3 Virtues Windows

 THE WINDOWS – THE STORIES, INSPIRATION AND DESIGNERS

There were so many great suggestions for new virtues it seemed a shame to waste them. The surrounding shops have been extremely patient while all the work has been going on outside and they are happy to participate in the opening event to mark completion of this area of Church Street. So we put two and two together and made “The Windows Project”.

Each shop window is themed around one of the many excellent virtues suggested during the public consultation. The displays are being created by Highland artists or designers.

Scottish Hydro Electric – SELF-DETERMINATION by Barry Collard
This window will be full of televisions which will be showing a very short animation by Barry. Barry’s family have recently moved to Inverness and I think that the choice of self-determination echoes his current position in life trying to make the change of moving up to Inverness.

McEwens of Perth –HEART by Jen Cantwell
This window is to invoke warmth, love and nurture through food and the comforting nature of eating and the kitchen. Jen’s window will include two large toaster’s firing out toast into a heart shape to fill the window space. This window will be full of bright, warm colours and kitsch objects.

McEwens of Perth – HOPE by Jen Cantwell
A window of wishes. Jen is asking the staff who work in the store to take a lead on filling in postcards with a wish on by encouraging customers to fill out a wish while waiting at the till of MacEwens or enjoying a leisurely coffee at the Rendezvous Café. These wishes will then by hung in one of the smaller windows suspended so that viewers will be able to read the wishes and look at the images or drawings on the other side of the cards. Wishes can be anything!!

MacEwens of Perth - KNOWLEDGE – Annie Marrs with Claire Richardson
A window of hats, with an Easter-ish theme including bonnets for the staff and a little parade earlier in the evening. Also there might be a little dancing hat in other windows or possibly a cat!

Rendezvous Café – PASSION by Claire Richardson and Annie Marrs
Suspended plates, knives & forks! On each plate will be passion chosen by a member of the team (steering group or other artists). Passions can be anything that somebody feeling strongly about! Maybe a hobby, or an object, memory, place or even another person.

Barnardos – HUMOUR by Sarah Barnes
Think ‘Carry On’, ‘Fawlty Towers’ and lots and lots of bright coloured balloons! There might even be a joke or two available for the audience.

ART Shop – HERITAGE by Claire Richardson
Claire's going to make cardboard box houses and through the windows you will be able to see the images a little bit. Featured alongside will be prints for sale with a Highland theme making a lighthearted connection with heritage theme.

All Mobility – PATIENCE by Annie Marrs
A time web, ticking, passing time and showing stretched out time. Reminding us that we must be patient while we wait and watch our town develop.

Save the Children – PEACE by Sarah Barnes
Think 60’s psychedelia, John Lennon and Yoko Ono to remind viewers of the 1969 Bed-In protest for peace.

Lloyds Pharmacy – RESPONSIBILITY by Annie Marrs
Polaroid images of parts of Inverness that Annie feels we should all take responsibility for - good and bad ie. graffitti, homelessness, traffic congestion, rubbish, great architecture, music and people.

Cheque Centre – GROWTH by collaborative team effort
Think money trees but more like money grass!! Strips of Astroturf hanging in the window flamboyantly decorated with money and coins.

Former Celtic Spirit – FARR AWAY FOREST by DUFI
The multi-talented Highland based duo DUFI (designer Al MacInnes and photographer Fin Macrae) were charged with designing the invites for the launch and have also created a modern day fable within one of the empty shop fronts of Church Street. Given the suitably surreal title "The Fable Of Farr Away Forest" it tells the tale of a group of woodland creatures and the tableau has been unfolding over the last week or so. Without giving too much away, the story will develop until the event on Thursday 6th March so its worth peeking in the window to see what's going on.

Here’s a taster of "The Fable Of Farr Away Forest"

The birds and beasts of the forest were kind and good, but there was one that stood above them all.

Open-hearted Owl was both wise and diligent. A vegetarian, he spent his nights gathering nuts. This displeased Slothful Squirrel, who felt it only right that he be unrivalled nut gatherer in the woods. Foolish Fox, seizing on any opportunity to meddle, could only vehemently agree.

And so, aided by Foolish Fox, Slothful Squirrel stole from Open-hearted Owl’s store, to add to his own ample horde. This saddened Open-hearted Owl, who would gladly have shared with both Slothful Squirrel and Foolish Fox, if only they had asked.

But being the far-sighted and good creature he was, Open-hearted Owl forgave them, knowing that only this would restore harmony to their woodland home.

And then, one day, along came badger – because that’s what badgers do.


More about the designers...

JENNIFER CANTWELL
Jennifer Cantwell local designer + maker of many things, is usually found in her attic workshop making handmade sporrans and bags. But...she's taking a break, she's come down to earth and she's bringing you HOPE and HEART!

I've bagsied 'heart' and 'hope' - 'heart' I'm using for a window of cupboard love, food, two big toasters shooting toast into a big suspended heart shape. 'Hope' I’m using for a window of wishes a bit like 'post secret', if you've seen that? We have put a call out for postcards with wishes on them to be sent in, they can be bought, homemade, embellished, anything. Blank postcards are also in McEwens of Perth and Rendezvous Cafe for people to pick up, fill in and return. As part of the display I’ll put up words associated with wishes, '1st Fridays, dandelions, eyelashes, candles, stars' etc

A sign in the window will say 'close your eyes, hold your breath, make a wish... now"

SARAH BARNES
I am a twenty-six year old local artist. I studied Painting at Edinburgh College of Art and since graduating in 2003, I have had my work exhibited in various places, including London and New York. As well as taking part in group and solo exhibitions, I have also been involved in public art projects, since returning to Inverness permanently in 2005. The most memorable of these would be 'Imagining The Centre' in 2006, where I decorated part of Church street in artistic underwear. Currently, I am tutoring art classes in Hilton, Dalneigh and Merkinch, which I enjoy thoroughly.

For my charity shop window displays, I have chosen the virtues: 'Peace' and 'Humour'.

For 'Peace', I envisage a hommage to 1960's psychedelia and hippie culture and I hope to display John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the window, hopefully reminiscent of their 1969 'Bed In', where they campaigned for peace. I believe John Lennon is a good, recognisable symbol of Peace - almost a messiah-like figure - and I hope my display will conjure up warm and happy thoughts in the public.... and hopefully not be too disturbing!

For 'Humour' I intend to take a trip to the joke shop and see what inspires me, although I'm interested in putting large speech bubbles in the window with jokes. I possibly might use a lot of balloons, possibly clowns (if I'm brave enough) and I may also take inspiration from Carry On Films, Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin and Fawlty Towers


ANNIE MARRS
Annie left Inverness to study Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design returning after graduation to find some cheap rent at her parents house! Since returning to Inverness she has landed on her feet, quickly taking up the post of Arts Development Worker at Arts In Merkinch. With little time to concentrate on her own work, she was working on private painting commissions to earn extra money and has worked mainly in open-air theatrical productions. Finally Annie is very excited to finally be working on a project which lends itself to temporary installation and event based works which inspire her.

Annie’s overall vision for the window displays is to use them to surround and almost enclose the space which the sculptures occupy. This is to reflect Matt’s desire to show this space as a new area for Inverness. Each window will incorporate a line travelling through the windows and around the site. With each window display varying widely the uniformity of the enclosing line and text will link the displays together.

Annie’s own window display will relate to Patience – the virtue which she put forward as her favourite during the consultation process. She believes that the virtue of patience is something which we all need to exercise while we wait and watch our town develop. Her display includes a new piece of work made for this project and conveying the passing of time.