Graffiti artists transform cars live: Freaky Fridays continues this week in Inverness’ multi-storey car park (30/11/11)

This week the Old Town Rose Street car park will become a hive of activity as IOTA presents three days of live street art, workshops and an artists’ talk from Team Recoat - a new collective consisting of ten Scottish artists working in the field of street art, graffiti and graphics.

The project is funded by Creative Scotland as part of Freaky Fridays and the first two weeks have already seen Inverness’ multi-storey car park transformed into a venue for theatre, film and live magic interventions.

The Provost, Jimmy Gray stated: “This is part of an innovative programme that’s been recognised locally and nationally. Through these unusual events, Inverness is attracting new audiences and broadening the ways in which people can actively engage in the city’s creative development.”

On Friday the team (Death Rattles, Syrkus, Lyken, Rue Five, Elph, FiST and Kirsty Whiten) will be graffitiing cars and vans on the ground floor as well as other spaces around the building, so why not pop along and see them in action? All the vehicles have been volunteered by the public in response to an ICA advert and this project has also been warmly supported by Rose Street staff at the car park who regularly offer up the building as a venue for arts activity.

Susan Christie of IOTA said:  “The public have volunteered their vans, campers and cars with invites from hip hop enthusiasts to people who want to change the image of the white-van-man. The demand has been surprising. Although we can only tackle five cars this time, we’ve invited Team Recoat to come back next year.”

Amy Whiten aka Syrkus from Team Recoat said: "It's a real privilege for us to be involved in such a dynamic project. All of the artists are really excited about getting the chance to paint in the car park and gift their pieces to the community. We really hope everyone enjoys them! This partnership between Recoat and IOTA may lead to more exciting ideas in the future."
 
On Thursday some of the artists will be doing a talk in IG:LU on Church Street and there is a series of four free workshops delivered by different members of Team Recoat which focus on graffiti techniques, zines, drawing and painting. Freaky Fridays continues until 16th December, for more information go to www.invernessoldtownart.co.uk 

All events are free on a first come, first served basis. Programme Listings:

• Thursday 1st December / IG:LU / Top Floor, 19 Church Street, Inverness
  • 5 - 6.30pm: Workshop 1 / Graphic artist Elph will deliver an introduction to creating your own zines and show examples of other zines. The workshop will explore collaborative drawing and creating themes and narratives. With the aid of a photocopier you will build a zine together for everyone to take away with them. Places are limited, booking required.
  • 7 - 8.30pm: Artists’ Talk / Kirsty Whiten and Syrkus will give an illustrated talk about their practice and past Recoat projects. No need to book
• Friday 2nd December / 9am - 5pm / Old Town Rose Street Car Park
  Live street art from Team Recoat as they transforming five cars on the ground floor all day as well as other spaces around building. We’ve had an overwhelming response from the public volunteering their cars and vans to be graffiti’d so why not pop in and see the work in progress.
• Saturday 3rd December / Old Town Rose Street Car Park, Meeting Room
  • 10am - 12noon: Workshop 2 / Artist Kirsty Whiten will talk through her methods and tips for creating better portraits. You will draw a dark, shadowed portrait from a photograph, using chalk on a blackboard that you can take home with you. Places are limited, booking required.
  • 12.30 - 2.30pm: Workshop 3 / A dynamic workshop delivered by Death Rattles and Syrkus moving between drawing indoors and painting outside. You’ll research ideas and concepts, plan and draw designs, before painting them onto boards. You will get two boards each to take away. Places are limited, booking required.
  • 3 - 5pm: Workshop 4 / Lead by Lyken this workshop will use photographs, slides, magazines and view finders, to create abstract paintings from recognisable objects. Booking required.
    TO BOOK: email Kirsten Body (IOTA) kirstenbody @ hotmail.com
• Friday 9th December / 10am – 6pm / Old Town Rose Street Car Park
  Screening of Industrial Revolutions – an amazing new film which captures a sublime and compelling performance from the Highland’s street trials riding star Danny MacAskill. Plus live music from a special guest. Industrial Revolutions sees Danny take his incredible bike skills into an industrial train yard and some derelict buildings. Filmed in the beautiful Scottish countryside the film was directed by Stu Thomson (Cut Media) for Channel 4's documentary Concrete. Plus an installation on the ground floor of Rosie Newman’s Wild Thing - a unique VW Beetle covered inside and out in moss with a woodland soundtrack.
• Friday 16th December / 10am – 6pm / Old Town Rose Street Car Park. The multi-storey is one of the tallest buildings in Inverness with fantastic panoramic views of the sky. What better place to do some heavenly cloud watching with artists Sundogs (yarnbombing duo Annie Marrs and Jennifer Cantwell) as they take over the building with their Cloudishness.

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