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press release 07/05/12

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For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Kirstin [email protected] | +44 (0)7708 124 037 | @RooflessArt

AS PART OF THE YEAR OF CREATIVE SCOTLAND, UZ ARTS INTRODUCES

ROOFLESSSCOTLANDS BIGGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS OUTDOOR ARTS PROGRAMME

COMES TO DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY!

Local halls throughout Dumfries and Galloway will be raising their roofs with art,

music and dance inspired by local myths and legends this year, as the region takes

part in Scotlands biggest, most ambitious outdoor arts programme.

Dumfries and Galloway is one of five areas of the country selected to be part of

Roofless, created and produced by Scottish arts organisation UZ Arts, which

launches today. In its first year, Roofless aims to involve tens of thousands of Scots

in free public arts events, setting up collaborations between professional artists and

local communities to create a series of large-scale, spectacular experiences in

places where you might not expect them...

The Roofless project Halls of Fame is led creatively by Dumfries and Galloway

artist and performer Alex Rigg. Over a weekend in September, three halls in

Ecclefechan, Moniaive, and Gatehouse of Fleet will be completely transformedinto fairytale castles, stage sets, art installations and dreamscapes by a team of

visual artists, dance and music professionals and community groups. At each hall,

members of the public will experience music and dance performances telling the

story of a local myth or legend. It all culminates the following weekend with the

creation of a virtual outdoor hall in Dumfries, where the groups in each region will

be united.

Each Roofless project is rooted in local history and has been created to be specific

to the area. By bringing the community together to take part, as well as enjoying the

show as spectators, Roofless hopes to help forge a creative network across the

community, as well as across the country. Local artists in Dumfries and Galloway

will benefit from this network, and make connections across Scotland. The other

participating areas are Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, Falkirk and Shetland.

Interested in being involved? Roofless are currently looking for members of the

public and community groups across the region to take part: interested parties

should contact [email protected] or see roofless.org.uk.

CommentAndrew Dixon, head of Creative Scotland: The Year of Creative Scotland will raise theroof with this visionary programme of outdoor events across Scotland. Arts has an

international reputation for iconic street arts projects that engage with local participants and

reach new audiences.

Alex Rigg, of DG arts company Oceanallover,: I am very excited to be involved with theRoofless project. It is a tremendous opportunity for the region to shine. We want to tap intothe vital, creative energies that are here already, create an event that is full of life and tellstories that will make the hairs rise on the back of your neck!

-full details of the first programme of Roofless events in Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire,

Dumfries & Galloway, Falkirk and Shetland overleaf-


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Roofless Events, 2012-13

AYRSHIRE: BURNS BRIGHTLY 31 May- 3rd June 2012A series of projects taking inspiration from the democratic ideals of the Scottish

Enlightenment that moment when the light switched on and the inspiration it had onRobert Burns. As part of the Burns An A That Festival, Roofless artists including JanePitt, Alan Bissett and Diane Torr will run interactive workshops and talks, bringing thespirit of Enlightenent debate back to Ayrshire. Three Beacons will dominate the festival s

closing party: French artist Olivier Grossette will work with over 400 schoolchildren

on the construction of a gigantic cardboard tower in Ayrs Wellington Square

Gardens (the public are invited to help tear it down); film-maker Ruth Carslaw and

sound artist Guy Veale are creating installation and soundscape experiences for

the square too.Partners: South Ayrshire Council, Burns An A That

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY: HALLS OF FAME7th-9th & 14th-16th September 2012Town halls in Ecclefechan, Moniaive and Gatehouse of Fleet will be transformed into aninteractive art installation: fairytale castles, dreamscapes and theatre sets, while a team of

professional artists and community groups use music and dance to tell a series of local

myths and legends. A virtual town hall in Dumfries will be the culmination of this event.Partners: Dumfries and Galloway Council and the Holywood Trust

SHETLAND: ENGINE TUNING August 2012Artist Sumit Sarkar will create a giant condor constructed entirely from the parts of one

LandRover. The huge robotic musical bird (inspired in part by the film and toy series

Transformers!) will emerge from a trailer which will travel to rural locations in Shetland

during August 2012 where it will receive and record gifts of music from the communities it

visits. The various recordings will be turned into a musical performance by local sound

artists, culminating in a celebration of music, performance, and film in Lerwick at the end of

August. After this, the bird will take the sounds of Shetland on tour, around other Roofless

events and Europe.

Partner: Shetland Arts

ABERDEENSHIRE: MAELSTROM 2nd November 2012Maelstrom is a fireworks parade throughout the streets of Fraserburgh, forged through a

youth regeneration project in which over 1000 local young people create mobile sculptural

works, street theatre and circus pieces based on local stories for the parade. Modo have

already run three successful projects in the area, creating a positive, socially-inclusive

community focus around Bonfire Night. This year, the parade will be themed around local

legends of the Kinnaird Head lighthouse.Partners: Modo, Shell, The Reaching Out Project, Aberdeenshire Council, Community Planning Partners

FALKIRK: HELIX Spring-Summer 2013Roofless will connect the communities around Falkirk and Grangemouth by animating the

new Helix park space between the towns, working with artists to encourage people to get to

know their new central park. In the months leading up to leading up to the Helix launch, an

ongoing workshop programme aims to get the whole community, and particularly young

people, involved.

Partners :Falkirk Community Trust, The Helix Trust, British Waterways

-notes for editors overleaf


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Notes for Editors

Further Information

Halls of Fame will take place in village halls in Ecclefechan, Moniaive andGatehouse of Fleet between Friday 7th-Sunday 9th September 2012. Thevirtual hall in Dumfries will take place the following weekend, Friday 14th -Sunday 16th September 2012. Event times and details about whatshappening in each hall will be made available to local media nearer the time;please see roofless.org.uk for updates.

Roofless is funded by Creative Scotland, In Situ, South Ayrshire Council,

The Helix Trust, Dumfries and Galloway Council, The Holywood Trust,Shetland Arts, Shell and The Reaching Out Project Aberdeenshire.

About UZ ArtsUZ Arts is a registered Scottish Charity supporting artists and producers increating innovative work outside conventional venues, across artforms andacross borders. UZ Arts is the UK and Ireland representative of In-Situ(www.in-situ.info). Over the last 17 years, UZ developed and deliveredGlasgows Hogmanay, Big In Falkirk and Glasgows Merchant City Festival,Vault Art Glasgow and Sri Lankas 2012 Colombo Art Biennale as well as

producing cultural programmes for the Scottish Government in North Americaand Europe. www.uzevents.com/arts

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