PUSSY RIOT : RIOT DAYS
Pussy Riot filmed three years ago at Summerhall in Edinburgh. Republished in solidarity with the resistance.
PLAY : John Quirk and Helen Woolston
John Quirk and Helen Woolston are animators in residence at MERZ, working with local kids and on their own projects. Their exhibition and films will be shown in the MERZ Gallery at the end of March. “Meet strange beings inspired by Crawick fungi! Test the first video-game set in a fantastical reimagining of Sanquhar! See... Read More
SNUG BECOMES SELF-CONTAINED WITH KITCHEN
A kitchen has recently been added to the Snug at MERZ. All the MERZ ‘domestic’ buildings are now self-contained, with bathroom and kitchen. MERZ offers a variety of studio spaces. When not in use for exhibition the MERZ gallery and Museum of Model Art provide additional working buildings while the No 5 residency has a studio... Read More
KURT SCHWITTERS NEEDS A PEE
In the final months of his life Kurt Schwitters visited the MERZ barn at Elterwater to work on his installation. Kurt’s poor health, combined with the cold and wet conditions of Winter 1947, often limited his stay to an hour a day following the bus journey from his digs in Ambleside. Here are a few... Read More
John Quirk : MERZ Animator in Residence
John Quirk and Helen Woolston are animators in residence at MERZ. In this interview John outlines work with local children and introduces his video game based on Sanquhar. John and Helen will be exhibiting at MERZ at the end of March, including the public showcase of the Sanquhar Video Game.
Helen Woolston : MERZ Animator in Residence
Helen Woolston and John Quirk are animators in residence at MERZ. Helen’s a masters graduate of the animation school in Tallinn, Estonia. Here Helen outlines the work she’s been undertaking while in residence and her plans for screenings and an exhibition with John at the end of March.
No 5 Update : MERZ Artist Residency House
In keeping with the MERZ residency buildings, No 5 is self contained with kitchen and shower … but uniquely at MERZ, no 5 offers two bedrooms, a small double and a bunk-bed ‘single’. No 5 also has a small studio on the ground floor, a space that can be used for a modest studio-exhibition in... Read More
Olivia Irvine & Linda Kosciewicz : Oursels as ithers see us
Olivia Irvine, Michele Marcoux and Linda Kosciewicz were artists in residence at MERZ in Spring 2021. Their group exhibition provided the focus; to look in from the ‘outside’. Coincidentally these three explorations at MERZ addressed our Winter Exhibition theme, in a less obvious way: as ‘local portraits’. Unfortunately the Covid upsurge imposed post-Christmas restrictions on visitors.... Read More
MERZ RESIDENCIES : New Accommodation for 2022
During the pandemic MERZ has been extending its residency accommodation adding extra self-contained residencies, museum and studio spaces to the original Bothy and MERZ Gallery. The Tadpole residency building features a wood-burning stove, a king-size loft bed and a large shower in its en suite: ideal for a couple as well as single. Tadpole has... Read More
MERZ Animation Workshop : 29th January
Hosted by John F Quirk and Helen Woolston: “A screening of unorthodox animation, in both style and slant. Animation is punk. Animation is personal. Join us for a sampling of rough, unpasteurised, scratchy, and tricky and strange shorts, from Estonian birthday parties to Czech shoe-eating to Japanese bird shit.” Animators from South West Scotland are... Read More
Laia Gimeno : Artist in Residence at MERZ September ’21 to January ’22
Following her three month residency at MERZ Laia wrote:- ‘MERZ Residency Programme offers an amazing place to work, the installation is perfect and you can find everything that you need for work. There’s more too if your work is based on models or miniatures at MERZ’s Museum of Model Art. One of the unique features... Read More
Laia Gimeno : Models of Journeys and Refuge
MERZ artist in residence Laia Gimeno introduces Models of Journeys and Refuge, an exhibition at the Museum of Model Art from 28th to 30th December 2021. Here Laia works with local kids and her own project using Brazilian ‘lambe lambe’ theatre models. With MERZ Laia has been working on the Kurt Schwitters-Hannah Höch movie that... Read More
Laia Gimeno : Models of Journeys and Refuge
Laia Gimeno is currently an artist in residence at MERZ. Laia has been working on the set and models for Kurt Schwitters-Hannah Höch : the movie. Laia has been developing her project of the Brazilian model theatres, lambe lambe. Working with kids from Sanquhar Laia has assisted with four lambe lambe that tell the tale... Read More
Olivia Irvine : Familial Places
Recent MERZ artist in residence Olivia Irvine received a Creative Scotland Open Fund Bursary to research and develop ideas based on her family. Olivia spent time gathering information in the places she was brought up – Kilmarnock, Cults, Aberdeen and Banff – and in her mother’s current house in Edinburgh. She made trips to these... Read More
Michele Marcoux : MERZ residency
Michele Marcoux was artist in residence at MERZ in Spring 2021. Michele and her colleagues Olivia Irvine and Linda Kosciewicz will be exhibiting work derived from their residencies at Patriothall in Edinburgh.
White Mill : Mark Zygadlo
Mark Zygadlo introduces White Mill at MERZ. White Mill is a wind-powered device for purifying water that featured in the Sanquhar Arts Festival.
Lady Dada and Hannah Hoch : The Unveiling
Lady Dada and Hannah Höch unveil The Orchids and The Divers at the launch of the Third Sanquhar Arts Festival at the end of August 2021. The collage by Denise Zygadlo and Amy Marletta was made in May for World Collage Day at MERZ but along with the Festival itself unveiling was delayed till August... Read More
Life under Lockdown
Appearing at MERZ for a limited run, the exhibition Life under Lockdown features the work of seven artists from their teens to their seventies. Running over the last weekend of August as part of the Sanquhar Arts Festival the exhibition will be open by appointment for the next few weeks.