#pidginperfect

Over the past couple of months we have been working with Angus Council towards launching Future Forfar, a series of creative conversations, activities and events to explore the future of Forfar Town Centre.

Throughout Sunday 22nd, Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th November 2015, there will be lots going on to celebrate the launch of Future Forfar. Across these three days, the local community of Forfar will collaborate with architects, planners, artists and other experts to explore how Forfar Town Centre can be improved and develop an action plan for a Future Forfar. 

Pidgin Perfect warmly welcome all to participate in the discussions, bringing your local perspective along to any of the activities. There will always be someone around during the Drop In Times at the Future Forfar Cafe to welcome you, listen and record your comments. 

Here is a run down of just some of the exciting programme!

Sunday 22nd November 12 - 2pm, Future Forfar Cafe at 3 East High Street - We’re kicking off Future Forfar by bringing the local community together and we want you to join us! Please note in particular the opening event, ‘A Taste of Forfar’ Official launch Event with food by Forfar Cooking Club and special entertainment by DD8 Music.

Tuesday 24th November 4 - 6.30pm, A vision for Future Forfar? in the Drama Society, 132 East High Street  - Closing with presentations, storytelling and imagining Future Forfar. Followed by an Open Mic Night at the Future Forfar Cafe on the 3 East High Street

Monday 23rd November 10.00 - 12.30 How can we attract more visitors investors and business to Forfar?- How can we create more opportunities for business and enterprise? - How can we attract more visitors to the Town Centre? - How can we make more of Forfar’s heritage and culture? - What should we do about vacant buildings?

If you are a business owner, run a social enterprise and are passionate about culture, heritage and tourism this will be of interest!

Monday 23rd November 16.00 - 18.30 How do we make the Town Centre better for the people of Forfar?- How can the Town Centre work better as the heart of the local community? - How could it more welcoming for people of all ages? - How can Forfar offer a better experience of leisure, culture and entertainment in the evenings? - How can the local communities of Forfar work together to create positive change in the Town Centre and in Forfar? - How can Forfar be a more attractive place for people to live and raise their families? If you are a resident or an active member of community groups supporting health and wellbeing in Forfar then this will be of interest!

Tuesday 24th November 10.00 - 12.30 How can we improve the Town Centre, streets and outdoor spaces?- What should the balance be between people and vehicles? - How could we make streets and spaces more enjoyable to spend time in? - Which spaces and places that should be a focus? - What are the opportunities and challenges to the Town Centre brought by the Community Campus? - What type of activities and events would you like to take place at The Cross?

This will interest residents, community groups, businesses and those with ideas about green space, outdoor events, transport, traffic, parking,walking and cycling.

Events will take place at the Future Forfar Cafe, located in the former ‘Treasured Gifts’ shop at 3 East High Street. The Future Forfar Workshop is located behind the red door at 132 High Street at the Forfar Dramatic Society. 

No booking for any of the events is required. Light catering from local businesses will be provided, as well as a creche facilities available. 

Cumbernauld Green Routes is a feasibility project part of the Cumbernauld Living Landscape program . It is looking to transform the centre of Cumbernauld and its links to surrounding communities by creating green routes which are accessible, safe and enjoyable. The feasibility project is investigating at the quality of the existing routes and how they could be improved for people and wildlife.

We are excited to be working with Collective Architecture, Scottish Wildlife Trust, and AECOM on the project.

Collective Architecture was established to pursue themes of participation and sustainability in architecture. Our output is highly varied, ranging from intimate community installations to large scale urban regeneration. Over the past 18 years we have successfully delivered a series of important projects spread across the UK.

For 50 years, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has worked with its members, partners and supporters in pursuit of its vision of healthy, resilient ecosystems across Scotland’s land and seas.The Trust successfully champions the cause of wildlife through policy and campaigning work, demonstrates best practice through practical conservation and innovative partnerships, and inspires people to take positive action through its education and engagement activities.The Trust manages a network of 120 wildlife reserves across Scotland and is a member of the UK-wide Wildlife Trusts movement.

AECOM apply creative vision, technical expertise, interdisciplinary insight, and local experience to address complex challenges in new and better ways.They help clients deliver critical resources and services, improve the places where people live and work, and sustain a world in which we can all flourish. They are the ecologists on the project.

Our research into Cumbernauld’s Green Routes began on the ground. Earlier this week, we accompanied local walking groups along three key routes, using their knowledge and experience to gain an understanding of how the Green Routes are used currently.

Through October and November there will be several wee green boxes around the town just waiting to hear your views.  

Get your hands on one of our postcards and tell us about your green routes alternatively download the post card and send it to [email protected] 

Next week, on Tuesday 27th October, we will also be holding a launch event. Come join us at the launch event in Cumbernauld Town Hall between 5-8 pm on Tuesday 27th October and get the conversation started. There will be a number of creative workshops for you to get involved in and fun games for the kids. 

Following on the launch event, we will be working with several community groups to explore in more detail the key themes raised by the local people of Cumbernauld about the Green Routes.  If your or your group would like to be involved contact [email protected].

Rounding up the consultation process, the charrette will involve local stakeholders and members of community in a series of design-led workshops. Held on the 1st December this collaborative process is an opportunity to visualise what Green Routes might look like in the future.

Pidgin Perfect are excited to announce the launch of Future Forfar: a series of creative conversations, activities & events to explore the future of Forfar Town Centre.

The charette is a collaborative process which asks the public, local partners and professionals, ‘How do we make the town centre even better?’ leading to further actions for Forfar Town Centre.

We’ll be in Forfar on the following dates and would love to meet with anyone who would live to get involved in the project. If you would like to join the conversation please do contact us at [email protected] 

Whilst we can not release any more details about the content of the program, we are pleased to announce more about the fantastic team collaborating on the project as well as some initial site visit photographs.

Pidgin Perfect will be leading on the delivery of the project with Professor Leigh Sparks, Nick Wright Planning and Willie Miller Urban Design. Pidgin Perfect are a creative studio working to place the community at the heart of our projects; combining research, participation & design. 

Professor Leigh Sparks is Professor of Retail Studies at the Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK. His research concentrates on aspects of the broad areas of structural and spatial change in retailing. 

Nick Wright is a chartered town planner, a qualified mediator and a trained facilitator. Nick views planning as being about shaping our environment for the future. That needs imagination, creativity and a desire to positively embrace change and risk. Nick works with young people, businesses, artists, civil servants, community groups, architects, other planners, Councillors and all the other people who create places and make them tick.My role is to make things happen: to bring people together, bring their ideas together, and translate aspirations into action

Willie Miller Urban Design is a design practice based in the West End of Glasgow. WMUD promotes a collaborative, contextual and research-based approach to urban and strategic design – working across disciplines, in liaison with local communities, businesses and organisational stakeholders, and respecting local context and heritage.

Yesterday, at Greendyke Square on London Road, the final foundations were dug and the first section of steel was secured into the ground.

'Slow Down', a public artwork by Jacqueline Donachie is onsite. 

This new permanent public artwork is curated in response to the artist's temporary public events held in Huntly, Melbourne and Glasgow. 'Slow Down' is Donachie's first permanent artwork in the East End of the city. It follows 'Glasgow Slow Down', held on 13th April 2014, 100 cyclists left a trail of coloured chalk across the city marking the countdown to the XX Commonwealth Games. The sculptural steel elements of 'Slow Down' continue to explore key themes in Donachie's practice around the ideas of communication, participation and how civic spaces are designed, managed and used. 

The artwork will continue to be installed over the course of the next two weeks and will remain onsite until early October. 

The community exhibition that accompanies the public artwork will continue in the People's Palace until October 7th. The community exhibition is an opportunity to learn more about PULSE and provides details about the second of the new permanent public artworks, 'Cut From The Factory Floor' by Iain Kettles which will be installed at Claythorn Park, London Road from October. 

PULSE is a joint initiative between Glasgow City Council Development and Regeneration Services (DRS), Action Barras Calton (ABC) and VELOCITY – a cultural response to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Curated and delivered by a collaborative team based in Glasgow; Pidgin Perfect, Patricia Fleming Projects and Picture Window.

1. Scott Associates unloading the artist designed steel railing. 

2. Jacqueline Donachie on site at Greendyke Square. 

3. First section of the artist designed steel railing being installed. 

All images courtesy of Jassy Earl. 

PULSE- Permanent Artworks

With the installation of the temporary artworks complete, PULSE now moves into it's next phase; the delivery of two permanent artworks by  Jacqueline Donachie and Iain Kettles, both sited along London Road. 

On Thursday, Pidgin Perfect launched a community exhibition at the People's Palace, offering up a narrative of the PULSE's journey so far on a series of picture boards. The exhibition offers documentation of the creative process throughout the planning stages, the community participation and  the Temporary Artworks and Artists Films. 

Members from the collaborative team including Pidgin Perfect, Action Barras Calton (ABC) and VELOCITY as well as the artist, Jacqueline Donachie attended the launch to speak with community participants and members of the public.

Whilst the exhibit is a celebration of PULSE so far, it is an exciting look ahead to the next phase of the project. Jacqueline Donachie's 'Slow Down' will be sited on Greendyke Square whilst Iain Kettle's sculpture 'Cut From The Factory Floor' will be installed in Claythorn Park. Both artworks have been commissioned to create new focal points that reference the rich industrial legacy of the area whilst celebrating the legacy of the XX Commonwealth Games beyond 2014. 

The exhibition at the People's Palace continues until October 7th. 

You can find out more about PULSE here

Image Credits: 

1-3: Pidgin Perfect

4: 'Slow Down' A public artwork by Jacqueline Donachie (Greendyke Square)

PULSE - Temporary Artworks by Iain Kettles

To celebrate the success of the XX Commonwealth Games, which came to an incredibly successful conclusion on Sunday night, here are some images of the local community and visitors to Glasgow enjoying the inflatable sculptures presented by Iain Kettles for PULSE. 

PULSE is a joint initiative between Glasgow City Council Development and Regeneration Services (DRS), Action Barras Calton (ABC) and VELOCITY – a cultural response to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Curated and delivered by a collaborative team based in Glasgow; Pidgin Perfect, Patricia Fleming Projects and Picture Window.

Image 1: 'Locked' by Iain Kettles

Image 2: 'Black Fires' by Iain Kettles

Image 3: 'Ladder' by Iain Kettles

PULSE is a series of temporary and permanent artworks situated along London Road connecting Glasgow Green, and the Barras Calton in the East End of the city.

As part of PULSE, Picture Window is screening a diverse selection of video artworks by emerging and established local and international artists curated in collaboration with Patricia Fleming Projects. Artists films will be presented between 8pm-Midnight from 26th July–3rd August in a range of windows along London Road between Charlotte Street and Templeton Street.

Artists films presented include the premire Scottish screenings of ‘BMX Channel’ by Shaun Gladwell and ‘One of Many, One’ by Cheryl Pope. The programme also includes new work by Luca George, a recent graduate of Glasgow School of Art, and works from Sacha Airlie, Hans Peter Aucken Beck, Roderick Buchanan, Criodhna Costello, Jacqueline Donachie, Patrick Jameson, Torsten Lauschmann, Jane Topping and David Sherry.

Content generated from within the local community will also be present in the form of a stop motion animation which documents the history of the Barras Calton between 1950-2014. This video artwork was made by a group of participants, aged 10-12, from Peek Projects in collaboration with Pidgin Perfect.

PULSE is a joint initiative between Glasgow City Council Development and Regeneration Services (DRS), Action Barras Calton (ABC) and VELOCITY – a cultural response to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Curated and delivered by a collaborative team based in Glasgow; Pidgin Perfect, Patricia Fleming Projects and Picture Window.

An essential element of PULSE is community participation and a commitment to working closely with local representatives and groups to support proposals that respond to the local context. PULSE Temporary Artworks & Artist Films are delivered in collaboration with Calton Community Council and supported by Celebrate Big Lottery Fund UK – celebrating the 2014 Commonwealth Games through arts, sports and community celebrations.

With special thanks to; Calton Heritage & Learning Centre, Mark Moore Gallery, Eddie Williams, Fabric Bazaar, Hugh Kelly, Peek Projects, Woodcraft, St. Luke’s Church, Media Co-op, Thenue Housing Association and the retailers on London Road who have helped make the temporary artworks possible.