Roofless, Scotland’s biggest and most ambitious outdoor arts programme was launched this year by UZ Arts in Ayr, Glasgow and Shetland, with remarkable artwork created through the participation of hundreds of members of the public.

Buzzbeak, a metal condor created by artist Sumit Sarkar, is about to spend September in Dumfries and Galloway, where the UZ team will work with local artists and others to produce new exhibitions and performances in village halls in Ecclefechan, Gatehoue and Moniave. A finale, featuring each village’s work, will be held in Dumfries High School on 15 and 16 September.

In Shetland, over 9,000 people (40% of the island’s population) saw Buzzbeak emerge from its metal shell to receive gifts of music including singing, guitar and banjo playing and countless mp3 tunes. Young and old were visibly astonished as the animated bird, created entirely from Land Rover parts, stretched its metal wings and soared towards the sky in the beautiful island landscape.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the Roofless team have created new work with communities in the west of Scotland. In Ayr and Glasgow, hundreds of members of the public aged from five years-old to 75 years-old worked with artist Oliver Grossetete to create beautiful towers made from cardboard that, in Glasgow, rose to 17 metres before being toppled to the amazement of the hundreds of watching children

Future projects under the Roofless banner will include Theatre Modo’s Aberdeenshire fire parade, Maelstrom (Nov), and the culmination of the large scale Helix project in Falkirk and Grangemouth in 2013.

More information can be found at roofless.org.uk.

Roofless was part funded by Creative Scotland and IN SITU, the European street arts network.

Share This Page