It was weird. People can be weird. There is something really sad but ultimately hilarious about it.”

The majority of people are positive and they sometimes request songs, which can be challenging. Normally, Conor does not take requests on the day, but is always

open to learn new songs, especially if it is requested often: “If I know it, I will try it, but generally not. I try to have a listen when I am home and if the song suits me I will learn it for the next time I am back.”

On the question if the goal is to launch a career from busking, Conor says that anything besides the experience of it is a bonus: “I would not say launch a career. If you are incredibly lucky someone may spot you but I do not generally look at it as launching a career. I enjoy it, but I certainly would not only focus on it and expect it to take me places. That being said, I have met some great people and great friends doing it. I do love it, really, but it is not all that easy at times. You have to have a sort of thick skin. Sometimes I let people get to me, but then I need to remember it does not matter, you know? Everyone has an opinion.”

Despite people trying to steal his belongings or make hurtful comments and despite Scotland’s rain, Conor is determined to keep going for as long as he enjoys it. Besides, at the end of the day, he also makes some money from it: “Generally enough to get me by.”

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Lisa Kowalski

By Fiona MAckie

At just 18 years old, Paisley born Lisa Kowalski is already on the road to big things. Armed with a glossy blue guitar and a hopeful attitude, she takes to the streets to sing her heart out and make her voice heard.

“I've always loved to sing but I started taking it a bit more seriously when I taught myself guitar. After that I felt more confident in my ability to become a professional musician and I became more and more passionate about it.”

Lisa is modest about herself, as she shyly reveals: “I first started busking when I was 14. My mum and I went in to Glasgow and bought all the equipment we needed and a couple of weeks later I set up on Paisley high street and haven't stopped since! Although my music has changed in many ways since then busking in Paisley is still one of my favourite things to do.”

It’s not just about the money for Lisa as she uses her earnings to help those less fortunate than others. “Getting to earn money and donate it to the poor is a really amazing part of busking and I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to do that. Making other people happy is a really great way to find your own happiness.”

Does this make busking become a dying art? Lisa disagrees: “Although some people may view busking as dying art these days, I still find it amazing and get a huge amount of support from people. There are a lot more buskers these days than there used to be so the scene has changed a lot and buskers perhaps aren't seen as "special" as they once were since they're not much of a rarity but I've had continuous encouragement since I started and hopefully it stays that way!”

However, are there any negative aspects to busking? There are many things that could go wrong…

“Since I live in Scotland sometimes the weather doesn't make it easy as you can never predict when it will start raining! There's also an awful lot of competition between buskers these days and I've had a few buskers try and tell me to move. It's quite a shame because I think we should all be supporting each other as we all just want to be able to perform and play music and tearing each other down won't help anyone.”

As well as continuing to busk, Lisa has decided to spread her love of singing into the recording studio and will be releasing her first EP later this month.

The launch will be in Callum’s Cavern in Paisley with tickets available at the door.

The story of the an exciting one:

by Paisley 2021 amazing and the

creation of the EP is “I was given a grant which was absolutely support they give me

is incredible. Since then, over the past 10 months I've been recording, producing and mastering it with the help of some very talented musicians and kind people. I'm so excited that it's finished and I can't wait to finally release some of my music in a less acoustic form!”

The future is bright for the Paisley born girl with plenty of gigs lined up: “I just hope to keep performing everywhere that I can and hopefully gain bigger audiences as the years go on. I will also never stop writing music and it would be amazing to release a full album sometime in the next two years or so! All I want is just to be able to write songs and have people want to listen. I'll be performing at Paisley's Beer and Food Festival, a few charity fundraisers, more busking and pub gigs.

I'll also be performing at the Vamos! Festival later in May which is pretty exciting!”

Lisa Kowalski’s first EP will be out on the 20th of April this year.

Kelburn Castle

By Petya Plachkova It is very common nowadays to see a wall with age to the stonework. Lord Glasgow’s children graffiti drawn all over it in the center of a city. Not suggested a simple, yet creative idea, and that so common, though, is a castle covered in graffiti. is how the project started. Lord Glasgow invitedCastle four of the world’s leading graffiti artKelburn Kelburn castle is thought to be one of the oldest ists from Brazil to paint the walls of the castle. castles in Scotland, dating back to the 1200’s. The The final result was shocking for many, but it also original Norman Keep, that was designed for de- helped to break the conservative perceptions of fense rather than comfort, is now enclosed with- how a castle should look like. It brought togethin a grander castle which was built in in 1581. er two very different cultures, and combined The present tenth Earl of Glasgow and his wife, rural and urban realms. In 2011, the mural was Isabel, started Kelburn Country Center in 1977, named as one of the world’s top 10 examples of opening most of Kelburn’s grounds and gardens street art by Tristan Manco, author and designer. to the public for tours and different attractions. The castle is still open for tours and differBut what is so extraordinary ent events. This year’s program includes about this old and rusty castle? Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Forest, Wizard The castle is now known as the “graffiti castle”. School of Medieval Magic, Ginger day and In 2007 experts told the owners of Kelburn many more. Anyone can go and visit at any Castle that its concrete facing would eventu- time and enjoy a day of fun and good art. ally need to be replaced to avoid further dam-