Todays blog post is actually a little 'throw back' to our 3rd blog post back in 2008 covering the pop up 'Hung, Drawn & Quartered' event. The pop up saw local artists Brian Ross also known as The Leaking Brain & Craig Barrowman erect a temporary easel with a large cardboard canvas which would be painted throughout the day. The concept was simple, paint until the whole surface is covered and then rotate the canvas and keep painting until all sides had been covered. Having met Brian & Craig through mutual friends I was keen to help document the process of the day and set up my camera to shoot a series of photos and some video which would be used to create a timelapse of the painting. I've since lost the original video file but you can still watch it here.
The weather was on our side on the day and with a small breeze Craig & Brian got to work. Both artists we're already well established in the local art scene, some will recognise Brians distinctive black patterns which featured in murals across the city from Transition Extreme to the old Limousine Bull site in Torry. Brian had also produced a large scale sprawling mural as part of his show at Peacock Visual Arts in February 2008 where visitors could catch Brian at work painting over the duration of the show. His end goal of covering the entire gallery didn't quite pan out but he still managed to paint a significant amount of Peacocks real estate. Craig is also well known and respected for his numerous street interventions, at the time often producing work more akin to his contemporaries in New York & San Francisco than Aberdeen. Both artists had a profound impact on me and contributed to me starting the blog knowing their stories were important to document.
Over the course of a warm day the duo applied paint to cardboard, ate chocolate brownies and were blessed with visitors throughout. Small groups began to congregate around the canvas as people realised something was happening and wanted to find out what. It's funny to look back now with all the various public art projects that have come since that day in the gardens, indeed the sacred arches just up from our spot had a stunning make over thanks to UV Arts and their 'Release The Pressure' jam in 2016. But in 2008 to even suggest such a thing to the council would have been laughed out of the chamber. It would be a few years before the council and indeed the city could see any value in letting artists have access to public walls. But in those bureaucratic cracks you can find art and culture, often ignored or overlooked, now touted as a tool for 'rebranding' the city as we look to become a tourist destination post oil. Oraganisations like Limousine Bull & Peacocks both offered space for artists to experiment and grow but any plans to raise their ambitions like the council planning approved UTG art centre were quickly snubbed and bogarted by the same council, city oil tycoons and their business associates with promises of millions of pounds to help build glorified parking spaces. It's quite shocking and disheartening to think back to those times. I'm thankful that a lot has changed but ever mindful that when things take a down turn its often artists and creatives who are the first to get shafted.
Over the the last few years I've found myself looking to the blog as an archive of events and exhibitions, often citing my own posts and photographs when speaking about events like the one below. But what about all the stuff that happened pre Mood of Collapse blog of which there is surely a rich history? I ask the question as I know the value of my archive but haven't been able to find anything similar apart from a few fragmented pieces that pop up when I'm doing research or posts from George about the RGU Art & Heritage Collection. It would be nice to trace some of the cities cultural history from the early days of Grays School of Art and Peacocks in the 70's up to the re opening of the art gallery in 2019 and to map out the evolution of art in the city. It would be a full time job, which I already have but if anyone at the council wants to pay me I'd happily undertake it!
For now ill settle for diving into my archive and reminding myself how far we've come in 12 years thanks to the grass roots efforts of artists like Brian & Craig. I'll be taking a dive into what they've been up to since then with some future blog posts. Support and value you're local art scene.
