That is the site visit complete and access routes are scouted out. After the next blacksmithing session in Whithorn it will be all go getting ready. We are excited.
Our programme will be:
30th of November
“St Andrews Day”
7th of December
“I saw free ships come sailing in”
14th of December
“Dress Sense”
21st and 22nd of December
“Ghost of Christmas Past”
With a chance to make things every week and special themed activities each week.
Visit the main page on the Cluaran website to get involved.
You could think of it as training to become an elf, if that helps. Whether that is an elf from Greenwood the great, Valinor, Alfheim, Svartheim, Finland, Faerie, or somewhere like the Sword Coastcan be discussed.
“Making Space” on Saturdays in the Loreburn centre
Wordsmith Crafts is moving into the Loreburn centre in Dumfries. We will occupy a space to help you make space for making. The costs of this have been covered so you won’t need cash. Craft cool gifts using recycled and donated materials, help make materials available for others to use.
Scraps of wire to Jewellery
No cash needed – others have covered the costs to make this happen.
Sit down, de-stress, do something with your fingers.
All age (but not free childcare!) craft activities
Tap into the skills and techniques that made Christmas before consumerism
Time travel and discover Christmas past.
Like a floating monastery we have collected relics from the history of these islands. Come and sit in the storytelling tent and hear stories that are older than Scotland. Escape the present for a moment and let your imagination take you on an adventure.
In Dumfries and Galloway there are two weeks of school holidays in October. Traditionally this was to free up young people to help howk the tatties from the fields. For Cluaran it meant that we could run a story and crafts session for kids on hokiday at Annan museum. It also meant that we could be joined by Kate for a school visit in Oban, taking time off from being a teacher to volunteer at a school! Perhaps it continues the time of from work to work of the Holidays.
Researching Clan MacDougal at Kilbride
Then it was off even further north to tell stories of St Columba on the shores of Loch Ness with History Matters. Cathbad joined a collection of historical characters in the orchard of castle Urqhuart. We helped visitors catch a glimpse of the past in a stunning setting.
Fabulis vivere per vera veritate
Perhaps one year we will bring the boat! But until then we will continue to give people the opportunity to find a fragment of the past and hear the story that goes with it.
Hopefully this will act as an appetiser, and they will seek to find a place at the table where the feast is in full swing.
Thursday evening 19.00 to 21.00 and Monday afternoons from 14.00 to 17.00
As usual this is a club not a led workshop. Please bring your own materials and projects, or try something new with the donated materials and tools we have accumulated.
That said, some evenings will have a theme where regulars are willing to share their skills rather than simply use the time for their own projects.
We ask for £5 a time to cover overheads, or you can contribute in kind.
We will be rowing as part of the Nithraid River Festival in 2024, but not as part of the race. We will be travelling in time and mind …
Cluaran has always used the phrase “The sea connects” and has enjoyed an eclectic selection of events. We challenge peoples assumption that water is a barrier by building boats. We build boats from scrap and gathered natural materials to demonstrate how simple it can be to get on the water. We use imagination and performance to immerse people in experiences of other times, and tell stories where mythological truths can be contemplated.
At the 2023 Nithraid we collected a crew of time travellers. They brought stories from the past, present, and future to help people think about their relationship to the river. Follow the link to read about Ola who travelled back in time to warn about a possible future
What will 2024 look like ???
In 2024 we are transporting visiting artist Graham Bell Tornado. We are looking forward to finding out what this will involve. If you are curious, why not take a look at their list of Queer Ecology projects?
We are getting cluaran ready and practicing rowing on Thursday evenings leading up to the event. If you are interested in joining, please sign up here:
As well as our regulars, our crew will have an international flavour as we are joined by Cille Anglevik an artist from Norway. (I can assure you she is not a cat)
Ever wanted to find out what happened after the book finished? Or do you get so immersed in reading that you ‘see’ the events you have read about ‘written’ in the landscape?
You are not alone!
Throughout the summer groups around the world bring history to life through reenactment of events and recreation of clothing and equipment based on archaeological finds. They are also people who create environments where you can immerse yourself in fantasy worlds, play games, and walk around inside a story.
Wordsmithcrafts projects anchor themselves in research, and steer away from the excesses of wild fantasy. This is out of respect for the power of imagination, rather than suspicion or fear of it though!
Would you like to get involved? Here are some of the activities this summer that by next summer you could be participating in…
Whithorn- Viking Weekend
Watch Galloway Longfhada doing their thing in Whithorn
The show season has well and truly started. School visiting overlaps with weekend events, so it is a busy time of year!
The essential Viking era Cathbad?
Cathbad and Wulfgar have just returned from a market in Norway. These markets are international melting pots of ideas, interpretations, and places to learn skills. This market is held annually near Avaldsnes, on the island of Bukkøy.
Three swords set in stone to remember the acheivement of Harald Fairhair.
Soon they will be travelling to the south and a ‘Thing’ gathering on the Isle of Man.
They also took the opportunity to visit a bronze age gathering place for ships.
