The prestigious British Art Show 9 wraps up its three-month visit to Aberdeen this weekend with a vibrant and colourful parade through the city centre.
Plant Theatre For Plant People, is a brand new work by visual artist Grace Ndiritu for BAS9, which will go on to tour the UK after creating a stir in the Granite City.
The parade will be a true spectacle with dancing, costumes and masks at the centre of the work, as it weaves from Aberdeen Art Gallery to Union Street and back on Sunday at 2pm
It will be a highly-visual ending to the prestigious show that will finish up on Sunday.
Grace has been working with local people in a series of workshops, exploring the natural world through meditation and spirituality.
That includes graduates of Gray’s School Of Art – whose creative unit, Look Again, has been working closely with the gallery on the Beyond BAS9 programme, marking the final days of the exhibition.
Great opportunities for art in Aberdeen
The Plant Theatre costumes and props have been created during the workshops, led by visual artist Grace and with the support of two Gray’s alumni and former Gray’s lecturer.
One of those involved is Gray’s graduate Aymee Charlton who studied fashion design and has made 15 costumes for the parade.
She said: “I’m from Aberdeen and studied in the city and it’s really great to have something at home. I’ve been using my skills to create the costumes, using plant matter and food waste to make some really beautiful, organic prints. It’s been a great project to be involved in and I hope it leads to more opportunities in the city.”
Hilary Nicoll, associate director for Look Again, said: “This event is important for us here in Aberdeen, bringing performance and contemporary art to a wider audience and out onto the streets of our city as part of the Beyond BAS9 festival.”
British Arts Show 9 opened at Aberdeen Art Gallery in July, the first of four host cities for the event which tours every five years as a snapshot of the best in contemporary art in the country.
City is worthy host of large-scale shows like British Art Show
It received critical acclaim when it opened in the Granite City, with 33 artists taking part, including two new commissions – Grace’s Plant People and Florence Peake’s Crude Care.
With more than 40 events surrounding the show, it attracted widespread attention in the city during its run.
Councillor Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesperson, hailed the success of BAS9 and the legacy it will leave for Aberdeen.
She said: “Aberdeen has proved itself a worthy host for a major large-scale exhibition such as British Art Show, and I look forward to seeing what’s next for contemporary art and artists in the city-region beyond BAS9.”
Marie said the team at the art gallery had built strong relations with partners and the cultural community in Aberdeen. That included working with a diverse group of ambassadors to connected BAS9 with their own communities.
One ambassador, Bart Grabski, said: “Having British Art Show 9 in Aberdeen made art more accessible through for example collaboration with the mobile art school from Robert Gordon University and many more.
“As the exhibition comes to an end let’s work all together on the legacy and keeping the momentum going, because the potential in Aberdeen’s creative scene is immense!”
Sunday’s parade is just one of several events taking place over this weekend’s last chance to see BAS9. You can find details of what’s on here.
BAS9, which is staged by Hayward Gallery Touring, will go on to visit Wolverhampton, Manchester and Plymouth.