Celebratory Event 1, Maryhill
The celebratory events marked the acknowledgment of the activities. I planned them and organised them with the participating groups. The groups that participated in the activities brought back the results to their locality for everyone to enjoy.
Photographs: The building of the first celebratory event was an old industrial building which had been renovated to be a venue for functions. We had a group of drummers performing. The two boats were positioned in the centre so everyone could see them. Credit: Author's own.
Material from the activation of the livescape was disseminated at a celebratory event in locality, Maryhill. We anticipated a big turnout, so we needed a big space that would accomodate everything we had planned: the boats, the film screening, the talks and awards ceremony, the drumming, the shared dinner and the dancing. The event was part of the Scottish Refugee Council Festival 2019 and partly funded by it. The Engine Works, a redeveloped post-industrial space, was our venue for the event. The location and building were suitable as it was adjacent to the canal. The venue was hired to this community event as an exception, which showed the difficulty to find places for an event of this scale for the community, as places in the heritage locality become profit making enterprises which presents barriers to groups to participate in the heritage environment.
Photograph: One group brough their dancers who performed dances from around the world. Credit: Author's own.
As with singing on the canal boat, dancing is a form of activation used by migrant communities as a form of reclaiming space. The dancing group danced in the venue, next to the boats, celebrating the achievement and the boats entering in the community.
Photographs: The event consisted of : talks, certificate giving, drumming, dancing, and food sharing. Credit: Author's own.
The FCCS gave certificates of achievement to the participants in the boat-handling and boat-building activities.
“I had not a clue about how to build boats. The skills from boat building will stay with us for the rest of our lives (Participant 1, talking in the celebratory event)
Everyone had a chance to talk, recite poems, receive awards and name the boats. A lady, 82 years old, who participated in the boat-handling activity, had never had an award before. When the heritage landscape becomes alive through celebrations, it reveals the livescape, a space where inequalities become apparent. It also indicates a method of engagement with the heritage environment that creates a sense of ownership in the locality.
Photographs: Participants felt a sense of belonging when they showcased their boats to their families, friends and the rest of their community. The feeling of contributing back to the place you live. Credit: Author's own.
Celebratory Event 2, Kirkintilloch
The Kirkintilloch Town Hall has been developed to a heritage centre and an events venue for the area. It is in the heart of Kirkintilloch and next to the Forth and Clyde canal.
Photographs: The celebratory event showed the inequalities in the heritage space. We wanted to have the celebration and exhibition and shared lunch at the same place, however, that was not possible due to high costs. As community groups are not allowed to cater for themselves inside the local council's building, this poses barriers to direct engagement with heritage. Credit: Participant's own.
The participating community groups used singing as an empowerment tool to reclaim the Town Hall. There were film screenings, with films made by the groups.
The young participants gave a talk about being a diverse group of young people and the meaning of building the boat in asserting themselves and finding a place to belong through engaging with the canal and water.
Photographs: The FCCS gave out certificates to all activities' participants. there was sign-singing, performance of a new song about the canal and an exhibition about the boat building. Credit: Author's own.
The Exhibition
Two of the youth club engaged with the curators of the co-curated space at the heritage centre, in order to produce an exhibition on their boat-building. They chose the objects that meant most to them during the activity and helped writing texts and choosing photos from the local archives. They made a point of carrying their boat into the gallery space and in the local community to see.
Photograph: Exhibition, Co-curated Space, Kirkintilloch Town Hall. Credit: Author's own.
Poster: This poster was used by the local council to advertise the exhibition. There was press coverage of the exhibition in the local press websites and newspapers.
Livescape 