New arts initiative
The artists group Veer North is launching a new series of “Art Labs in the Environment” next week.
The series forms one of the most ambitious parts of the project Crossing Waater, which began last year. Members of the group will be working across Shetland in partnership with four organisations to undertake “mini” artists’ residencies comprising a total of five days each. Project co-ordinator Kristi Cumming said she welcomed the growing anticipation mounting among the artists.
She said: “They are going to undertake new projects that artistically will challenge everyone, enabling artists to ‘buy time’ to create new work that they would perhaps not have otherwise considered. Artists will be developing new work that is inspired by walks, follies and even blank CDs. Members of the community are invited to meet the artists and in some cases to even take part in their projects.”
The Art Labs in the Environment begin in Lerwick where artists will base themselves in the boat shed at Shetland Museum, coinciding with their touring exhibition which opens tomorrow.
Subsequently they will take up residency at Belmont House in Unst where they will be working as part of Unst Fest. Later in July artists will be based at the Bonhoga Gallery. The last venue is the Centre for Creative Industries in Yell where artists will be exploring the island as inspiration for developing new work.
The project began with an exhibition in Denmark at Kulturhus Farum near Copenhagen where seven artists traveled to deliver four different cross-generational workshops, which the group calls Art Labs. These have been followed by five Art Labs in Shetland schools over the last month.
