Grimescapes at Newave Gallery

We were back at Newave Gallery on Monday, and once again we were totally stoked on what they had to offer. ‘GRIMESCAPES’ by Grant McNicoll was really interesting to us as a portrayal of the contemporary urban environment. We enjoyed how the miniature format of the paintings contrasted with the vast emptiness of the space, forcing us to search for the finer details in the work. Our personal favourite piece was ‘MEAT PORN’ perhaps for reasons all too obvious, it made us giggle.

Once again we were really impressed with the work on show in the gallery and we are still totally in love with the view from the massive window.

Photos and Words: Jess Connor

An Unknown Corner of the City

Lucia went to visit the Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Old Aberdeen last night. The garden is a popular destination for Lucia and she wanted to see how it had changed in the transition from summer to autumn. The colours were vivid and there was still plenty of green to be found in every corner. She even saw a couple of deer run past, which initially scared her because she thought it was some kind of massive dog.

What she didn’t expect to find, was a gate. Frequently visiting the garden she thought she knew it very well, yet there was a whole section closed off by this gate that Lucia had yet to explore. On the most part, the section hidden behind the gate was a work in progress in botanic terms. Yet it was still beautiful, in a unique way. The newly discovered section to the garden was empty, and silent. Wild mushrooms had sprung up everywhere and the trees were massive. It was a hidden piece of wilderness in an unknown corner of the city, an adventure close to home.

Photos and Words: Jess Connor

The Haar

Haar is the mysterious and somewhat creepy looking fog pictured above. It is unique to the north east of Scotland, particularly Aberdeen. Haar is a costal fog that occurs when summer approaches.

As the air above the land gets warmer, the North Sea remains very, very cold. When this air moves from the land to the sea, it condenses in reaction to the contrast in temperatures. The prevailing winds in these parts blow predominantly east to west, blowing the Haar inland, sometimes for many miles.

It creates a strange feeling. A mixture of excitement for the thought of approaching summer and and resentment for the new additional layer of grey in a city where the colour of the buildings matches the roads.

Photos and Words: Jess Connor

(Photos are scanned from prints, shot on 35mm Film using a Praktica MTL3)

Flower Bombing

Jess, planting some Sunflower seeds.

We went out flower bombing in Aberdeen City last night. For those who do not know, flower bombing is the act of planting flowers in areas where there is little or no plant life, but there could be. In an attempt to bring some colour to the granite city’s grey haze we found a few spots that were perfect to bomb a few Nasturtiums, Sunflowers and other easy to grow flowers known for their vibrance and colour.

We’re super excited to go flower bombing in other areas and see the resulting colour and new life in a few weeks time.

Flower Power

Photo: Lucia Gasparidesova

Ramblings of a Lame Dude 001

Little Lucy – El Bocho

Little Lucy really fucking hates her cat.

With so many street artists currently active in Berlin, I can imagine it being insanely difficult getting your work noticed and appreciated by not just other artists, but by the average pedestrian who decides to look up. Little Lucy is the work of El Bocho, who is a Berlin based street artist who’s been spraying his away across the city since 1997.

During my time in Berlin. One piece of street art that I noticed everywhere I turned was an image of a seemingly innocent little girl killing her cat in a number of creative, grim and often darkly hilarious ways. A friend of mine had mentioned that “once you see Lucy, you’ll see her everywhere.”

“Who’s Lucy?”

“Look up, man.”

And there she was.

Check out more of El Bocho’s work here.

Photo and Words: Neil Johnston

An Evening Stroll With Neil Johnston

Neil wandered around Old Aberdeen on a mild November evening. He admired the ancient architecture of the neighbourhood he grew up in whilst chain smoking Pall Mall Reds and answering the questions we had to throw at him.