LAND

The LAND project provides an opportunity to join a voyage of discovery centred around the majestic tall ships, La Malouine and The Lady of Avenel. Taking steps away from terra firma we invite communities and individuals to express and signal their feelings around land use, food production and climate emergency as we journey through imagination, celebration, hospitality and making.

The project started with La Malouine, an 80ft LOD. Brigantine, which travelled around Solway ports during late 2021 and 2022. Local artists hosted a series of workshops for communities to design and make novel maritime flags. Flags are a traditional way of signalling at sea and these community made flags from upcycled fabric were designed to express and signal environmental concerns and future hopes and when flown all together on the tall ship, carry a spectacular and powerful environmental message. During the journey along the coast, flags gathered for event days and a ‘Dressing of the Ship’ celebration where the flags were hoisted into the ship’s rigging, along with a spectacular procession, food and art event and live music on the quayside.

The first event day was in Palnackie in October ’21 where flags made in Palnackie, Dalbeattie and Auchencairn were flown on board the tall ship, La Malouine and then the flags travelled to the Landing Hub during COP26 in Glasgow as a message from Dumfries and Galloway to world leaders. For LAND 2022 we held workshops in Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Annan. The flags flew along the suspension bridge in Dumfries at Nithraid River Festival in Dumfries and were paraded around Annan before being hoisted onto the tall ship La Malouine. They flew in Kirckudbright’s Moat Brae and onboard The Lady of Avenel tall ship at The Findhorn Bay Arts Festival in Buckie.

LAND 2023 is in Gatehouse of Fleet, Whithorn, Port Logan and Stranraer, with the flags flying around Stranraer harbour during Spring Fling 26-29th May and at Nithraid River Festival in Dumfries on September 2nd.