ADVERTISING FEATURE
See Aberdeen through fresh eyes at this year’s LOOK AGAIN
ART WEEKENDER
Look Again Visual Art & Design Festival is an annual event that presents new, high quality commissioned work by prominent artists and designers from the north east and further afi eld.
Held in key spaces in the city centre, its aim is to animate public space, highlight Aberdeen’s cultural and creative assets and encourage the public to ‘see the city through fresh eyes’
Ellie Turner Emily Speed
James Rigler
Grounded in a strong commitment to support the art and design sector in the region, Look Again develops innovative mentoring and professional development projects, cultivating new art and design collectives that encourage creative talent to stay in the north east. In the post-oil climate, Aberdeen’s art scene has been l ourishing. Look Again is laying the foundations for this next exciting chapter in Aberdeen’s cultural history, helping shape a new story, change mindsets and raise awareness of the region’s great creative potential.
In celebration of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, this year’s Look Again features inspiring events and exhibitions around the theme of ‘serious play’.
2018 HIGHLIGHTS
JAMES RIGLER A House in the Woods This ambitious new work responds to Aberdeen’s awe-inspiring Marischal Quad, where Rigler will get playful with the diverse and contradictory nature of the surrounding Gothic architecture. Conceiving of this grand public space as a magical clearing in the woods, he presents a fairy tale proposition to enchant and bring joy to the renowned granite austerity of this iconic square. Marischal College Quad.
EMILY SPEED Facades/Fronts Speed will explore human beings’ transition to adulthood and the forming of identity though
a series of workshops with young people, in collaboration with choreographer Jack Webb. The project will provide a playful and supportive space to develop ideas, with the i nal work being both a i lm and a public performance. The i lm will also be shown as part of Scotland + Venice at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Various sites across the city. Developed in partnership with City Moves Dance Agency, Aberdeen.
AMY GEAR Da Mooth O Da Cave Gear is a Shetland-based artist exploring the relationship between the body and the land. This large-scale, playful and interactive installation allows anybody’s mouth to become that of ‘the cave’, giving the landscape a voice and exploring the idea of place being made not just of soil, sea and stone but also of people, stories and dialect. Various sites across the city.
SUPERMUNDANE ELLIE TURNER
Wonder Chamber Turner is an Aberdeen-based artist and designer, presenting an immersive collection of magical and playful objects – a cabinet of curiosities – in an interactive sensory space. City Centre. Look Again Art Weekender takes place across Aberdeen from Thu 14–Sun 17 Jun. Find out more at lookagainfestival.co.uk
Super Aberdeen Internationally acclaimed graphic artist Supermundane (aka Rob Lowe) has racked up an impressive array of high proi le projects both for leading brands and the public realm, as well as thousands of Instagram followers, thanks to his fresh, colourful and constantly inventive approach to design. For Look Again, he teams up with Aberdeen-based artist collective STACK to deliver workshops with young people across the city, which will result in designs for a new public artwork. Catherine Street.
POSITIVE GEOGRAPHY Curated by Dr Jon Blackwood This exhibition of ambitious new work by six recent graduates from Gray’s School of Art includes i lm, installation, sculpture and performance art. It offers new perspectives on place, identity and materiality in a constantly expanding and ever-more challenging digital world. HATCH, Belmont Street.
Look Again Visual Art & Design Festival is supported by Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen City Council and Creative Scotland. 1 Apr–31 May 2018 THE LIST 117