Huntly, tagged as “the town is the venue” due to its engagement with the arts by Deveron Projects is a small town in the North-East part of Scotland, Aberdeenshire to be precise. Deveron Projects [1] is located in the town square of Huntly. The body is an arts organisation that spearheads the engagement of people with the arts socially, by connecting artists, people of Huntly and places. They do this through creative research. They have both physical and digital archives full of projects. Some of the projects which Deveron has been involved in are as follows: The town is the venue, The town is the Garden, Think: Brexit, Slow marathon, The white wood, Lunar Odyssey etc.
Walking through the small town, I was welcomed by the beautiful scenery of the greens and river which were on both sides of the road that clung to each other under the bridge (road). I felt the breeze of love when I saw how the buildings or houses were arranged in the countryside. It depicts unity which meant a lot to me since all the inhabitants of the town could know each other. This fulfils one of the purposes of the humanity of one being another’s brother’s keeper.
The tactics of Deveron Projects feature the same approach whereby the people of Huntly are united through the arts just as the broomsticks are by the band that ties them. A project by Daniel Ruiz, Mestre Jonas and Bruno da Tavares entitled “Ceilidhamba”[2] embarked on unity through cultural exchange. The Brazilians also known as “Sambasupercollider” undertook that project in May-June 2012 followed by Allyson Velez’s “Nordeste/North East – Ceilidhcatu”[3] later on in the same year. Ceilidhamba involved the engagement of the Brazilians with people of Huntly (groups, schools) through unified activities like Scottish parade and musical events. Unity is also achieved through similarities of characteristics, culture, mindset or aim of a group of people. Velez’s project “Ceilidhcatu” was on the same track of bringing people together by discovering the cultural similarities and traditions of his hometown to that of Huntly. Apart from working with local musicians of different genres, he also collaborated with Deveron Projects to make the Halloween/Samhain a reality.
Just as the ants make trails and clear their pathways to make their nest free of obstructions, Alan Macpherson’s “Minor Paths”[4] follow the same approach through research by creating and clearing a path with forty-five other people. Path indicates progression, a way forward and also a connection to our goal, our future. Hence, linking Alan to existing ideas and activities as well as his goal of achieving a secondary path free of redundancy.
There are art collections and trails which include many artworks displayed across the town in public buildings and spaces and shops that have collaborated with Deveron Projects. These projects make engagement with the arts easy and accessible to people of different age group and walks of life. For instance, people who are so busy to visit the art gallery or cannot afford to pay the entry fee for it can also have a look at artworks when they enter shops or public spaces.
Deveron Projects has contributed a lot to the social wellbeing of the locals in Huntly. They make the town lively through artist-driven projects.
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