Nithraid 2017 was the first time when this popular Dumfries river Nith festival continued into the night time with live music, film projections, tasty vegan stew, campfires and stories by the Vikings.
I was privileged to document the efforts of talented artists from the Stove Network that masterminded and ran Nithraid and that continuously come up with creative ideas enhancing the cultural life in Dumfries.
Team members did a great job tending to the campfires, and Nordic log fires enhanced this year’s Viking theme.
Silent film screenings projected onto the walls of the Nithraid Village tent were spectacular. One could sit looking up at the moving scenes absolutely mesmerised for hours!
Saulty Coo looked fabulous (even after the dunking) silhouetted in the setting sun.
Hugh Bryden’s free-standing model of the Lyceum cinema doors, a preview of the upcoming “Forgotten Doors” exhibition, was a real hit as an impromptu peekaboo playground. Ha-ha!
Local musicians Fraser Clark and Stuart MacPherson performing live on the Blueprint100 acoustic nautical stage added to the festival’s ambience.
Nithraid visitors were also treated to delicious vegetarian stew by Craig Patterson of Catering Plus.
Galloway Longfhada Vikings who provided day-time combat displays and re-enactments came down to Mill Green fires. As they joined the evening festivities Doonhamers had another taster of what life by their river was 1000 years ago.
What an incredible exciting and mellow evening it was!
Just as John was battling an over eight hour nightmare journey to Newcastle-upon-Tyne during Storm Emma, I set out for a nice snow walk around some Robert Burns Dumfries locations. Because our town is sheltered by Galloway hills, local winters are normally quite mild and snow storms are a rare…
Conversation with
A photo essay from the workshop led by Em Strang, poet and creative facilitator, opening Orographic Oceanallover/Blueprint100 project
Nithraid 2014 is a return of a fun and spirited public celebration of the River Nith crossing Dumfries. Masterminded and organised by The Stove artists’ collective, this year’s Nithraid is bigger and more eventful and colourful. Some 5000 spectators lined the riverbanks on September 13 to see the Salty Coo parade, BMX…
Catching up with my blog posts – it’s nice to post something from my sunny September Dumfries Diaries images when it’s wet, cold and dark outside. These were taken on my walk along Glencaple Road when we ran out of milk and I hiked to St Michaels garage to get…
It’s the first shoot for Urban Portraits Dumfries project – and an exciting challenge. Moxie, the Herald at the Stove, responded to my open call for volunteer models and enlisted her family of 5 to be photographed after hours when most of High Street shops were closed. We had a phone consultation…
I have a one track mind – everywhere I go in Dumfries I look for ideal portrait locations. Kingholm Quay, with its picturesque harbour, rustic flock of chickens running freely in the neighbourhood, the abandoned telephone box, the river, hazy hills in the distance, the soft pastel waves of summer…
