Imagine Porty Prom THE BIG IDEA & Teadance (merged)

[Melanie]

Hello from Big Things On The Beach! 

Anyone living in Portobello might have already heard about the Imagine Porty Prom project. People who don't know anything about it and would like to, then visit our website at www.bigthingsonthebeach.org.uk. Check it out and let us know what you think!

I wanted to start a discussion about the idea of Portobello as a site for the creation and display of public art.

What are the possibilities? What spaces could be transformed? How do you feel when you are in Portobello? What role could art play in contributing to ones experience of Portobello? How could art change how one feels or relates to Portobello, for better or for worse?

What function does public art serve? Why would the public want to engage with artists? Why would artists want to engage with the public?

Some of these are big questions that I don't believe have definite answers, but I wanted to start somewhere....

Look forward to seeing where this goes!

[Melanie]

Come along and join us for a day of talks, workshops, displays (and dancing!) exploring Portobello Prom as a site for Public Art.

Saturday 21st August 2010
10.30am - 5pm

Please RSVP to enquiries@bigthingsonthebeach.org.uk or just drop by.

To download the full programme please visit our website www.bigthingsonthebeach.org.uk

Look forward to seeing you there!

[Bob Jefferson]

From today's EN:

Artists and band want Portobello back like 'hey day' for Tea Dance

[Gordon Mackenzie]

Just a note to say that the Tea Dance event today was fantastic. A lovely community fun event. I wonder if it could get a momentum of its own and be run every year.

Thanks to BTOTB for all there hard work. look forward to reading the results of the Imagine Porty Prom project when it is published in the coming days. I hope your momentum continues.

[Bob Jefferson]

The Tea Dance was very nice and I see no reason why we couldn't have brass bands playing on the Promenade at weekends during the summer, as has happened on the Prom and in Portobello's public parks since the Victorian era until relatively recently. I don't think that it requires BTOTB, an artist or anyone else to organise it, they just need to turn up and play.

But was it 'public art'? Looked like a tea dance to me.

[Melanie]

Thanks for your feedback and support Gordon! Glad to hear you both enjoyed the event too. It was fortunate that the rainy weather held off until after the event. It would be great if it did gather momentum and took on a life of it's own. Perhaps the event will rekindle the imaginations of people and encourage more activity. The Big Beach Busk next weekend will hopefully do the same thing!

I think events like that don't happen spontaneously and do require some amount of co-ordination and publicity, this often takes time and sometimes money but where there is a will there undoubtedly is a way.

Look forward to that hot air balloon event Bob!

[wangi]

Bob, "Imagine Porty Prom" has been all about coming up with a plan for the Prom - public art in its many forms should be an integral part of that. Just now the Prom has "the cakestand" (in reality the top of sewage infrastructure) and the wide open space next the the urbane community garden as its lot for that really... Wouldn't it be great to have a real performance / display space built into the Prom?

Just take the "news" this week that pavements up on the Royal Mile should be enlarged to deal with the festival throng... Shouldn't we have spaces here instead?

It's all about investment in the area.

L/

[Bob Jefferson]

Wouldn't it be great to have a real performance / display space built into the Prom?/

Absolutely. And £40k would have gone a long way to achieving that. Are you able to tell us how much money BTOTB has received in grants in total since it formed?

[Bob Jefferson]

Look forward to that hot air balloon event Bob!

I had a better idea than that. A giant inflatable beach ball.

[wangi]

Sadly there's not a genie granting wishes and magicing things into existence. Nor is there a local mind reader available to cut out the exercise of consultation. Things just don't happen by themselves.

As a charity the accounts are there to be viewed. For 2009-2010 Big Things received £105k for the Imagine Porty Prom project from the Scottish Arts Council.

L/

[chessMate]

Hi had a great time at the Tea Dance
http://animoto.com/play/Bm7oT8R3cd44h5zD13Vl7w

[Bob Jefferson]

As a charity the accounts are there to be viewed. For 2009-2010 Big Things received £105k for the Imagine Porty Prom project from the Scottish Arts Council.

Wow! That's a lot of money. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of how it was spent. Does BTOTB publish its accounts anywhere?

[wangi]

http://www.oscr.org.uk/CharityIndexDeta ... d=SC035107

[Bob Jefferson]

Thanks, but I had already found that. I was looking for a copy of the charity's latest statement of account.

The public have the right to the following information under s.23 (1) (a) and (b) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from the charity directly:

a copy of the charity's latest statement of account

[wangi]

In that case you'd be better off getting in contact with the secretary of Big Things; see here.

[Bob Jefferson]

OK, ta.

[Bob Jefferson]

My statement of accounts was hand-delivered yesterday, for which I am very grateful. I would like to suggest to BTOTB that this information should be available on their website. It would only take a few minutes to scan the relevant pages and add them as a pdf.

[Bob Jefferson]

Sadly there's not a genie granting wishes and magicing things into existence. Nor is there a local mind reader available to cut out the exercise of consultation. Things just don't happen by themselves.

As a charity the accounts are there to be viewed. For 2009-2010 Big Things received £105k for the Imagine Porty Prom project from the Scottish Arts Council.

L/

The statement of account for 2009/10 isn't yet available, so I'm not in a position to comment on how the £105k was spent. But in general, I think a lot of people in Portobello feel that they have been consulted to death over the years and would just like to see some of the money being used to actually improve the area.

[wangi]

... would just like to see some of the money being used to actually improve the area.

I think that's a touch unfair given the large number of temporary art works which have been commissioned since 2004. I know you certainly don't like them all, but a lot of people have enjoyed many of them and they have been a welcome addition to Portobello.

And could you imagine the outcry if a large (and expensive) permanent art work was plonked on the beach with no consultation - it just fell from the sky...

[Bob Jefferson]

I don't want a large and expensive permanent art work on the beach. I want something useful for my £105k. These are lean times and things are going to get a whole lot worse. We can't afford fripperies.

[Porty]

I think BTOTB has been a positive influence over the years.

I understand why some of the artworks have to be temporary, why can't they do a few permanent ones too. Giving more lasting value for the money.