Welcome to issue # 24 and thanks for checking in on the blog. The last few months have been a flurry of writing, editing photos, working on new ideas at the studio and trying to up the ante a little as far as what I do here. I go through really productive patches and then can spend months with blog posts sitting unpublished for a lack of text and sometimes they might be for the lead up to events which have already passed. I try not to be hard on myself in these instances but it is nice to be ahead of the curve for a change.
I've been thinking about my overall aims from when I started the blog til now and how its changed over the years although the core aims remain the same, to share art and culture from Aberdeen, to support and promote artists and their work and to focus on the art I like as apposed to critiquing the things I don't. There's certainly a place for critical discussion around art and culture in the North East but I've never been interested in it being here on the blog. Everything I've done over the last decade has been done out of a genuine passion for the arts and apart from a few videos I've never been paid to write or promote an artists work or event. So if you read about something on here then its because I truly think its worth shouting about.
That said I have started a page on Ko Fi so if you wanted to support what I do then you can do so here. I've no plans for adding paywalls or barriers to my content but I might start sharing some prints and other items for sale via Ko Fi. It'll be a work in progress for the foreseeable but a like or a share on social media is just as good a way to support me and other creatives, even opening this link helps! I've never monetised the site which is why you don't get annoying ads when you visit so ill be keeping it that way.
And although I call these updates 'Deen Scene' I like to cover as much good stuff as I can both from Aberdeen and little beyond, or in some cases far beyond. After all, its about connecting with people doing good things. So what's good...
Shetland artist Vivian Ross-Smith has kicked off her 'The Island is the Gallery' series of public performances which will be taking place in various locations from the town centre to the remote as Vivians work continues to react and respond to the pandemic. With social distancing measures and many creative spaces having to shut, how does an artist show new work? These new performances continue to build upon previous works including 'Digital Landscape' and 'Broadcast' which saw her wearing one of her artworks and walking past the islands webcams, creating an unofficial collaboration of sorts and scaring a few of the islanders. It's cool to see the transition from photoshopping herself into the landscape to then physically moving out into these spaces but still with a digital element to tie it together. For more updates about the project and some funny comments from the locals be sure to check out Shetland Arts on facebook here. And for more of Vivians work be sure to check out her website here.
Pabyan founder Miles has been busy getting settled into his new studio at Deemouth Studios and has kicked off a few projects in the past month including a new website Miles.Works. The new site will be a centralising force for all the various things that Miles does from organising workshops, creating art to t shirt designs you can catch it it all there. Along with his own ventures Miles also shot to stardom thanks to his musical collaboration 'Affa Fine' and their New Year bothy bass livestream. What is bothy bass you ask? Find out the answer here and be sure to check out Miles on instagram here!
Since dipping back into DJing I've been interested in what friends are listening to and what they'd select if they had an hour of airtime to fill. So I've been speaking to a few friends and artists and have asked them to put together mixes and playlists that I can share. Not one to shy away, CS Buchan is first up in the mix with a special 'Jonty's Junk' playlist on Spotify! Being such a big fan of CS Buchans music its interesting to see what hes picked for the mix, including a few of my own personal favourites from The Phantom Band and Nick Cave but there's some juicy tracks on their as well. Thanks to Charley for taking the time to compile this playlist and be sure to click the banner above to listen for yourself!
There's a couple of interesting show's opening this month including an second instagram launch by Kathryn Johnson this time with 'The Harris Collection'. Her previous insta launch focused on paintings inspired by Lewis so it makes sense that she'd follow up with a collection for the Harris contingent. Look forward to seeing what she's created. As venues begin to open up again Second Home Cafe have a new exhibition with Chaos Modern Art who will be showcasing a selection of nude inspired new works. With the cafe re opening on the 27th of this month you can do a double whammy and check out the show and get some lunch which sounds really nice, a glimpse of normalish life. Look Again have also kicked off a new window display at their St Andrew Street site with creative duo 'Jiggle n Juice' bringing some fun and colour to the shop front. I'll be heading down for a look this weekend so be sure to add St Andrew Street to your weekend walking routes.
In case you missed it be sure to check out Aberdeen Culture for regular updates on what's going on in the North East and also the 'Culture A to Z' highlights which showcases artists, organisations, art, history, architecture and a whole load more that serves to showcase Aberdeen and the North East as a destination filled with good stuff. I've recognised a lot of the artists and things they've shared so far but there's been quite a few things I didn't know about so its proof that its worth shouting about the good stuff that's happening in our city. With them well into 'Volume 2' of the Culture A to Z its worth giving them a follow on instagram and facebook but as always the key is to engage with these pages and to help them in their goals by liking and sharing posts and beating the dreaded algorithm. They're doing a great job so far though!
Aberdeen Art Gallery have kicked off a series of 'micro commisions' with ideas and work being developed by designer Anne Marquis and performance artist Maja Zeco. The project brief will see both explore and respond to the galleries extensive collection, taking inspiration from artworks and items in the gallery. So far Anne has been sharing beautiful sketches and bit of her research on instagram whilst Maja has completed her first performance inspired by 'Eastre, Hymm To The Sun' by JD Fergusson. You can read more about the project here and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Anne & Maja soon.
As always I like to include something from a bit further afield and Australian artist Tom Gerrard has a new solo show 'Consequence' opening at Metro Gallery in Armandale, Victoria. I've been a fan of Toms work since the early Aeon days of mulleted heads painted in the streets to his more recent lockdown studio works depicting plant filled interiors and torn wire fences. With a definite visual language you can recognise Tom's work easily and it always jumps out when scrolling through the insta feeds. Although a trip to Australia is off the cards for the foreseeable I'm hoping to add a piece by Tom to my personal collection at some point in the future but until then ill have to appreciate from the other side of a screen. Check out more info about the show here.
