River Portrait No. 1

River Portrait No. 1 is a workshop exploring ways of seeing on the River Tweed. Bringing together artists, creative professionals and environmentalists, the event aims to create a space for unpicking and re-framing the multiple faces of the river through the act of creating a portrait.

Our interactions with the River Tweed shape our understanding of it, yet the river is vast, and we can never see or touch the whole river at once. At one and the same time the river is a nursery for young salmon, a conduit for seeds, an ice bath for swimmers, a water supply for farmers, a food supply for birds and a drain for the uplands. Looking through the eyes of others can help us uncover the complexities of the river and communicate with greater sensitivity and strength.

Re-orientating this familiar landscape, we ask, how do we create a portrait of the river?

With Mooie Scott, Visual Artist | Emily Iles, Invasive Species Project, Tweed Forum | Patrick Barbour, The Tweed Foundation

Programme:

• 10am – 10.15am: Welcome and refreshments
• 10.15am – 11.45am: Walk and talks
• 11.45am – 1pm: River portrait activity
• 1pm – 2pm: Discussion and picnic

Hosted by Connecting Threads, a Southern Uplands Partnership project, in collaboration with Creative Carbon Scotland’s Green Tease programme and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Refreshments

Hot and cold drinks will be available at the fishing hut upon arrival.

A vegetarian picnic lunch will be provided as part of the event.

If you have any dietary requirements (vegan, coeliac etc.) please state this when booking your ticket.

Booking

The event is free to attend but booking is essential. Please reserve your ticket through Eventbrite.

Note that there are two different ticket types; this is to try to get a good mix of participants. Pick whichever you think describes you best.

Location and getting here

The event will be based at the Lower Pavilion Fishings, Melrose, TD5 3TP.

A map of the location can be found here: https://goo.gl/maps/bQcTqCoJ7VTqs3RE7

• Borders Bus number 67 travels between Galashiels Interchange, Tweedbank Railway Station, Melrose, St Boswells, Kelso and Coldstream. The Lower Pavilion is a 10-15 minute walk from the bus stop in Melrose.
• The Lower Pavilion is accessible on foot from Gattonside (10 mins), Tweedbank (40 mins), Melrose (10 mins) and Newstead (25 mins).
• Limited parking is available outside the fishing hut, with further on-street parking available on Bridge Road (north / Gattonside side of the river)

Access

The Lower Pavilion is accessed via a short flight of steps and is therefore not wheelchair accessible. If you have access requirements that you would like to discuss, please get in touch with Emily on the email address below.

Weather permitting, much of the event will be held outside. Please bring warm and waterproof clothing and footwear suitable for walking along the riverbank.

Contact

For further information about the event please contact Emily at Connecting Threads: [email protected]

About Green Tease

This event is taking place as part of the Green Tease events series and network, a project organised by Creative Carbon Scotland, bringing together people from arts and environmental backgrounds to discuss, share expertise, and collaborate.