Skills Biennale poster and information leaflet
Five major arts organisations based in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City (Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Sound Festival, Deveron Arts, Woodend Barn and Gray’s School of Art) have been collaborating to deliver Skills Biennale 2014.
Taking the theme of Food And Sustainability, the project aims to create a new platform for the exchange of skills and ideas between artists and local food practices. The North East of Scotland enjoys a well deserved reputation as Scotland’s Larder; fresh fish, Aberdeen Angus beef and traditional products such as shortbread and whisky, but what does this mean in terms of opportunities for eating well?
Five invited artists have spent time engaging with local food organisations and the community, employing their creative skills and curiosity to question our relationship with food and diet in a place of amazing produce.
Throughout September five writers will share their observations on the collaborations at
http://skillsbiennale.wordpress.com
The design
Firstly, we created the Skills Biennale identity. Taking those cues of a food label for the identity, it seemed natural to make the poster and leaflet the packaging. The food looked at through the project all have a sense of quality and the artisan. Therefore the packaging looks hand-wrapped (and unwrapped several times rather than the more typical cellophane, vacuum packed wrap.
The next stage was simple – the text sits on labels. Finally, logos need to be there, and rightly so as they show the variety and quality of the organisations involved.
A footnote
We attended the event at Woodend Barn. This was a collaboration between the artist Tom Pritchard and Cambus O’ May Cheese. It was a wonderful experience. Tom took us through the production of hand made cheese in a way that defined the tradition and heritage of what is a repetitive but creative process – he did this as a sung, spoken, written and physical performance. Afterwards we ate cheese. Lots of cheese. And talked about the role of tradition, of community and of the arts.
It was friendly, intimate and enlightening.
