New temporary art work is injecting some colour into Dumfries High Street
A striking piece of temporary artwork has been unveiled as a building on Dumfries High Street undergoes a multi-million pound transformation.The installation, on the hoardings of the newly named, The Standard, is a celebration of community.
People in Dumfries came out this morning to celebrate the re-naming of a building in the town's Midsteeple quarter.The artwork was a collaboration between artists Hannah Fox and Kate Drummond.Kate said: "We were commissioned to work with different groups in the community of Dumfries to create an artwork to celebrate the midsteeple quarter project."We started off thinking about the idea of home because one of the most innovative things about this project is it's bringing people back to live on the highstreet."We worked with people asking what makes a good home and a good neighbour."I think this kind of project is about people, a town is about people, art can involve people and it can bring people to the project."Hannah added: "The brief we were given was to celebrate the development of the high street, to help towards framing a new conversation around a new name of the building and to have a visible presence of the artwork on the high street in this temporary work.The name reflects the site’s history as the place where the Dumfries & Galloway Standard newspaper was historically printed.
Its name also reflects the hope of it becoming the benchmark of a better future for the town centre.Scott Mackay, executive director, Midsteeple Quatre said: "This contemporary art project is really about community engagement."It's about getting local people excited about this new building and what it means to the town where it's going to be for, and to allow the people of the town to understand that it's theirs and it's owned by the community."The installation spans across in the windows of other community-owned Midsteeple Quarter buildings.The building's new name was declared by the Town Crier of Dumfries as part of a colourful event.The event also saw a procession of schoolchildren carrying flags from the Plainstanes to the site for the ribbon-cutting at a temporary public artwork.The high street is undergoing a wider transformation and construction work to create new homes, enterprise and community spaces is due to be completed in the area this summer.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...