INTERESTINGENVIRONMENTAL ART FESTIVAL SCOTLAND TIMES “Paths to the future are made by walking, the making of the path will change both the destination and each of us. Either we become involved in making a future or accept that others will do it for us.” Andrew Lyon – EAFS Creative Production Group Artists and Projects | Features | EAFS Info | Programme | Mapping Contents... Page 2 Contents and Introduction Page 3 The Landscape Around Us – an article by Chris Miles Page 4-6 Artists and Projects Page 7-10 Maps, Orientation, Bus Routes and The Art of Expedition Kettleton Reservoir 2015 Page 11-12 Artists and Projects Welcome to the Lands of EAFS 2015 Page 13 Inside this newspaper you will find maps, information about arts projects, and articles about the Artists and Projects and Disconnect, Reconnect background themes of the festival. and Redirect Our Future At the castle site you will find our River of Fire public barbeque and our EAFS Post Office and – an article by Ruaridh Thin-Smith Tearoom. Everywhere you will find EAFS Pioneers - they know everything! At the Post Office you will find the latest news of the arts projects, opportunities for booking workshops, investigations Page 14 and guided walks, local amenities, more maps and all housekeeping information. Environmental Art Context – an article by Chris Fremantle. They We are using the Castle as a home base for the festival, a place for rest and refreshment, to meet Think It’s All Over: It Isn’t up and exchange news. The main elements of the festival are distributed among the hills around … necessarily – an article us. Some of our guest artists are working nearby but most are out in the landscape waiting to be by Mike Bonaventura found. You are standing in some of the most beautiful landscape in Scotland, so enjoy the looking Page 15 as well as the finding. Navigating the Future – an article by Andrew Lyon and The Story of EAFS • EAFS is built around days and nights. During the DAY there are three main routes out into the Page 16 landscape where you will encounter art, artists, talks, investigations, workshops and journeys. EAFS Programme • Returning to Morton Castle you will find our River of Fire waiting for you to cook your food and the Post Office & Tearoom available for your relaxation. • Each evening there are programmed activities in the early evening at the main site. • Into the evening there are a series of Campfires – each hosted by people with something to say. They want to start a conversation and they are keen to hear your views, ideas and questions. Lost? Looking for something? Want to book onto a workshop or guided walk? Then find your way to our Post Office, situated on the main festival site at Morton Castle. Here you will find our helpful EAFS Pioneers, who will have the most up-to-date trail and walking route information and can help you sign up for investigations, walks and talks. This is the festival’s community space, so if you need a space to sit and relax for a while, find your bearings, or just want to soak it all up – this is where to be. Due to the nature of an outdoor festival details of artworks and events will be constantly in motion, so check back regularly. The Post Office is a space for exchange, so bring back your discoveries and experience to share and swap. This is also a meeting and gathering space, and the under-cover heart of the festival site, so bring your questions, ideas, spare picnic, found gloves and lost adults. Newspaper edited You are welcome, so please feel at home. by ecoartscotland.net The EAFS Team. This is a festival set in wild open landscape with FEW facilities. Our ethos is to respect the place and leave in the same state (or better) than we found it. 2 he Landscape Around Us by Chris Miles - Unit Manager Scottish Natural Heritage, Southern Scotland Scotland’s landscapes are some arable surrounded by dynamic, shaped over thousands hedges as well as dykes. The of years by the interaction of red sandstone produces quality natural processes and human squared building stone that activities. Over time this has can be dressed, leading to the created the diverse landscapes we very distinctive settlements and value and that are so important buildings. This landscape is also for Scotland’s people, its economy marked by the country houses and and its international reputation. policy woodlands, notably around Drumlanrig. This has given more Landscapes continue to change, mixed woodland and a greater strongly influenced by the sense of integration between choices society makes about farming, forestry, sport and built development and land conservation. The greater extent management. The scale and of mixed woodland is good for speed of change have increased various fern species, the riverside with technological progress. supports globeflower particularly More recently, human-induced where rock is exposed, and the climate change and society’s woodland is home to birds such response to it, has become a Wanlockhead, Dumfriesshire. Former lead mining area as redstart and wood warbler. A further influence. This is as true newer element in this landscape here in Nithsdale as anywhere is the growth in recreational and and this article explores our past, tourism opportunities. present and future relationship deposits of minerals led to the also provide locally distinctive with this landscapes. old lead mine communities building stone. There is better Whatever happens in this which sit incongruously at such ground along the River Nith landscape potentially affects It started long ago when the altitude. Farming these hills is here allowing lusher pastures the River Nith. It is a large river rocks that now form the typical tough so plantation forestry has for silage production. Dry stone supporting important fishing rounded hills of the Southern been considered an alternative. dykes mark out the medium- activity and it has created the uplands were built up on ancient Moorland, dominated by heather, sized fields. Smaller plantations rich land on its floodplain where tropical sea beds some 450m has declined in extent over time, or even narrow native woodlands many of the communities are years ago. Later, about 300m generally in favour of sheep. occur along burns. Most wildlife located. Over time it has created years ago in hot tropical shallow However the extensive patch burn in this area is associated with the natural route up Nithsdale swamps, rocks containing coal landscape shows that grouse the river, tributaries and burns used by travellers since before were laid down. And 250m years shooting remains important and smaller parcels of woodland. the Romans left their camp at ago in dry desert conditions red over extensive areas. Whilst The landscape is particularly Durisdeer. One challenge is sandstone was deposited on top some open hills have long been marked by evidence of past protecting water quality from of these. The journey of all of used for radar and transmitter mining activity, either through diffuse pollution and another these to form southern Scotland installations, a recent trend is bings, older industrial building is tackling flooding. This has involved continental drift, their utilisation for renewables stock or more recent open will require the use of buffer geological uplift, erosion and which is likely to continue. cast activity. Today the coal is strips along water courses and glacial action, the latter leaving largely uneconomic and these the creation of new habitats, extensive covering of glacial The hills offer excellent communities are looking to particularly riparian woodland to debris. recreation for local walks as broaden employment including reduce bank erosion and allowing well as the Southern Upland Way, in light industry, renewables and the river to fully use its flood The oldest (and most resistant) and support some spectacular tourism. The recent conversion plain, mitigating flooding further rocks form the highest hills in wildlife adapted to open habitats. of an open cast coal mine to the down river. To be successful Nithsdale and these generally Moorland plants and mosses Crawick Multiverse landscape this is likely to require some weather to a thin poor soil give rise to vivid colours in most artwork is a unique and exciting blocking of old drains in the hills, allowing moorland and acid seasons, and hill flushes support step, linking the past to the future particularly in peat, to slow water grassland to form in our wet the local pale flowered forget- in terms of attracting people to getting to the river in the first cool climate. These are used me-not and hairy stonecrop. the area. place. Repairing our peatland for the hill farming of sheep Moorland birds including hen also keeps carbon locked up, an and cattle, for sport shooting harrier, merlin, black and red In mid Nithsdale the soils ironic challenge given the past of grouse and for plantation grouse can often be seen, and are deeper producing lusher history of the area in digging forestry. At Wanlochhead rich mountain hare found at the pastures for cattle, sheep and carbon out of the ground up. highest levels. The shift between farming, sport and forestry use is now joined by energy generation and tourism. There is more stress on delivering multiple objectives including the locking up of carbon and the management of water supply and flooding. One recent example of mixed land use comprising farming, forestry and conservation may become a trend. The coal bearing rock is the main reason for the existence of the industrial settlements in rural upper Nithsdale though Bruces Stone, Glentrool, medieval remains shows its importance as a transport route Dumfries and Galloway historically.