Our Area in the First World War – Falkirk calling!

Posted on September 29, 2014

I will be starting work on the second phase of our Memory Box project with members of the community and the Learning Team at Falkirk Community Trust this week.  Phase one with Laurieston Primary has just won the 'Falkirk Learning to Achieve Award' so many congratulations to all the team and the students. Here's a wee reminder of their work...

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Coming Home at The Thrive Archive

Posted on September 29, 2014

'Coming Home' is a pilot project that has been funded by Enterprise Music Scotland. Mike Vass has been commissioned to write a new piece of music inspired by photographs taken by Ian Paterson and John Maher of abandoned croft houses in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The commission is also sponsored by Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin enabling their Big Band to be part of the development of the commission and I am working with Charlotte Hathaway ...

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Happy 75th Birthday Sir Alan!

Posted on April 7, 2014

I have had the honour of working with Alan Ayckbourn since the 90's so a big Happy Birthday Sir! One of my favourite design commissions  was 'Dear Uncle', his 75th play, the world premier of  his adaptation of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 2011. Set in the Lake District  in the 30's at every performance I saw  - and I saw quite a  few - the last act made me weep. Beautifully directed and beautifully acted, a ...

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Falkirk In the First World War

Posted on April 1, 2014

It has been a pleasure working with 31 primary school students in response to a photo album in the archive at Callendar House. The photographs of former pupils were collected by Mr Mather, the former headmaster of their school, Laurieston Primary, from 1914 -1918.  The students used 6 photographs of 9 heroes to explore the local archives finding out about their journey to the front and their exploits during the war. Following story telling ...

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A whistle blows…

Posted on March 25, 2014

A powerful moment @NPGLondon yesterday when curator Paul Moorhouse blew his 1916 field whistle and a lecture theatre packed with young men and women from the length and breadth of Great Britain fell silent. www.npg.org.uk/nationalmemory

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Make-do and Mend

Posted on February 4, 2014

Drawing on The Dramatic

Posted on February 4, 2014