Imagining the Centre

As kick-off to the major regeneration programme for old town Inverness, a free day-long event featuring 14 Highland artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers and aural historians was held on Saturday, September 9th 2006 from 11 am – 11 pm.

The participants embraced Inverness as their subject, and explored the past, present and future of this rapidly changing city. Art works were located throughout the length of Church Street, the main thoroughfare in the old town. In the daylight hours, Imagining the Centre featured sculptural installations, performance, audio art and murals. As darkness fell, giant projections and multi-media performances emerged and brought the streets to life.

The event was funded by the Inverness City Partnership with support from the Scottish Arts Council as part of a £6 million schedule of improvements for the old town. The aim of Imagining the Centre was to initiate artists and the general public in a creative and lively conversation about the nature and identity of the area. Feedback from the public was solicited as part of this event, and will inform other, permanent works planned for the old town by Lead Artist Matt Baker and other artists.

Projects included:

Cape Reality by Graeme Roger and Jeep Solid A Multi-media performance featuring one of the city’s prodigal musician sons. Cape Reality draws on a personal Highland genealogy within the highly charged historical context of the Old Kirkyard. Performance at 9:30pm

Lorg by Caroline Dear and Rosie Newman Installation featuring materials from the landscape surrounding Inverness and featuring the songs of birds that would have lived in the Old Town when it was simply the bank of the River Ness.

Prey Pray by Sam Barlow and John McGeoch A giant steel Sea Eagle dives on Church St. During the day a hidden camera gathers images that are combined with footage from the natural landscape for an evening projection work with live music accompaniment. Performance at 9pm  

One Day Revolution by DUFI and Sophie McCook The streets of the Old Town are infused with radical messages from the past and future of Inverness. Look out for giant banners, wall paintings and the reincarnation of the city’s lost Victorian statues ‘Faith, Hope and Charity’

Hidden Heroes by Dean Melville and Evelyn Pottie Contemporary portraits local personalities accumulate in the weeks preceeding ‘Imagining the Centre’ resulting in a unique interpretation of the city as a whole.

to the power of by Gavin Lockhart is a powerful projection work showing the generation of power as one facet of the complex relationship between an urban centre to the landscape surrounding it. 

I Built This City by Gordon Urqhart A sound collage of local voices, opinions and memories about Inverness.

What's Pants About Inverness? by Sarah Barnes Your opportunity to air your opinions and ideas about your city through the unlikely medium of artistic underwear.

QUOTES FROM THE DAY
"I like to see art you can understand.  You can see that's a bird.  I don't know where some of these artists get their ideas from.  I think they must be on drugs" MR. A from Inverness

"The whole art thing was ... nae bad!" DOUGLAS YULE, Inverness resident and Chairman of Eden Court

"I don't really understand what is going on but I like it!" SENIOR FEMALE RESIDENT from Inverness

For more information contact: Matt Baker, Lead Artist, 07855957401 or info@mattbaker.org.uk