YNY at Cupar09

All in all a good day .. Cds been taking a plenty . Had great response about the Cupar arts festival  . And I and now many others will hear a fantastic song about the 42 bus From Dundee to Cupar!

Written by Cara Pirie 25th October 2009

The Bus to Cupar

Derek Lodge

Here is a song about a fictional bus ride to Cupar. It’s based on a conglomeration of conversations and chance meetings I’ve experienced. I discuss my art practice and preconceptions of artists, although it’s not as dry as that sounds. It’s quite good fun actually.

Based in Dundee , artist Derek Lodge employs video, music, performance, dialogue and collaborative practice. He is part of the Scottish artists’ collective Ganghut and  recently completed a residencies at Cove Park and Yorkshire ArtSpace in Sheffield where he developed a distinctive style of ‘musical documentary’ in collaboration with some rather specialised Sheffield clubs such as The Sir Cliff Richard Meeting House of Sheffield and Sheffield City Morris Dancers.

It’s raining, a lot. Had an interesting variety of responses, from people diving into shops to avoid me to people being amazingly grateful for their art handout. Even had a pep talk from a guy at the bus stop! Perhaps I’m looking more miserable about the weather than I thought, maybe I need to smile more…. All in all, quite a good day considering it’s so wet. Just off to wring out my gloves. Over and out.

Written by Lynsey Ewan 24th October 2009

It was yet again another sunny day in Cupar, today I was particularly excited as to how the public would react. Nadia had created 100 different DIY art projects complete with step by step guides. The purpose of this work was to engage the public within the creative process, so how would a small rural town respond to the brief?
As I walked from venue to venue i chose my participants carefully, the fact that an individual task was assigned to each and every card was a real talking point. One man even asked for another as he ‘didn’t have a mantelpiece!’
Groups and families really embraced the concept and egged each other on in their choosing. All and all a very positive response!!

Written by Gayle Meikle 23rd of October 2009

Effort #1:
“Good day Sir, might I possibly interest you in a free piece of artwork? In this piece the artist Ms Gayle Meikle has created (and indeed is in the process of creating) a living, evolving map of the Cupar demographic in concert with the Arts Festival. The distribution of colour-coded tea towels, means that the specific age-range defines the social shape of the conceptual map. So would you like a tea towel? No? Ok then.”

Effort #2:
“Hello there, would you like a free piece of tea towel art as part of the Cupar Arts Festival? No?”

Effort #3:
“Hi, free tea towel? No?”

Effort #4:
“Towel. Free.”

Effort #5:
(hurls towel at moving vehicle)

Disclaimer: One of the above statements is a lie.
Andy Sim. YYADA-of-the-year nominee 2009.
Disclaimer #2: That’s not true either.

Written by Andy Sim 22nd of October 2009

Once they have gone that’s it!

Says the window of Galloway’s Tools on the corner of Crossgate, Cupar.

We started with a tour of the local bakeries, handing out Ben Robinson’s ‘Public Holidays (Maldoror)’ silkscreen print to the ladies selling the pasties. Then we met Jimmy who was more interested in a hot date with the Yuck ‘n Yum girls than today’s free artwork. A quick stop at the Thermos museum helped us recover from the biting wind and rain then onwards, handing out to workies in a van and people waiting at bus stops alike.

88 down 12 original Ben Robinson’s to go, after a quick tea stop and a play piece from Gayle we don our skip hats and set off going via Peter and his Attic and Liz and her Inside Out house.

Saw some old friends and a drunk man in an alley and all of a sudden we’ve handed our last two original Ben Robinson’s to a lovely looking family, who’s Dad was a librarian. A grand finish to a driech but decent day. Once they have gone that’s it!

Written by Nadia Rossi and Celia Winnett (Yuck ‘n Yum Young Team 2009) 21st October 2009

Ben Robinson

‘Public Holidays (Maldoror)’ is a silkscreen print of the Dundee University library ticket for Ben’s favourite book, Maldoror by the Comte de Lautréamont. The print can be put to use either by cropping and using it as a bookmark, or by displaying it as a calendar to display the dates of these appointed “public holidays”. The object marks an essentially private experience by entering it into the public space.

Robinson’s intention with his art practice has been to create objects and installations that posit a variety of alternative belief systems. The work employs an obscure strategy of camp and deadpan humour to invoke the strange and the marvellous. Robinson regards his practice in general as being a form of collage, bringing together seemingly incongruous elements to create new meanings. Art happens from what would previously be dismissed.

Robinson graduated from Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in 2004 with a degree in fine art. In 2007 he completed the Master’s course in design. Robinson is now a member of the editorial team at Yuck ‘n Yum, Scotland’s premier art zine.

I thought this was Kircaldy? Thankfully the people of Cupar have been both friendly and welcoming; the orange jam – not to be confused with Sunday’s marmalade – going down a storm. As a fairly impartial party, have to congratulate both the organisers and artists involved: events like this strike me as extremely important, bringing contemporary art to a wider audience, outside of its usual metropolitan ghettos. Am I the only person capable of getting lost in Cupar, even with a map?

LUCKY DIP DAY, catch the YYADA while you still can!

The YYADA will be handing out a mix of what was distributed last week so if you missed out on marmalade or any limited edition print, today is your last day to get it.  The artists today are; Amy Todman, Ewan Manson, Sanna Dyker, Anna Orton, Luke Collins, Sam Spreckley and Kevin McPhee.  HURRY WHILE STOCKS LAST!!!

A slow start to the day in a sleepy Sunday Cupar but with a historic tour promised in the afternoon which proved very popular the town was soon bustling with people ready to receive a dose of art courtesy of Yuck ‘n Yum. Earlier on I came across a few people who were quite concerned about receiving a small package from a bearded man but as the day progressed most were happy to take what I had on offer.

Written by Graeme Plunkett 18th October 2009