The familiar sound of bagpipes opened the CashBack to the Future 2019 showcase at the Barrowlands. Our piper, Dan, led us to the stage, where the show began with a screening of the East Ayrshire digital arts team’s Killy TV production. Broadcasting their version of a newscast, the young people showed us their particularly satirical vision of mythology and supernatural events in Scotland.
With a smile already on the faces of audience members, the show continued with theatrical and musical performances, and screenings of the digital arts from the groups from across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Edinburgh.
“Very inspiring indeed! Incredible performances and artworks, so much talent. Safe to say the future is very BRIGHT!”
The Ayrshire group displayed spectacular costumes, props and scenery in a theatrical piece inspired by Scottish stereotypes. The audience even witnessed a battle between giant bottles of Irn Bru and Coca Cola! (with Irn Bru prevailing to the agreement of the crowd).
The performance group from Paisley beautifully performed a sword dance and moved the audience with their poetry and words which shared an aspirational and optimistic vision of the future of Scotland – all set against a backdrop of amazing images from across Scotland. The Edinburgh group’s dance, which imitated weaving movements, was invocative, while the Glasgow group took the audience by surprise, unveiling the giant Nessie they had created over the course of CashBack to the Future.
The intermission provided a welcome opportunity for the audience to visit the exhibitions of the visual arts groups. The team from Glasgow dazzled us with their landscape paintings, screen printing, warrior masks, tartan and portraits. The Edinburgh group left us impressed with their huge pheasant costume – formerly Laird Pheasant McPheasantface – speech bubbles and weaving artwork. Equally impressive, the group from Refrewshire group exhibited a huge Scottish Landscape mural and their fun papier mache haggis. All the while, two hardworking participants were busy completing very popular commissions of banana drawings – “We’ll paint a banana holding anything” read the sign!
The work of each individual, and each group was appreciated equally, but there was real value demonstrated through the collaborations between the digital arts and performance groups, we could also see their visual art group’s artwork contributing the collective work of all the performances. The Glasgow group demonstrated their ability to use digital tools and software creatively by incorporating traditional images of Scotland into contemporary interpretations of modern Scottish life and culture. Young people from Edinburgh featured their interviews with visitors of the National Museum of Scotland.
Back on stage, now it was the turn of the bands, singers and various music groups. There was an eclectic variety of musical styles and genres. Glasgow’s groups made us dance with lively modern music, punk rock and moved us with a slow song – all original compositions. The performance of the Paisley band – including, covers of Bring Me The Horizon and Billy Eilish – was delivered with real energy, and the rhythm of Edinburgh’s interpretation of a Gaelic call-and-return, alongside a very catchy mashup of the Procalimers, Simple Minds, and Runrig, provided a more traditional feeling to the performances and the meaning behind them.
The show’s finale featured all the young people coming together on stage and performing the popular song ‘Sweet Dreams, by Eurythmics, ending the showcase on a high, with a great feeling of excitement and achievement.
“What an amazing event! Better art than I’ve seen in The Tate London, better bands than I’ve seen in the Hydros and better plays than the Fringe! These young folks will go a long way. Big up Impact Arts!”
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected]
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Funds Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
Nestled away in Ayrshire College’s Kilmarnock Campus, our fantastic band of East Ayrshire young people have been produced their stop motion animation, made mythical creatures out of willow and papier mache, and did some script writing. Young people had a chance to visit the National Museum of Scotland and members of the group got to hold a replica Jacobite shield! The East Ayrshire group has also been filming their own television show “Supernatural Scotland”, segment for “KTVN” (Killie television network) in Dean Castle Country Park. Everyone had a key role from camera, sound and acting to puppet masters! They have filmed bound-to-be-classic TV segments such as Bobby McRoss (a Scottish Bob Ross spoof show), finished their willow mythical creatures and getting back into heraldry themed printmaking!
The North Ayrshire performance and visual arts groups started off the programme with costume design, script writing, character development and set installation design. The group has been expanding their understanding of materials by exploring large-scale installations using cardboard, light projections and coloured tapes. Playing off of stereotypes of Scotland, vintage postcards and archival images, the group have made collages which adopt a DIY-zine style and tone. A first field trip to the Maritime Museum sparked ideas for potential projects involving local seaside heritage.
Week three in Irvine has seen the young people jump right into production mode! Since friendships have formed and there is a wide array of skills available across the Performance and Visual Arts groups, young people from North Ayrshire have decided to work as one big collaborative group. Participants made plaster casts, ink paintings, DIY screenprints, zines, large scale backdrops, a scored play, piano music, dance choreography, badges, creative writing and comical costumes. A set of sails are being created – responding to their experiences with the Maritime Museum – and over the next few days the group will have a finished zine which reveals their take on ‘Wild and Majestic’. The group have been out and about in the town, scouring charity shops for materials and hosting a pop-up event in Rivergate Shopping Centre to showcase their work. The group are planning to gift copies of their zines to the Townhouse’s small sharing library.
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected]
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
The CashBack to the Future Renfrewshire team have had drawing, painting, collage, book making, storytelling, poetry, performance, singing, learning new musical instruments and have even formed their own Cashback band! They have been working hard in week three pulling all of their ideas together for the final showcase event!
The visual arts team have been discussing what ‘wild and majestic’ means to them – with a focus on Scottish wildlife, mythical creature and landscapes. They have also completed a large scale landscape mural inspired by Scottish castles and wild animals. They are now looking to complete a series of paper-mache Haggis’!
The music group is still growing and learning new songs every day! This group started working together to learn how to communicate when playing live and have already learned various fantastic covers of their favourite pop, pop punk, rock and indie tracks. The group has also learned how to write a song from scratch and hope to rework some classics giving them their own Scottish spin!
Last Friday the group took to the stage in the main room at The Tannahill Centre to perform a medley of covers and original tracks for the other groups. It was a great opportunity to practice their performance skills and develop their stage presence, and were delighted with members of the local community popping their heads in to sing along!
The performance group has some fantastic young writers who have been working on a script about what Scotland means to them today as well as some funny modern parodies of traditional Scottish songs. They have finalised their script, confirmed the roles for the performance and spent a lot of time practicing projecting their voices and working as a team. They have started to design their costumes and are working closely with the visual arts group who have been creating the set and props – including, a huge Scottish dragon!
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected]
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
Over fifty young people from all across the city have been dancing, acting, singing, painting and filming in an action-filled three weeks of the CashBack to the Future programme. Week three of the project has seen each of the groups flourish.
The digital art group have already got to grips with Photoshop and video editing software. Using a green-screen, a new crop of digital artists has created wonderful and bizarre short films and GIFs that you can check out in their own Instagram page: digital_is_cool. They have also been working on animations and gained experience using photo and video editing software. Combining attention to detail and drawing skills with the new digital art techniques, these animations are highly professional and will make you think again about your ideas about Scotland’s heritage.
The visual arts team is a packed room of budding artists, eager to hone their skills. We have seen some amazing prints, portraiture and an incredible landscape painting inspired by the wilderness of Scotland. The visual artists have worked with the romantic visions of Scotland’s landscape and created their own large scale paintings. A particular highlight has been the paintings inspired by agate (Scottish pebble) which was on display at the museum.
The young people participating in the performance group have been working on movement and performance techniques as well as building their own puppets. They have also created a massive Nessie, devising and rehearsing a performance for the showcase. The level of work coming out of the performance studio has been immense and based on what we’ve seen so far, their performance will be show stopping.
Working close to the Glasgow group’s music studio has been a joy, with bursts of song floating through the air. In the first weeks the young people of the music group were able to create a wonderful medley of songs and perform it. Their ability to create, rehearse and perform in such a short space of time is incredible. In week three, the young Glasgow musicians have been focusing on their song-writing. Working together they have got strong lyrics and some lovely melodies and will showcase their creative skills on the illustrious Barrowland’s stage on Thursday.
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected]
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
Since the CashBack to the Future programme started at the beginning of July, our artists and assistants have not stopped working. Do you want to get a sneak peek into what our young participants have been doing during these three weeks and what they are preparing for the showcase? We have asked the participants and tutors and these were their answers.
To what extent do you choose to wear what you wear? How is your identity conveyed through your appearance? The young participants in the performance group have explored the history of those illustrious figures that broke the social rules of clothing and appearance in the past. From investigating the story of Coco Chanel, who championed previously male-dominated sporty and casual chic for women; to the biography of Maud Stevens Wagner, the first known female tattoo artist in the US; the young participants have reflected on how the clothes they wear, their hair and make-up are elements of self-expression. Taking pen and paper they have put their thoughts down on identity, expression and fashion choices.
Visiting the Wild and Majestic exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, this group was captivated by the huge selection of tartans showcased and the history relating to the highland clearances. These aspects, combined with artefacts on the history of weaving elsewhere in the museum, have inspired the young people to create a spoken word piece and dance using wool, largely influenced by the motions of looms.
Elsewhere in the museum, the visual arts team focused on the landscapes in the collection, sketching incredible views of Scotland. The young people then used their sketches as a blueprint to create tactile weaves.
Although ‘Enjoy the Silence’ is not particularly something that a musician would say, this has been one of the songs that the music group has chosen to bring the participants to play together and get to know each other. As Conal, one of the tutors highlights, “music can help build team work and release emotions in a positive way”. The music group explored the tradition of Scottish music and have begun learning and updating some old Scottish songs. Objects from the National Museum of Scotland and Scottish slang words have inspired them to create melodies.
Lexus, in the previous photo, said:
“This workshop brings people together and everyone is comfortable.
You learn a lot about people and how you can help them become better.
Music takes your mind off other problems. It is like a therapy. It makes you focus on something else for a while”.
If you go to the National Museum of Scotland, you might be unexpectedly interviewed by Nicole, one intrepid reporter from the digital art group.
Nicole loves interviewing people and dreams of becoming a news anchor or to work in a radio station. From the beginning of this programme, she has observed an improvement in her recording skills, camera abilities and communication, which are important for her future career plans.
The digital team have also had a jam packed week animating and filming a variety of different scenes all dealing with interesting and diverse subjects. Heritage is a central theme that runs throughout individual work and inspiration from the museum is being presented through an eclectic range of mediums. From documentary film making, to stop motion animation, the digital group have tackled it all.
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected].
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
In CashBack to the Future no day is the same as the day before. However, something that has been common to all teams during this week has been group work, and linked to that, the increase of their communication and social skills. This has been demonstrated through young people forming a musical band, constructing a costume or discussing the social rules and diversity of fashion and body image, our young people have collaboratively worked to learn new skills and new perspectives.
Daniel (19), a participant in the Music group of Glasgow is aware of the importance of being open to other people’s ideas and to express yourself and has stated that ‘this is a safe place where I can build confidence in group work”. Azhir, from the Visual Arts group has highlighted how welcoming and friendly the tutors are, which is crucial to create trust and spaces where learning can happen.
A liking for black and white drawing was enough to drive Azhir to enrol in CashBacktotheFuture. One of his highlights so far are the friendly tutors.
At the same time our young people have continued developing their artistic skills in their individual projects. We could see in our Instagram stories (@impactarts) how Alesia learned the screen printing technique, Daniel practiced playing some songs with the guitar and Callum drew an imaginary mythological character.
The groups have continued this week visiting the Wild and Majestic exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland. Being inspired by Highland landscapes, heroic histories, tartan, bagpipes and other defining images of Scotland, the young people have include these historical discoveries in their artwork. For instance, the Art group in Edinburgh has looked at the tartans from paintings and costumes to apply their colours to their weaving projects, whereas the music group has looked for objects and Scottish old words to write the lyrics of songs. In their visit to the museum, some of the East Ayrshire group got to hold a replica Jacobite shield!
The Renfrewshire CashBack to the Future group arriving at the National Museum of Scotland to visit the Wild and Majestic exhibition.
One of our participants holding a replica Jacobite shield at the National Museum of Scotland.
Val, one of the Art tutors in Edinburgh has highlighted the benefits that arts have on young people, indicating that this programme “makes them realise they are capable and have creativity”.
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected].
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
Our summer art programme CashBack to the Future kicked off on the 2nd of July with over 150 participants, from the age of 12 to 19, from across Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The workshops will be running from Tuesday to Friday, 10am- 4pm, until the 26th July.
The theme of this year is Wild and Majestic, adopting the name of the summer exhibition at of the National Museum of Scotland, located in Edinburgh. This inspiring theme gives young people the opportunity to engage with romantic visions of Scottish heritage through the arts. Featuring rich displays and iconic objects such as a velvet dress worn by Princess Victoria and the original score of The Hebrides concert overture by Mendelssohn, inspired by a journey from Fort William to Mull, this exhibition uncovers how romantic interpretations of the cultural traditions of the Scottish Highlands and Islands became enduring symbols of the Scottish identity.
Visiting this exhibition the young people have engaged with their local heritage through tours and learning sessions, and have gained inspiration from the wonderful collections and knowledgeable staff team. The galleries ‘The Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk’ and ‘Making and Creating’, for instance, have encouraged young people to think about the alternative ideals of beauty and have revealed them techniques and inspirations behind the work or art makers and designers. These and other exhibitions have inspired their imagination and have been the jumping off points for their creative projects. Furthermore, the trips to the National Museum of Scotland have particularly invited them to reflect on the meaning and relevance of ideas that define Scotland today.
Week one has all been about setting the scene, giving each young person a taster of the different art forms available, and allowing them to discover and experiment with materials, musical instruments and movement that will be used to create their final pieces. Participants come from diverse backgrounds, with the majority not previously engaging in arts or heritage before. Our talented tutor team have guided them through this first week, sharing their own passion for arts and encouraging our young people to explore their own creativity, take risks and be curious. CashBack to the Future 2019 promises a wildly majestic vision of Scotland which will be showcased at the Glasgow Barrowlands on the 25th of July!
Want a bit more information about the Cashback to the Future? Download our new Brochure for 2019!
If you have any questions, please contact Impact Arts on 0141 575 3001 or email [email protected].
Cashback to the Future is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative, which backs projects supporting disadvantaged young people.
CashBack to the Future is supported by National Museums Scotland through funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.
In North Ayrshire, CashBack to the Future is supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Young Roots Fund.
A special thanks to our community partners, Glasgow Kelvin College, National Museum of Scotland, Ayrshire College, and Tannahill Centre.
Paisley Abbey was home to the Grand Finale of Cashback to the Future, culminating the efforts of our young people from across Scotland into one spectacular showcase!
The young participants 4 weeks of creative effort was given a brilliant send off with music, drama, comedy, poetry, visual art, digital art, sculpture and illustration all at home in the prestigious Paisley Abbey.
Each area of Cashback to the Future; Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paisley, Irvine and Kilmarnock all got a time to shine over the 2 hour showcase. Each brought something different and very special to each of their performances.
Glasgow brought a combination of digital and drama with their short film and stage play performance of Who We Were, a post-apocalyptic tale of the last humans on earth.
Paisley created a fun live performance with video, music and puppetry telling the story of Impact Arts trying to find themes for their next project (very apt!).
Kilmarnock and Irvine went all out with drum solos, dance and music, with a very touching cover of All of You with a solo interpretive dance. We had comedy. We had a personal poem. We even had a breakdancing film from one of the participants in Irvine entirely shot and performed by the young people!
Edinburgh finished the show on a high, the music group performing reinterpretations of dance music classics – even handing out glowsticks and encouraging everyone to rave at the front of the stage. It was an energetic finish to the showcase and it was great to see all our young people coming together as one in the end.
It’s been a fantastic 4 weeks!
Come get your roots touched up, catch up on the latest gossip and get a wee brew at Sassy Sarah’s: Kilmarnock’s premier salon!
Creating comedy scripts and technicolour wigs is all what Kilmarnock is about as Rachel Rostock tutors drama for our young people. Sassy Sarah is, as her name implies, the sassiest salon owner in the West of Scotland and she certainly doesn’t like the scruffy looking customers coming into her shop.
It’s amazing to see the confidence and creativity of this years Cashback to the Future participants – keep an eye out for the video of the performance to be uploaded soon!
