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Deveron Projects

Annual Report

2018/19

April 2018 - March 2019

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Contents

/ Introduction 5

Staff, Partners, Board, Artists

/ Residency Programme / Projects 7

• Town is the Garden • Community Crockery • Walking Without Walls • Lunar Odyssey • Think: Brexit • Partnerlook! • The Weeping Willow Tree • People’s Act: Room to React • Exploration Aids

/ Research Programme 21

• Thinkers in Residence • Scottish Cultural Institute • Deveron Projects in East Africa • Global Potlatch Supper

/ HOME Programme 25

• Friday Lunch • Food Chain • Farmer’s Market • Doric Language Classes

/ Capital Projects and Events 27

• Town Collection • The Former Square Deal

/ Appendix 33

i. Event Statistics ii. Audience Analysis iii. Press Report iv. Funding Support v. Thanks

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/ Introduction

2018/19 saw Deveron Projects focusing on new economies, food culture, town centre regeneration,

freedom of movement and political division. The Town is the Garden team continued to grow, learn,

share and explore. Walking Without Walls artists Rachel Ashton and May Murad finally met in Paris,

after collaborating since 2017. Katie Rose Johnston launched the Community Crockery, which is

available for use throughout the community. Polish composer Ela Orleans was resident in Huntly,

listening, and will premiere her audio-visual work in October 2019. Clemens Wilhelm proposed to

plant a Weeping Willow Tree in a public site in Huntly, to begin to heal the divisions caused by Brexit.

Director Claudia joined an international curatorial team to explore and connect with cultural partners

in East Africa. Clyde Williamson and Lauren Campbell spent time exploring what democracy means

to young people in Huntly. Tim Knowles continued to work on his network of howffs and Exploration

Aids publication. Town Collection Curator Alix Rothnie reviewed and re-invigorated the Town

Collection. Alongside the Residency and Research Programme during 2018/19, the HOME

Programme continued to explore themes of community, identity, locality and cultural exchange.

Deveron Projects launched a six-month Think:Brexit programme, hosted several Thinkers in

Residence and worked with experts to determine the feasibility of a large capital purchase. In

2018/19, we increased participation and partnership working and ran 8 internships, raised over

£250,000, sequestered 5.4 tonnes of CO2, had 2792 followers on facebook and over 75K website

views.

Deveron Projects would like to thank Hazel Gardner, Tracey Mackenna and Rachel Walker who

stood down from the board, and warmly welcome Pauline Burmann, Alan Macpherson, Chantelle

Thomson and Chloe Billy Kift.

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Artists

Rachel Ashton / May Murad / Katie

Rose Johnston / Ela Orleans / Walker

& Bromwich Clemens Wilhelm /

Gabriele Konsor / Christine Borland /

Tim Knowles / Lauren

Campbell/Clyde Williamson

Partners

Creative Scotland

Aberdeenshire Council

Big Lottery Fund

British Council

Wellbeing Festival

Foundation Scotland

Scottish Refugee Council

Marr Area Partnership

The Orchard Project

Climate Challenge Fund

Dummuies Windfarm

The Gordon Schools

Private Donations

Goethe Institute

Syrian New Scots

Paths for All

and many more

Staff

Director: Claudia Zeiske

Project Manager: Rachael Disbury /

Robyn Wolsey

Art & Community Worker: Petra

Pennington

Green Coordinator: Joss Allen

Project Gardener: Lindy Young

Project Assistant: Caroline Gatt

Town Collection Curator: Alix Rothnie

People’s Act Project Worker: Clyde

Williamson / Lauren Campbell

Project Interns: Lauren Dixon / Laura

Henry / Natasha Natarajan / Zeynep

Yildiz / Will Gore

Volunteers: Peter Fraser / Connie Sim

/ Rosa Quinn / Ingrid Wylie / Leo

Gibson / Patrick Tumelty / Lucy

Hayhoe / many more

Cleaning: Hilda Fowler / Alison

Cockburn

Website: Dorian Fraser-Moore

Design: Mark Samouelle

Media: Lesley Booth

Board

Yunior Aguiar / Steve Brown / Camilla

Crosta / Iain Irving / Tracey Mackenna

/ Kevin MacIntosh / Christine Sell /

Jason Williamson / Mike Whittall /

Chloe Billy Kift / Chantelle Thomson /

Alan Macpherson / Pauline Burmann

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Back o’ Bennachie Bus Tour attendee overlooking the Aberdeenshire countryside, June 2018

“Deveron Projects have always greeted me with a smile on their faces, and are always interested in what I have been up to as well. I have never felt an age barrier, although I am old enough to be some of their Granny’s. I love the Friday lunch, and go when I can, meet people and enjoy eating together. It certainly beats being at home with Television. Deveron Project brings in young folk to our town, which is nice to see, and I hope it continues for many years to come.” -Helen Grant, AB54 Member

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Friday Lunch: An Alternative History of Strathbogie with Janet Starkey/ Waterlines with Gill Russell/ Friday Lunch: Acclimatisation in 18th-Century with Elena Romero-Passerin/ From Little or Nothing: A mushroom growing workshop/ Slow Marathon 2018, Sat 21 - Sun 22 April, Walking Without Walls: Dufftown to Huntly/ Pathmakers' Gathering: Pathmakers, Pilgrims and other Political Walkers/ Walking Without Walls: Exhibition, 23 Apr - 27 May, Ethical Gift Shop, Duke St, Digital Dialogue on Peace, Friendship and Boundaries/ Friday Lunch: A Wander is Not a Slog with Dr Morris/ Friday Lunch: The Honey Bee, Friend or Foe? with Andrew Watson/ Pride and Wonder: An open, all-welcome coffee afternoon/ The Healing Landscape: Calming herbs workshop for parents and toddlers/ Friday Lunch: Suriashi - marche féminine: an interventionist practice in urban spaces/ Friday Lunch with Swedish artist, Ami Skanberg Dahlstedt/ Plant Party No.2: A party to celebrate the start of the growing season/ Who Are We? Tate Exchange, Tate Modern/ Art, migration and the production of democracy/ Food Chain: Knödel Dumplings with Claudia Zeiske/ Friday Lunch: Preserving Huntly's historic swift population with Cally Smith/ Friday Lunch: Ela Orleans, Artist's talk/ The Community Crockery Launch with Katie Johnston/ Home to Home, Goethe Institute Glasgow, with Claudia Zeiske/ Who Is?: Crossroads Poster Series with Iman Tajik and Jonas Jessen Hansen/ Friday Lunch: Joanna Helfer, Artist's talk/ Isla Marathon Walk, part of the Moray Outdoor & Walking Festival/ Possible Gardens of Kinship: Building a Forest Garden/ Modern Pilgrimage Workshop: Home to Home talk and workshop/ Back O Bennachie: A bus tour for the Syrian women of Inverurie, and locals alike/ Guided Walk to the White Wood, with artist Ela Orleans and forester Neil Theodoreson/ Friday Lunch: Ethical Gift Shop with Ellie Turner/ Food Chain: Polish Barszcz & Pierogi with Ela Orleans/ Friday Lunch: Rehema Chachange, Artist's talk/ Friday Lunch: Percy Grainger with Barry Peter Ould/ July Farmer's Market, Come see us in the square!/ Midweek Minor Path Bashing: Opening up overgrown walkers paths/ Friday Lunch: Sophie Lindsey, Artist's talk/ Friday Lunch: AC Projects with Alasdair Campbell/ Communities from Below: A workshop on the importance of soil/ Food Chain: Scottish Oatcakes, Raspberry Jam, & Kefirised Clotted Cream with David Foubister/ Friday Lunch: Alien Species with Dudendance/ Friday Lunch: The Bike Shack with Matt Donaldson/ August Farmer's Market, Sat 4 Aug/ Scotland + Europe, part of Edinburgh Art Festival/ Friday Lunch: Foodstuff with Stuart McAdam/ Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Salzburg Global Academy II Conference, Artists Rachel Ashton and May Murad present on Walking Without Walls/ The Barter Shop at No. 8, Opening of Town is the Garden's new Barter Shop/ Friday Lunch: Culture Strategy Aberdeen with Dr. Duncan Cockburn/ From Old Ways to New Hands: A basket weaving workshop/ Migration + Borders: Rising nationalism and the role of art/ Food Chain: Maltese Fenkata & Kusksu Bil-Ful with Caroline Gatt/ Friday Lunch: Organic Farming with Coldwells Farm/ The Huntly Hairst 2018, Sat 1 & Sun 2 Sept, Huntly Town Square / Global Potlatch Supper, Part of the Huntly Hairst/ Friday Lunch: Young Intern update on People's Act: Meals & Movies project with Clyde Williamson/ Friday Lunch: From Britain to Europe with Lauren Dixon/ White Wood Forestry Maintenance Session with Steve Brown/ Food Chain: French Ratatouille and Sweet Crèpes with David Cholet/ Friday Lunch: Journeys in Female Representation with Petra Pennington/ October Brexfast: How can we prepare locally for Brexit and beyond?/ White Wood Forestry Maintenance with Steve Brown/ Friday Lunch: Alien Species with Al Reeve/ October Farmer's Market with Walker & Bromwich/ Community Crockery Workshop with Katie Johnston/ Friday Lunch: An artists project on local patterns with Gabriele Konsor and Roland Eckelt/ Doric Fly Cup: Part of Across the Grain/ The Last Season: A film screening/ Friday Lunch: One Seed Forward with Bob Donald/ Open Letter to Colin Clark, MP, as part of the People's Vote March, Huntly/ People's Vote March, London / Huntly/ Apple Day Picnic, Community Orchard, Meadows, A celebration of an important and versatile fruit/ Friday Lunch: Changing our relationship to death with Karen Collins/ Food Chain: Turkish Cuisine with Jansu Tanyeli/ Lunch with Ian Hudghton, MEP, Lunch with Huntly's MEP/ In Our Hands: Seeding Change, a film screening/ Friday Lunch: Selected Operas with David Ward/ November Farmer's Market, Huntly Town Square/ November Brexfast, How can we prepare locally for Brexit and beyond?/ Friday Lunch: The Carnic Peace Trail with Nick May/ Public AGM, with Pauline Burmann, Thami Mnyele Foundation/ Friday Lunch: Artist's talk, Celia-Yunior with Celia González and Yunior Aguiar/ Town Collection Guided Walk: Explore behind Huntly's locked doors/ Black Friday Lunch: Alternative Economies: experiments in not buying things/ Cultural Exchange Community Ceilidh: An evening of Scottish and multinational music and dance/ Food Chain: Traditional American Thanksgiving with Raye Marcus/ Friday Lunch: Garioch Women for Change with Lynne Copland of Garioch Women for Change/ December Farmer's Market/ December Brexfast/ Friday Lunch: Promoting LGBTQ+ Awareness and Understanding/ Small Business Lunch/ The Elves' Workshop/ Winter Solstice Walk, Huntly Mart/ Huntly Community Christmas Day Lunch, Stewart's Hall/ January Brexfast/ Friday Lunch: Artist's talk, The Wind in My Soul with Bibo Keeley/ White Wood talk, Maritime Museum, Aberdeen/ Beuys, film screening/ Friday Lunch: Wellbeing and the Community with Networks of Wellbeing/ Doric Language Class, 22nd Jan - 12 March/ Friday Lunch: The landscape of chairs with Sitsmith + Co/ Food Chain: Venezuelan Arepas with Sonsiret Reeve/ Think:Brexit Open Public Meeting/ Friday Lunch: Talking Brexit/ Slow Marathon: Training Walks 2019, Sat 2 Feb - Sun 7 Apr/ February Farmer's Market/ Public EGM/ February Brexfast: Art and Culture: How might Brexit affect exchange in the arts?/ Friday Lunch: Art & Craft in East Africa/ Friday Lunch: Contemporary Art in Bosnia-Herzegovina with Jon Blackwood and Maja Zečo/ From Bitter Oranges...Wed 20 Feb, 7pm, 8 Castle St./ Friday Lunch: A Huntly Nurse in WW1, "...as only we can know” with Ron Brander/ Thinking Like a Forest/ Food Chain: Dutch Erwtensoep with Baukje De Roos/ Friday Lunch: Curating the Huntly Town Collection with Alix Rothnie/ Huntly Art Trails Launch/ March Brexfast/ Fractured Land/ Friday Lunch: Adventures Through Erasmus with Zeynep Yildiz/ As Long As There Is Bread, Community Kitchen, Linden Centre/ Rhynie Woman Wild Garlic Picnic, Deveron Road Woodland Path/ Friday Lunch: Artist's talk, The Scar: walking the iron curtain with Clemens Wilhelm/ Food Chain: Käsespätzle with Clemens Wilhelm/ 29 March Day, Fri 29 March, all day/ Room to React Exhibition

2018/19 Events

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Town is the Garden Duration: Spring 2017 – Ongoing

Activities: Discussion, Growing, Learning, Eating, Thinking & Future Planning

Funders/Partners: Climate Challenge Fund, Clashindarroch Windfarm Trust,

Tesco Bags of Help/Groundworks, Community Orchard Fund

Website: deveron-projects.com/town-garden

/ Residency Programme / Projects

Since 2017 the Town is the Garden project has been exploring the future of food production in Huntly

through a successful programme of skills-sharing workshops, reading groups, seed swaps, educational

interventions, and explorations into alternative economies. In June 2018, the team recruited Anthropologist

Caroline Gatt as Project Assistant, joining Lindy Young as Project Gardener and Joss Allen as Green

Coordinator. That summer, after several coats of paint, the project moved out of No.11 Gordon St into new

premises at No.8 Castle St which acts as an office and workshop space, as well as housing a library and

larder for distributing free seed and plants to the community. The Barter Shop, featured on BBC Radio

Scotland’s Grow it, Cook it, Eat it has been running there since the move.

The Town is the Garden monthly workshop programme is dedicated to skills-sharing, throughout 2018-19

this included basket weaving, tree pruning, mushroom cultivating, marmalade making, forest gardening,

bread baking and more. For the local Hairst festival, the Town is the Garden hosted a discussion on

alternative food economies with anthropologist Cristina Grasseni, a fermentation workshop with Eleanor

Brown, led a seed saving walk and a conversation on the environmental crisis by teaching people to

screen print tote bags. During the October Farmers Market, the team helped press three quarters of a

tonne of locally grown apples. This was programmed alongside an event to celebrate national Apple Day,

with storytelling, apple games, a mini forest school and apple themed food.

Alongside the workshop programme, the team have been working with The Gordon Schools, both Primary

and Secondary, running workshops such as Climate Day, where they helped deliver a day of climate

breakdown education to the whole of S2, and supporting pupils to develop food growing sites on campus.

The Town is the Garden team, along with Networks of Wellbeing and Gordon Rural Action, organised

another Christmas day lunch after the success of 2017. Around 60 people attended, a mixture of all ages,

including families. A firm Huntly institution by now, which is taken on by different groups in years to come.

The CCF funded programme will run until March 2020. The team is now looking to the future of the Town

is the Garden, researching into developing potential sustainable legacies for the project such as social

enterprises and alternative funding structures. In 2018/19, Town is the Garden ran 32 events with over

1000 participants.

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Katie Johnston / Community Crockery Duration: January to June 2018

Activities: Globalisation, Identity, Pottery, Home, Place-making

Funders/Partners: Marr Area Partnership / Creative Scotland

Website: deveron-projects.com/community-crockery/

The Community Crockery was launched at Huntly’s Stewarts Hall Rotary Club coffee morning in June

2018, with 199 participants enjoying the handmade ceramic tableware and learning about the project.

Designed and made in collaboration with a wide range of community members it offers a small

milestone towards regeneration through our New Economies’ philosophy. Huntly-raised artist Katie

Johnston worked with community groups over 5 months to produce 100 cups and 100 plates that are

now on loan from Deveron Projects and used for a wide variety of community events (such as a

climate conference group and Huntly Town Team, a Big Brew day with some of the crockery makers

at Hanover Sheltered Housing, and a wedding). The crockery is used every day at Deveron Projects

and HDDT in the Brander home, including at our weekly Friday Lunches and other events within our

HOME and Town is the Garden programmes.

A leaflet to accompany the crockery was completed in 2018. Another workshop with Katie took place

in Autumn 2018 to make additions that complement and extend the crockery, including platters, a

milk jug, and soup bowls. While the longevity of this project could be measured by the on-going use

of the Community Crockery, there has already been significant impact for local groups. Hanover

Sheltered Housing, for example, applied for funding to continue their work with clay as a result of their

work with Katie and Deveron Projects.

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Walking Without Walls Duration: May 2017 – July 2018

Activities: Walking, Discussion, Cross-border Collaboration, Digital Exchange

Funders/Partners: Creative Scotland / Dummuies Windfarm / Aberdeenshire Council / Counterpoints Arts

Website: deveron-projects.com/walking-without-walls/

Walking Without Walls formed two marathon length walks on 22 April 2018. One in Gaza and the

other in Aberdeenshire, around 70 walkers followed the River Isla from Dufftown via Keith to Huntly. It

featured an exhibition, a catalogue of healing plants – inspired by the work of pacifist Rosa

Luxemburg - and a Pathmakers' Gathering on political walking. In a time of rising nationalism and

restrictive legislations that hinder crossings of national borders, the two artists used this exchange to

explore opportunities and limits of new technologies in fostering transnational long-distance

collaboration. A short film about the project has been produced by Alix Rothnie, shown in Huntly,

London and Gaza at a collaborative Tate Exchange event with Counterpoints Arts, as well as the

Arts, Borders and Migration event during Edinburgh Arts Festival. Both artists were invited to speak at

the Global Academy Conference at the Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg in August 2018

and continue to develop their artist practice.

Two years on from the beginning of Walking Without Walls, artists Rachel and May finally met face to

face in April 2019 in Paris, where May was invited for a residency as a result of the project. Later that

summer, May exhibited artworks created during the Walking Without Walls project at Europia Gallery.

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Ela Orleans / Lunar Odyssey Duration: June 2018 - September 2018

Activities: Listening, Recording, Archiving

Funders/Partners: Creative Scotland, Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities, Aberdeenshire Council

Website: deveron-projects.com/lunar-odyssey

In 300 years, what will our local language sound like? Will the same bird sound be heard in and

around Huntly? Will there be a town? Will we be thriving or even surviving?

From June to September 2018 Polish audio-visual composer Ela Orleans was resident in Huntly,

listening. Since then, she has been working on producing an audio-visual work capturing Huntly’s

threatened cultural and ecological sounds to preserve them for an uncertain future. As part of her

PhD research at the music department at the University of Glasgow, Lunar Odyssey saw Ela interact

with many musicians, Doric speakers, poets and other individuals in the town, covering a broad

demographic of young and old.

In response to the White Wood, Ela created an audio-visual time capsule (Sylvan Ghosts / Viridian

Echoes) to capture the sound of the past 100 years of the town and its lands, within the present-day

framework of her electronic composition. After setting up a mini recording studio and workspace in 51

Old Road, Ela ran two workshops with teachers and pupils from The Gordon Schools’ music and

language departments to record young folk musicians and multi-lingual speakers. Aiming to

document local Scots and Doric language that is rooted in Huntly, Ela invited members of the

community to Old Road for recorded conversations about land, folksong and the role of archives. She

worked closely with Huntly Folk Band and Gordon McTavish, the last projectionist in Huntly.

Through the production of electronic music, video and a timeless language of symbols, Lunar

Odyssey aims to engage with our increasingly alien past culture before it is lost, and asks us to

consider how we preserve and develop it to survive the unknown journey of our future. Ela will

premiere the performance of Sylvan Ghosts / Viridian Echoes, produced after the meditations of

Lunar Odyssey, during a symposium exploring sensory experience in understanding locality in

October 2019.

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Huntly wins the Green Butterfly Award from Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum, September 2018

Deveron Projects at the People’s Vote March London, October 2018

29th March Day attendees in discussion, March 2019

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Various Artists / Think: Brexit Duration: October 2018 – March 2019

Activities: Discussion, Art as Politics/Politics as Art, Future-thinking

Funders/Partners: Creative Scotland

Website: deveron-projects.com/think-brexit/

To address the need for more debate of how Brexit will affect us locally, Deveron Projects mounted a

six month programme entitled Think:Brexit. Working with various artists and over 500 participants, we

encouraged debate from all parties and sides involved countering the divisive nature of the political

movement of leaving the European Union. We worked with artists Walker & Bromwich, Clemens

Wilhelm, Gabriele Konsor and a team of students from Gray’s School of Art, studying Contemporary

Art Practice led by artist David Blyth.

Brexfast, a monthly discussion session, provided an open space for conversation between the local

community and experts in their field on how we can prepare locally for Brexit. Topics included local

politics, tourism, art, ecology, education, and more. A lunch with MEP Ian Hudghton was held in the

Brander Kitchen in October 2018, followed by a People’s Vote March in London and Huntly, giving

people another opportunity to use their voice.

The Think:Brexit programme finished with 29th March Day. This saw multiple events to mark the

meant-to-be historic day, including:

• a Town Collection European Artists Tour

• Room to React exhibition by young participants of the People’s Act project co-curated by Lauren

Campbell and student Megan Anderson

• Eurovision Talk Fest – a Skype event with 15 artists/partners across Europe compered by artist

David Sherry as his alias Sherry Wogan

• UK Citizenship Pub Quiz with Traditional British Fish & Chips (featuring questions from the

actual Life in the UK government test) with quizmaster Kevin McIntosh in Harry’s Bar

• Historic Ceilidh with the Easdale band; collaborating with Literaturhaus Berlin (joined by poet

Alec Finlay, representing DP). A toast was made to the tree before the audience was invited to

continue to the HuntlyVision Song Contest – karaoke, to continue the theme of renewing

friendships locally and further afield.

This programme has now been replaced by our Transition Period Programme, anticipating futures

beyond Westminster’s extended Brexit deadline. The Transition Programme will focus on developing

our own cultural trade deals post-Brexit in Europe and beyond. We start with the Partnerlook! project

exchange with rural Strodehne; the visit by Rachel Ashton to Paris to connect with her partner May

Murad; and a planned team visit to Calais supported by Creative Scotland.

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29th March Day events, March 2019

“For us young people, there isn't much for us to do on Friday and Saturday nights around Huntly...

All of us who went to the ceilidh, we didn't feel awkward like we all usually are with people we don't really know and felt like we were truly accepted by everyone there. For myself and my boyfriend, we felt out of time with the world and didn't think about anything that wasn't in the room and he only acknowledged his phone once that night”.

-Megan Anderson, ceilidh guest

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Gabriele Konsor / Partnerlook! Duration: 2018 - 2020

Activities: Walking, Exchanging patterns, Sewing, International working

Funders/Partners: British Council, i-Portunus

Website: deveron-projects.com/partnerlook/

Following a research visit to Huntly in October 2018, German artist Gabriele Konsor and DP Director

Claudia Zeiske began an exploration of international collaboration, Partnerlook! Gabriele is founder of

Landmade, an interdisciplinary cultural platform that links regional conditions with current social

issues in her village of Strodehne in rural Havelland/Brandenburg. Through Partnerlook!, Gabriele will

bring the core principles of her Strodisign project to Huntly, establishing a creative partnership

between Landmade and Deveron Projects.

This process collaboratively connects the two communities with artist Andrea Chappell, a creative kilt

maker based in the North-East of Scotland who uses diverse fabrics in remodelling the traditional kilt.

Together, they ask; what do traditional fabrics tell us about ourselves, and what can we learn through

exchange of these heritage materials and designs from different cultures? How closely are socio-

political patterns in either culture linked? How do we develop new future common patterns?

Starting with a traditional kittelschürze, Partnerlook! will continue exploring heritage, design, walking

and sustainable patterns of collaboration throughout 2019-20.

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Clemens Wilhelm / Weeping Willow Tree Duration: October 2018 - October 2019

Activities: Imagining, Discussing, Rooting, (un)Planting

Funders: Creative Scotland, Goethe-Institut

Website: deveron-projects/weeping-willow-tree/

Following the ups, downs, and round-the-houses of the British Government has been a particular

challenge for Deveron Projects in 2018-19. Berlin-based artist Clemens Wilhelm responded to a

Think:Brexit call-out in October 2018; proposing to plant a Weeping Willow tree in a public site in

Huntly, not only to mark the loss and sorrow felt by some but to provide a place of shelter for folk to

meet and to begin to help heal the divisions triggered by the Brexit referendum.

This prompted several questions; What are the divisions caused by Brexit? How can we begin to heal

these divisions? What will the political landscape look like in 50 years (the lifespan of a weeping

willow tree)?

Many national and international press articles for the Weeping Willow Tree followed in the parliament-

free window between Christmas and New Years Eve. While this is a fantastic advantage for

international art projects, it prompted backlash from some members of the community due to a

misrepresentation of the artist’s sketch (the Huntly Histories facebook page in particular). Following

public meetings, collaborations with local authority specialists and foresters, a designated spot for the

Weeping Willow was found on the banks of the river Deveron with the help of Aberdeenshire Council

landscape services.

Local craftsman David Whitehead worked with Clemens on the production of a circular bench, which

was completed and installed by the river Deveron in March 2019. The tree will be planted in the

bench’s centre at the time Brexit takes place. Czech filmmaker Jan Martinec is documenting the

project.

The challenge of working in an uncertain political climate goes on, the second round of Brexit Day

events and planned planting of the Weeping Willow Tree will take place 31st October 2019.

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Lauren Campbell / Clyde Williamson /

Peoples Act: Room to React Duration: January 2019 - April 2019

Activities: Media, Democracy, Escapism, Realism, Political Action

Funders: Aberdeenshire Council, Creative Scotland, Rural Youth Project

Website: deveron-projects.com/peoples-act-room-react

People’s Act: Room to React follows Young Intern Clyde Williamson's Summer 2018 Meals and

Movies project exploring themes of democracy amongst young people. Working with individuals,

groups and school classes, recent graduate and People's Act Project Worker Lauren Campbell

questioned our news and information sources, and looked at both contemporary and historical

methods of communication with young people in Huntly.

From school classes redesigning their town square, to the Huntly Youth Platform making political

zines, and independent young musicians, curators and climate activists sharing their views, People’s

Act investigated ideas of democracy and the media through political discussion, print making, badge

production, zine making, satirical content, script writing and poetry, offering young people a

democratic platform to speak out and about local and national political issues.

Supported by Aberdeenshire Council’s Year of Young People scheme, youth voices of Huntly took

over 8 Castle Street for the Room to React exhibition with themes exploring Brexit, relationships with

Europe, the media and headlines, memes, escapism, Huntly, and environmental issues. During one

workshop, 30 postcards of friendship were sent to a partner school in the Netherlands by Huntly

primary school pupils. Building on Clyde Williamson's concept of a 'Crap Tour,' students Amelie and

John led creative tours of Huntly during the April 2019 Farmers' Market. With over 160 participants,

64% were under 25 years old and we aim to continue working, collaborating and engaging with this

demographic.

Following the project, Lauren cycled from Huntly to Bristol collecting personal responses about

national identities and Scottish independence on a ‘pints for politics’ tour. More information here.

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Students from the Gordon Schools make models of their ideal Town Square, displayed at the People’s Act: Room to React Exhibition, March 2019

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Tim Knowles / exploration aids Duration: April 2015 – Ongoing

Activities: Walking, Discussion, Building, Mapping, Exploration, Navigation

Funders/Partners: Creative Scotland / Marr Estate / Amara Bushcraft / FCS / Henry Moore Foundation

Website: deveron-projects.com/exploration-aids

Tim Knowles returned to Huntly in Spring 2018 to visit his network of Exploration Aids, including

constructed howffs, shelters and other aids scattered amidst the surrounding landscape. These

shelters enable further exploration and shelter in a context where land-use, management and access,

rewilding and our relationship to the land is constantly under scrutiny. Together with author and

professor Tim Ingold, Rachel West, Claudia Zeiske and Tim Knowles, The Howff Project publication

has been completed and will be launched later in 2019-20.

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Letters of Friendship workshop with the Gordon Primary Schools, February 2019 How do you want your Breggsit, hard or soft? Hilda helps out at a Farmer’s Market, November 2018

Thinking Like a Forest attendees on Castle Avenue, February 2019

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Director Claudia sits down with Richard Demarco during a research visit to the White Wood, December 2018

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/ Research Programme

/ Thinkers in Residence

We are developing a Thinkers in Residence programme for academics and other scholars – offering

short term let of our cottage accommodation on Old Road. In 2018 we hosted Thinkers like Marsha

Bradfield from Chelsea College of Art, exploring Deveron Projects relationship with conflict and

borders, young curator Bobby Sayers, East African artist Rehema Chachange, walking artist Marie-

Ann Lerjen and visual artist Christine Borland who used her research residency to explore ideas of

experimental archaeology.

After seeing the artefacts in the former Brander Museum which document Huntly's thriving eighteenth

century linen industry, Christine has embarked on researching this heritage and its subsequent

decline in slow time; through the growing, harvesting and processing of the flax plant which for

centuries was widespread in the area. Her enquiry takes place alongside a community of interested

local growers and craftspeople, led by the Town is the Garden project team. Supported by the Royal

Scottish Academy, Christine will join Deveron Projects for a 2-year research and production period to

develop a flax growing project with the community.

We also hosted Richard Demarco in October 2018, when he visited the White Wood to document and

discuss the project and its link to Joseph Beuys. Richard has been working on painting the White

Wood and he will return to Huntly to premiere these works in 2019.

/ Edinburgh Art Festival As part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2018, Deveron Projects held Arts, Borders and Migration; a

two-day event with guest artists, policy-makers, political walkers and cooks who presented works

responding to increasing border control and nationalist movements.

Scotland + Europe, chaired by Creative Scotland’s Amanda Catto, proposed the possibility of Scottish

Cultural presence in Europe post-Brexit; mindful of its people, cultures and environment, based on

the fundamental human rights of peace, freedom, equality and citizen participation. Hosted at the

Royal Scottish Academy, the event featured talks and ideas by Claudia Zeiske, artists Roderick

Buchanan and Ania Bas, and Alexandra Stein.

Following this, Migration + Borders asked what the international artistic community can do locally,

nationally and globally to counter movements encouraging hate, discrimination and isolation across

Europe. Framed by Wolfgang Tillmans’ Anti-Brexit Campaign series, the session will highlight various

artistic responses to current political situations, including international pathmaking, cross-border

digital collaboration and active campaigning. Speakers included Almir Koldzic, Counterpoints

Arts, artists May Murad, Gaza, and Rachel Ashton, Huntly, filmmaker Samir Mehanović, artist Iman

Tajik and journalist Zozan Yasar.

Work on the Scottish Cultural Institute continues throughout 2019/20, collaboration with Many Studios

is underway to continue shaping the project.

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/ Art Connects Us: East Africa

Supported by the British Council, in January 2019 Deveron Projects Director Claudia Zeiske, Tessa

Jackson (Director of International Cultural Development) and Pauline Burmann (Director of the Thami

Mnyele Foundation) undertook a combined research visit in order to expand their knowledge and

understanding of the East African visual arts sector, aiming to engage directly with young artists, arts

and studio organisations and other professionals as well as educational institutions.

Aware of the problematic history of previous connections and trading routes with East Africa, the

team took a 21st Century approach to engaging with those based in both rural contexts and cities, to

capture and exchange East African, Scottish and British perspectives. Starting in Nairobi, via

Zanzibar, to Dar es Salaam and Kampala, the team linked with young creative professionals –

working individually, within studio and arts organisations, connected to vernacular craft affiliations and

technology, as well as in higher education across the region. A day-long artist group walk was held in

the Pugu Hills. Director Claudia returned to Huntly with shared connections and potential

collaborators from our different local/global perspectives.

/ Global Potlatch Supper Guided by Patrick Geddes’ maxim, ‘think local, act global’, we aim to embrace internationalism whilst

keeping firmly rooted in Huntly. The Global Potlatch Supper was a successful example of this

methodology working in a socially-engaged context, our cultural dinner and discussion event explored

the global web of food production, trade, and how our actions inform not only the evolution of our

home food culture, but that of distant people and places. Participants hailing from across the globe

were invited to Huntly to prepare and serve a dish that had significant emotional, socio-economical,

political, or environmental significance to them. We welcomed 12 speakers including Finda Dwi Putri,

an Indonesian chef whose home is at risk of deforestation for palm plantations; Tom McWilliam, a

local farm contractor who fumigates stored grain for safe public consumption; Ayman Jamal, a

migrant chef who discussed the impact of agricultural failure in his home of Syria due to war and

drought; Jane Craigie, a passionate local livestock farmer and small-holder; artist Katie Rose

Johnston, who presented her philosophical and ethical reasoning behind eating and living vegan; and

many more fascinating examples. After the sharing of food and lively discussion, the night ended in a

multi-cultural celebration and ceilidh.

A publication of collected recipes from this event is scheduled for September 2019.

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Conversing, considering and eating together at the Global Potlatch Supper, September 2018

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/ HOME Programme

Running alongside our Residency and Research Programme during 2018/19, our HOME programme

was run by Art & Community Worker Petra Pennington delivering a series of community building

projects based on skills sharing and hospitality through a seasonal programme. Those include the

Farmers’ Markets, our weekly Friday Lunch and monthly Food Chain as well as a critical discourse

programme including events such as a celebration of International Women’s Day, Photography Skills

Workshops, Back O Bennachie Bus Tour, Community Ceilidh, White Wood Maintenance sessions,

Pride & Wonder Coffee Morning with the Gordon Schools LGBTQ+ group, and the Doric Fly Cup as

part of Aberdeenshire Council’s pilot festival Across The Grain. The HOME Programme ran 32 events

in 2018/19, along with 45 Friday Lunches, 11 Farmers Markets and 11 Food Chain workshops. In

total, 1766 participants were involved in some way in the HOME Programme.

The notion of ‘home’ was continually explored by staff, partners and Huntly/AB54 communities. The

seasonal programme centres on skill and knowledge sharing, cultural exchange, hospitality, building

confidence and fostering meaningful relationships. In June 2018 Deveron Projects hosted a Back O

Bennachie Bus Tour to welcome women from our local community of Syrian New Scots to see more

of Aberdeenshire's countryside, and a chance for exchange between our two communities. 33

participants travelled from the foothills of Aberdeenshire's favourite hill, Bennachie, to rugged moor

and coast and back again. While links with this community have been forged already by projects such

as Manaf Halbouni’s What If? from 2017 or the AlNofara Café project from 2017-18, it is important to

continue this relationship beyond the funding. During a rest-stop at the Brander Building for tea and

cake, the Who is? Project by Iman Tajik and Jonas Jessen Hansen, shown on billboards around

Glasgow throughout the summer, was on display in our local library. Part of Refugee Festival

Scotland 2018.

Following the Doric Fly Cup, Deveron Projects Doric Language Classes took place from January to

March 2019 in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute. Local Doric

Storyteller Jackie Ross tutored creative Doric content, in spoken and written form, ranging from a

screenplay by a local film-maker to a series of Doric Haiku poems prepared in class for the Poetical

Pathmaking book as an experiential journal for Slow Marathon walkers. The ACW has been

supporting group members in the setting up of a continuing creative forum for Doric in Huntly.

26

“My Grandmother (Mamgu) in Welsh, was the greatest influencer for my love of cooking and food. My Grandmother

had a working farm and had lots of people from the village that used to come and work on the farm. At lunchtime, she

would have at least 12 people to feed every day. I remember helping to prepare the food, with lots of laughter

and such a sense of togetherness. As a child, I loved it.

I remember the first night I went along to the Food Chain workshops and it reminded me so much of my

Grandmother's kitchen. The fuzzy, loving feeling I had as a child of everybody working together to create dishes and

then, in turn, eat together is how I feel at the workshops. I love meeting new people locally and from across the world. In each workshop, I have learned about new cultures, what their specialty dish is and learned about their traditions. For

me, it is really important that we continue as a community to learn about each others traditions and have that sense of

togetherness.”

– Louise Gerrie, HOME Programme attendee

Visitors at the Seasonal Teas Café, July Farmer’s Market 2018

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/ Town collection, Capital Projects and Events

/ Town Collection

Alix Rothnie worked as Town Collection Curator from March 2018 to March 2019. She updated and

logged all existing art works, produced a new leaflet and map, launched at the March Farmer’s

Market with a living board game of the collection, particularly engaging with young families. A Wild

Garlic Picnic was held to unveil one of the latest works, a plaque by artist collective Rhynie Woman.

By creating trails and tours of the Town Collection with accessibility in mind, Alix enabled the

residents of Huntly to have access to safe, active walking routes that do not rely on private or public

transport. Take up for these routes has been encouraging, for example one Town Collection Guided

Tour hosted 31 attendees - most of whom had not interacted with the collection previously.

The development of educational materials, specially designed for teachers at the Gordon Schools,

will ensure future generations can access the collection easily. These materials include specific

routes to and from the school as well as interactive sheets for pupils and a history and background of

the collection for teachers. As an education resource, the Town Collection can be tailored for different

user groups and share the cultural history of Huntly with each new generation.

As well as engaging participants in the project, Town Collection Curator Alix was able to re-engage

with almost 70 hosts who house art works as part of the collection. By revisiting these hosts, Alix

gathered important stories about their experience of the collection and was able to connect venues

across Huntly through a creative lens.

Additionally, Director Claudia led an adapted Town Collection tour in Bolzano, Italy, furthering

Deveron Projects international links and exploring the borders of collection.

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/ The Former Square Deal: Capital Purchases and Developments

With ‘Phase 1’ funding from the Scottish Land Fund we completed an initial round of feasibility testing

on 15 Deveron St. and 22/23 The Square, Huntly. After deciding to move forward with 22/23 (Square

Deal) we worked with Bryan Beattie from Creative Services Scotland to create a viable business plan

for this property and apply for Scottish Land Fund ‘Phase 2’ funding in March 2019. To gather stories

and gauge local interest in the project, we conducted a successful open day Elves Workshop event in

December 2018; Alix Rothnie produced a short film showcasing the project from interviews taken

during the day.

After success with the Scottish Land Fund and Aberdeenshire Town Centre Fund for ‘Phase 2’, work

on this project continues throughout 2019/20.

/ Deveron Projects involvement in larger festivals

In May 2018, Deveron Projects participated in the Aberdeenshire Wellbeing Festival, which brought

together organisations including NHS Grampian, and local council mental health initiatives. Funding

was gained for The Healing Landscape – a combined practical workshop for parents and toddlers,

exploring calming herbs with forager Eleanor Brown, a session drawing with the herbs with artist

Rachel Ashton, and discussion over herbal teas and cake.

Claudia led two events within the Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival (15-24 June). The Isla Marathon

Walk retraced the steps of the Slow Marathon 2018 with a new audience. Based on experience from

her Home to Home project, the Modern Pilgrimage Workshop covered the practical and discursive

questions of planning a long reflective walking journey.

29

Visitors to the Elves Workshop at the Former Square Deal, December 2018

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Town Collection Tour in Bolzano, Italy, February 2019

Pilgrimage Workshop at Moray Walking Festival, June 2018 Drawing medicinal herbs during the Healing Landscape workshop, May 2018

31

Deveron Projects team and Board after hearing successful news from Scottish Land Fund for the Former Square Deal Shop, May 2018

The Pend at the Former Square Deal, December 2018

Huntly Elves promote the Community Christmas Lunch, December 2018

32

33

One-offEvents

FridayLunches

Food ChainSlow

MarathonFarmersMarket

White WoodTown is the

Garden

WalkingWithoutWalls

CommunityCrockery

LunarOdyssey

Think Brexit Peoples Act ACW

Number of events 24 45 12 7 9 4 32 2 6 5 13 8 37

Participants 846 783 86 184 528 50 850 153 253 131 418 163 369

New Participants 428 150 25 39 227 34 622 108 202 94 107 77 188

Volunteers 3 17 4 7 3 0 6 0 18 0 0 9 19

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Average participants per event

/ Appendix

i. Event Statistics

In 2018-19, Deveron Projects

hosted 201 events and

welcomed 4814 participants

and 2013 new participants.

Compared to the previous

year, we held 17% fewer

events but had a 30% event

participant increase,

indicating a higher attendance

rate per project.

For more detailed event

statistics please refer to the

quarterly 2018-19 Audience

Analysis Reports.

34

ii. Audience Analysis

Facebook impressions

Facebook views and top sources

Website user demographics

Weeping Willow Tree press coverage

DP Project Manager job advertisement

Peoples Act: Room to React post

Think: Brexit artist call-out

Seasonal Café Farmers Market

35

Creative Scotland44%

Aberdeenshire Council/Core 3%

Big Lottery11%

Climate Challenge Fund 23%

Scottish Govt7%

Clashindarroch1%

British Council1%

Aberdeenshire Council/YOYP

2%

Private Donation 2%

British Council4%

The Press and Journal

Huntly Express

The Herald

Knock News

Other*

iii. Press Report

iv. Funding Support**

*Please find a detailed breakdown of press coverage on the following page, further analysis available from quarterly Press Reports

**For more detail on our Funding Support please see the 2018-19 Annual Accounts

36

*Other 2018-19 press coverage:

Sutton & Croydon Guardian / Winsford and Middlewich Guardian / Thurrock Gazette / This is Wiltshire / The Times Expert Traveller / The Argus / Shropshire Star / Oxford Mail / News & Star with The Cumberland News / Jersey Evening Post / Isle of Wight County Press / Harwich and Manningtree Standard / Droitwich Spa Advertiser / Craven Herald & / Pioneer / Powys County Times / The Chester Standard / Bicester Advertiser / Greenock Telegraph / The York Press / Sky News / Chickaboo Designs Blog / Creative Scotland / The Argus / AOL / Belfast Telegraph / Bailiwick Express / Barry District News / Bicester Advertiser / BT News / Bucks Free Press / Bury Times / The Citizen / The Standard / Cotswold Journal / County Times / Craven Herald & Pioneer / Crewe and Nantwich / The Guardian / Daily Gazette Essex County Standard / Daily Mail / Dorset Echo / Droitwich Advertiser / Dudley News / Dundee Born and Read Evening Telegraph / Ealing Times / East Lothian Courier / East London & West Essex Guardian / Enfield Independent / Evening Express / Express & Star / Free Press / Grampian Online / Guernsey Press / Harwich and Manningtree Standard / Ilkley Gazette / The Impartial Reporter / The Independent / iNews / Isle of Wight County Press / ITV News / Jersey Evening Post / Keighley News / Knutsford Guardian / Lancashire Telegraph / Ledbury Reporter / Leigh Journal / The Mail (North West England) / Malvern Gazette / The Milford Mercury / The National / The New European / News and Star with the Cumberland News / Oswestry and Border Counties Advertizer / Oxford Mail / The Press / The Press and Journal / Thurrock Gazette / Richmond and Twickenham Times / Romsey Advertiser / Rumcorn and Widnes World / Shropshire Star / Somerset's Heartbeat County Gazette / Southern / Daily Echo / South Wales Argus / Surrey Comet / Sutton and Croydon Guardian / Swindon Advertiser / talkRADIO / This is Wiltshire / This is the West Country / The Times / Watford Observer / Western Telegraph / Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard / Winsford and Middlewich Guardian / Wirral Globe / Witney Gazette / Yahoo News / York Press / Zoomer Radio (Canada) / The List / Tate / Open University / Artist Network

Contemporary Art Practice students from Gray’s School of Art examine individual letters for a letter press workshop, January 2019

37

Deveron Projects Greenhouse Library, Plant Party II, June 2018

Deveron Projects team in the Brander Garden, November 2018

38

Thanks to all who participated, partnered and helped us

throughout 2018/19!