So I’ll be going back. But for now, these are the things that have so far grabbed my attention:

Alistair Gow makes very spatially aware etchings / aquatints. Hugely confident, bold statements.

Mary Wintour’s pieces have something intriguing about them. She seems to be creating collages in just the one medium. They’re jumbled architectural landscapes with a sumptuous tonal palette.

I was taken by Mhairi Sharp’s work when she uploaded it to Central Station a while ago. Good to see it in the flesh so to speak. Resin / cast adidas trainers, unsettling and famiilar all at once.

Phoebe Harrison is showing an array of work that explores the idea of relic and archive (and other things, I’m sure.) The centre piece of her show is a glass house of maggots rescued from burnt-down-Glasgow-zoo and living flies.

Last week a cross-section of creative life in Glasgow met to pin down ways of progressing the project. This was a follow up to the first Vacant Lot session earlier in the year – an open-house brainstorming evening that saw thirty artists, film-makers and designers throw ideas around about making work in unused and derelict spaces.

Sat round the table this time were Bill Millett (artist / film-maker / photographer) and Tom Warren (architect & part of Govanhill Baths ART) who between them kick-started this project way back when. Also Leah & Ruth Black who are two thirds of The Gin Palace (design exhibited in unused spaces), Neil McGuire (designer & VisComm tutor at GSA), Kate Bowen (independent producer), Angie Bual (producer at the National Theatre of Scotland), Lex Lamb (small-media-large, a design agency) and yours truly (also a producer.) We were also joined by artist Janie Nicoll.

The idea of the session was to focus the myriad thoughts discussed at the first Vacant Lot open-house. Our main aim – to come up some practical next steps to take forward the impetus to make work in disused, derelict and vacant spaces on a strategic and potentially national (Scottish) level.

The following suggestions emerged, with the table in agreement that a few of key pieces of work need if we’re to move towards dovetailing the two key parties involved in Vacant Lot: namely i) the creatives in need of space and ii) the owners of unused spaces who might benefit from short term inhabitants.

1. Let’s build a portfolio of successful case studies of Vacant Lot projects. These don’t have to be Scottish examples. They don’t have to be British – why not look internationally at how people are doing this sort of thing? They do need to show what added value the project brought to the space and possibly to the area surrounding it. Ideally we’ll contact people involved in these case studies and involve them in Project Vacant Lot as ambassadors.

2. We need to quantify what developers / owners of unused space gain from hosting creative work. Why – ideally in financial terms – is it better to have creative work in an empty space than nothing at all? This information is probably the key that will persuade property owners to loan out their spaces.

3. We’ll list the funding bodies and trusts already supporting these kinds of project around the world would be useful. Alongside this we should create a list of potential organisations who might be interested in funding something Scotland-based.

4. We need to gather together a portfolio of key partners who at some point in the not so distant future might need to sit round a table to discuss a Project Vacant Lot strategy. Including city and borough council representatives, developers, politicians, representatives from Creative Scotland and so on.

Finally…and this is the fun bit…let’s work towards an actual Project Vacant Lot. What’s the point in strategy if you don’t get to practice what you’re preaching??

So then, here at Central Station we’re wondering whether our first birthday might be a good moment in time for a big old Vacant Lot shindig. Anyone fancy it? A creative festival that exists on here and in found spaces, some time in September / October. Sounds good, no?

And that’s just about it. Those of you who were at the meeting, please do expand on things I’ve undoubtedly missed. Those of you weren’t, add your thoughts below. And everyone, watch out for a short questionnaire we’ll be circulating shortly – probably via the medium of blog. We’d really like you to answer a few short questions to help us move this forward.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Vacant Lot, please see the rest of the blogs here.

Over and Out.

So then, a quick update for all of you out there about what’s going on re Vacant Lot.

About a month ago 30 or so members of Central Station gathered here at our offices in Glasgow to discuss Bill Millett and Tom Warren’s combined blog about the use of derelict and unused spaces. After a couple of hours of talking, a few very tangible ideas began to emerge around strategy and production of projects in unused spaces in Glasgow, Scotland and across the UK.

Since then a few of you have been posting links to other projects that are already happening and researching what’s already going on out there.

On Wednesday 24th a smaller group of creatives and producers with experience of making work in unused spaces will be meeting to try and thrash out the specifics and logistics of a plan that allows forward movement – the possibility of starting to talk to funding bodies, property developers, city councils and so on. We’ll be sharing the results of the session on here so everyone can peruse and comment.

Hopefully in the not so distant future we’ll hold a case-study orientated get together that everyone can come to, where people share their experiences of working in this sort of realm. A conference of sorts, somewhere to get the creative juices flowing.

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Image courtesy of Janie Nicoll

They were at Edinburgh College of Art at the same time, and were paired up by their two departments to work together on a collaborative project. The idea was to address the idea of the creative working as an isolated / solitary force. And to work in a different, more open and engaged way. It was a flexible brief.

So Jo created a short text, something that was quite open-ended. Which forced her into thinking about someone else, someone else’s interpretation, how someone else might think. She emailed work to Gen, having never met her…

Gen in the mean time was being asked to create an image that the writer could respond to. So she drew We Howl, a wolf catching salmon for their tea.

Both girls seemed to be frightened of how the other artist would respond. What would they interpret? Was there enough for the other to work with?

The actual work: Jo wrote a prose poem responding to Gen’s work. Very different stylistically to what she normally writes. And Gen came up with a delicate image called The Watch in response to one particular line in Jo’s text.

Both Gen and Jo recommend collaborating, having been wary and cautious to begin with. It’s really affected how they approach their work, what they do, how they think. Going forward, they’re going to work together again, planning a book for the not so distant future.

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To find out what Dundee Popup was all about or to read more reviews & blogs  from the day, click here.

Heidi and I are sat at the front of the auditorium, doing some live blogging. Excuse the typos…

Mel Woods is hosting. As well as being head of various postgrad programmes at DJCAD, Mel’s also an artist. She’s talking about some of her projects, including Serendipitous Arena, a project that starts in June 2010.

First up, it’s Yuck ‘n Yum, who are here to talk about their fanzine. Ben and Gail are part of a collective of four who see themselves as a distribution conduit for emerging artists. They’re based in Dundee. But they’re interested in artists based across the nation. They distribute the fanzine every 3 or 4 months (which people who are here are now looking at.)

They started producting the zine in 2005. It began as a DIY project, but quickly grew. They’re funded through a couple of sources, including the Hannah Maclure centre. All of their issues are online on their website – www.yucknyum.com. And you can download and print them – printing on demand they call it.

Yuck ‘n Yum hold events outwith a gallery a setting. They want to engage with the public outside ‘the white cube.’ They want to encourage up and coming artists to engage and perform. All for a fee.

Projects in the past have included handing out free art, free music. Also a bluetooth project called Turn Your Bluetooth On in Inverness. As part of their Windows in the City exhibition they distributed video and audio art via bluetooth to the patrons of a local carpark. Starting point = stupid supermarket campaigns. Why not work that to make it creative?

And moving forward…next launch is early April. Including a submissions deadline. (So then, to get into the new issue of the zine, you send stuff in by the 15th March. Just send a jpeg to submissions@yucknyum.com. They’re keen on AV too – for the website.) They’re also making a mix-tape for KYTN (Arika’s baby – they’re talking later – watch this space.) Plus Annual General Karaoke’s coming up. The idea: get artists to make videos, send them in, do a karaoke night. Like an Annual General Meeting, except not. Possibly including cash prizes. Oh yes.

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To find out what Dundee Popup was all about or to read more reviews & blogs  from the day, click here.

It’s already looking like a great day and a great turnout of people, but don’t fret if you can’t be here. Along with some of Censta’s members we’ll be blogging and tweeting the day. Watch out for blogs in the Dundee Popup group, follow @censta for tweets, tagged #dundeepopup and there will be photos uploaded by Ross_McLean all through the day and footage coming from Andy later in the week.

Posters by Superfly have been spotted all round the city, and the LTD edition booklets by SooperDD and Johanna Basford are already a coveted item.

The blogs as they come in…… and the tweets for the day.

And here’s the first blog … read all about Public Image at the Cooper Gallery @DCJAD.

Lots of people meeting, eating and blogging in between tours at the Censta hub at the Dundee Rep.

Emlyn Firth gives the lowdown on the DJCAD graduates showcase, including a live link up on Skype.

Our very own Suzy Glass gives her view of the Dalziel & Scullion studio tour.

Ever been inside the coveted doors of Realtime Worlds? Jon Carlos went along, what did he see?

Censta and members got a very special sneak preview of the soon to be re-opened and very much renovated McManus Gallery. Gillian Easson gives you an idea of what’s in store.

Heidi Proven disappeared into the Visual Research Centre at Dundee Contemporary Arts, and thinks you should too.

JonGill took in the DCA Print studio, screen printing, etching, block, lino and litho. Jessica Ashman gave us her account of the DCA Print Studio tour too.

Martin Boyce took members round his No Reflections instillation at the DCA, and explained the challenges of exhibiting the work in two different spaces. Here and at Venice Biennalle. Curator Donna HolfordLovell takes us through the talk.

Superfly has an obsession, find out what it is.

Artists and makers from Handmade Heaven, showed off their wares and Censta members a plenty bought things. See what Hellojenuine liked.

Then it was time for This is… at the Hannah Maclure Centre which went like this:
Yuck & Yum told us about the ways they distrubute art without using gallery spaces
Johanna Basford & Sooper DD entertained us with stories of collaboration
Arika went through their KYTN 2009 plans and how you can get involved
Genevieve Ryan & Jo Swingler talked us through recent illustration & creative writing collaboration
We heard and saw music & animation from Colliderscope‘s Fiona Soe Paing
Georgina Follett let us know about the V&A Dundee developments.

These were covered by Htothep, suzy.glass & DJCADExhibitions.

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To find out what Dundee Popup was all about or to read more reviews & blogs  from the day, click here.