Eafs 2013 facts

One of the best and most unique events this summer.

- 2013 Visitor from Newcastle

REFLECTION ON EAFS 2013

Environmental Art Festival Scotland (EAFS) offered the opportunity to engage with landscape and the environment through art installations, performances, workshops and talks. Much of the discussion was around climate change and how environmental art could help imagine a better more sustainable future.

The 4 Gathering events brought together people of all ages and from many different disciplines, including scientists, farmers, environmentalists, musicians and artists. Many of the events featured musical performances and were fun as well as having serious thought provoking messages.

The most important thing about EAFS was people meeting people in extraordinary places, with the art works acting as catalyst.

- 2013 Visitor

WHO

Wide Open worked in collaboration with Spring Fling and the Stove to deliver the festival. All three organisations have a different skill set which came together to create a dynamic and successful festival.

There was a real sense of regional ownership of the festival among the creative sector, which secured an enormous amount of energy and goodwill from everyone involved.

We worked closely through the

development of the festival with a steering group made up of key environmental organisations including the Crichton Carbon Centre, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland. We added to that list as artists commissions were

developed and included the Barony Agricultural College and Scottish Power.

Creative Carbon Scotland worked closely with EAFS and the Crichton Carbon Centre to assess the carbon footprint of the festival.

It was Brilliant! More Please!

- 2013 Visitor from West Midlands

CREATIVE & ENVIRONMENTAL All commissioned artworks asked environmental questions, from John Wallace’s Cinema Sark which explored ecosystem services along the river Sark, to James Winnett’s Rise and Fall of Grey Mares’ Tail questioning our landscape aesthetics.

The Environmental Art Map, made by artist Matt Baker, was an indepth exploration of environmental art in Dumfries & Galloway.

The Archivist was a performance, where artist David Giblin acted as an archivist preserving and presenting ideas submitted to the festival, each idea had a stronge environmental message. Children were enchanted by this project and we hope to explore further funding to take this project into schools.

There was an ‘otherworldliness’ emerging for many of the artworks, in particular

Sporopollen and The Dark Outside FM. Both works explored our relationship with the universe and interpreted the imagination through performance.

The creative communities showed generosity in sharing ideas and came together to produce these imaginative experiences.

The overall effect of EAFS was extraordinarily positive – can’t believe that this was only its 1st year.

- Cathy Agnew, Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of the Arts

COLLABORATION

EAFS linked artists together, creating contacts between national and international artists and the local creative community. The festival delivered over 15 commissions and 20 associated events.

Artists and non-artists involved in the festival supported each other and worked with the EAFS team in the realisation of artworks and events. This is an area we will continue to develop in the future as a means of collaborative working for the region.

EAFS was also a platform for local creative communities to develop their work by testing ideas through the commissions and events, many of which became foundations for the ongoing development of individual artists’ practice. Many artists have gone on to win residencies and grants as a result of the installations they created during the 2013 festival.

FESTIVAL PROFILE D&G residents 67% Rest of Scotland 15% Rest of UK 12% Overseas 6%

2200

unique visitors to Dumfries & Galloway during the Core Festival

from Australia, Tasmania, Finland, Portugal, South Africa, Luxembourg & Canada

2500

Over

4000 28

visits to events and artworks - most events were fulling booked

Gross economic impact

ÂŁ141,000 during Core Weekend

Over visitors for the subsequent 3 Satellite Weekends, when EAFS worked in specific areas of D&G

THE FUTURE Our ambition is that Dumfries & Galloway becomes known as the International Home of Environmental Art. The region is home to many important permanent artworks including Andy Goldsworthy's Striding Arches, Rosnes Bench by ecological artist's Dalziel & Scullion, and Matt Baker's multiple installation at Cairnsmore of Fleet.

The core weekend of EAFS 2013 attracted 2200 unique visitors to Dumfries & Galloway with over 4000 visits to events and artworks.

The subsequent 3 Satellite Weekends, when EAFS worked in specific areas of D&G, attracted a further 2500 visitors.

Comments from our audience demonstrated that EAFS was seen as leading the way in terms of environmental art practice. The festival received substantial national and international media interest both on and offline.

The 2015 festival aims to build on this work reaching out and nurturing connections with communities within and beyond the UK. The partners and key members of the creative community will form a production team to develop the 2015 festival. This will be centred around an imaginative participatory environmental artwork called ‘The Passing’.

Amazing Experience, can't wait for next time!

- Local Resident

2015 - THE PASSING

The Passing is part of EAFS’ ongoing ambition for the region to attract artists and audiences from around the world to visit and participate.

consuming, materialistic society) into a new sustainable way of life (more interconnected, more creative and compassionate).

Passing.

The Passing is a project designed to spread and be adopted by communities all over the world as a model to move The original concept for the Passing EAFS will work with artists and creative forward and live more sustainably. has grown out of in depth discussions thinkers to produce The Passing. As about climate change and sustainability. part of the process, we will reach out to There has never been a better time for Through multidisciplinary art practice, three communities outside of Dumfries the region to go forward and secure The Passing aims to create a visually & Galloway to develop their own this ambition to be International Home spectacular ritual performance which Passing. These communities will then for Environmental Art, the people are in helps people move on from the old way be invited to the region for the 2015 place, the artwork is present and the of living (ego-centred ambition, greedily Festival to take part in a collective opportunity is here.