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A photo of an artwork by Fionn Duffy. A small brown glass cup sits on top of a glass table top. The cup is made from seaweed ash and beach sand. There is a grid drawn with fish glue on the table top, and it is held up by a ceramic vessel which is also brown. Between the vessel and the glass table top is the corner of another sheet of glass, there is some writing etched into it, but it is hard to see what it says.Or How To Become Glass (detail) (2022), Fionn Duffy. Ceilp glass, fish glue, restoration glass, sand, seaweed ash, stoneware.

RSA Residency for Scotland: Fionn Duffy

As always, it’s been a pleasure to work with The Royal Scottish Academy to support the RSA Residencies for Scotland programme. We are glad to announce that Glasgow-based artist Fionn Duffy has been selected as SSW’s RSA Resident for 2022-23.  Fionn’s practice is motivated by the question, ‘How did we get here?’. Using objects, video and text, she creates spiralling narratives that explore ethical and ecological concerns, often working in collaboration with other artists, enthusiasts and researchers. Reframing cultural, mineral […]

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News / Residencies 1:55 pm , July 20, 2022 Comments Off on RSA Residency for Scotland: Fionn Duffy
A fluorescent yellow paper sign with the words 'sanitise your hands' is on a white wall next to a staircase. The stairs curve up out of shot. There is a hand sanitiser pump on the entrance to the stairs.

COVID-19 guidelines: June 2022

All Covid rules and restrictions have been lifted in Scotland. Despite this, the health and wellbeing of everyone at SSW remains a priority. To reduce the risk from Covid-19 at SSW: We will continue to clean using Covid safe cleaning products. Hand sanitising stations remain in place and we encourage all users to practice good hand hygiene. If you are feeling unwell we advise you to stay at home and contact us to rearrange your visit. Anyone who is travelling […]

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News / Uncategorised 4:10 pm , June 29, 2022 Comments Off on COVID-19 guidelines: June 2022
A view of the foundry looking out the large doors to the hills. The bright sunshine outside makes the inside very dark. Equipment and benches catch the light a little. Outside the iron furnace, forge and various parts sit in the yard.a view out of the dark foundry to the hills beyond. Photo: Amy Pickles

Open Call: Group Residency 2022

We are excited to announce the launch of Group Residency at SSW. Taking place on our newly renovated site, we are now inviting applications for two residency groups in November 2022 and January 2023. **To ensure we can provide appropriate support for our residents, we have decided to reschedule the September residency to accommodate staff changes and training. The November and January groups will continue to run as planned. In relation to this, we have extended the deadline by 2 […]

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News 4:06 pm , June 29, 2022 Comments Off on Open Call: Group Residency 2022
Two people sit on the grey carpet in the SSW old office. Colour samples are spread out on the floor around them and they are comparing different options. One person holds a baby in their lap.

The wait’s nearly over!

Since the first phase of our capital development project started earlier this year it’s been so exciting to see our site, designed by Collective Architecture, being skilfully remodelled and renovated by the team at Coldwells Building Company. After years of dreaming, feasibility studies and planning meetings we embarked on phase 1 of our masterplan starting with SSW’s main building, and it is now nearly a reality. Within weeks we will be starting to kit out a new, airy and spacious […]

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Capital Development / News 11:22 am , June 24, 2022 Comments Off on The wait’s nearly over!
Duck egg blue mats cover a lino floor. They have white and black taped symbols all over. In the top right corner of the photo a person wearing a black jumpsuit kneels, facing away from the camera. They have bare feet. They are lifting a child in mustard yellow trousers up from a greeny-blue walking aid.Laura Bradshaw, SSW x Counterflows Caregivers Residency 2021. Film still: Laura Bradshaw

Radical Care

Together with Counterflows, we are proud to be one of six arts organisations across Scotland to receive funding as part of Creative Scotland’s new ‘Radical Care action research project’. The other organisations are Moniak Mhor, Hospitalfield, Barrowland Ballet, the Workroom and Puppet Animation Scotland. This funding will support us to embed and sustain our unique SSW x Counterflows Caregivers residency programme, piloted in 2021 from several years of joyful inter/anti disciplinary residency collaboration with Counterflows.  At SSW we have a […]

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News 11:32 am , April 20, 2022 Comments Off on Radical Care
three people and a golden retriever dog stand in front of a chipboard building in a state of demolition. The person on the right, wearing an orange boiler suit and wooly hat gestures at the building. The other two are wearing jumpers, trousers and clutching papers and notebooks.Site visit with Managing Director of Coldwells Building Company, Ross Booth

Capital development update: March 2022

We are glad to share that despite facing delay, construction of phase 1 of our capital development project is due to start in March 2022. Preparatory work is underway, including de-construction and salvaging of the much-loved Gang Hut, and contractors visiting the site. Local contractors, Coldwells Building Company, are being appointed to complete the work, which includes the creation of a new community making space, expansion of our ceramics workshop and refurbished artists’ accommodation. Coldwells will be on site from […]

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News 11:52 am , March 3, 2022 Comments Off on Capital development update: March 2022
Iisa Lepistö (2022). Photo courtesy of the artist.

Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures artist announcement

In December 2021 together with Cove Park and Uniarts Helsinki, we invited applications from Uniarts Helsinki alumni for a new, funded residency programme called Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures. We are now very glad to announce that Iisa Lepistö will be travelling to Scotland in October as the recipient of this residency award. Iisa is a Helsinki-based artist and MFA graduate of Uniart’s Academy of Fine Arts. In response to being awarded this funded residency, Iisa says: I’m very […]

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News 12:40 pm , March 2, 2022 Comments Off on Ecologies in the Making: Sculpting Futures artist announcement
Behind a slushy pavement, snow covered fields stretch into the distance. The snow is quite light, so the long grass, hedges and trees are still dark brown and high contrast against the brightness of the snow. The front left of the field looks particularly brushy and shaded because of this. There are low hills in the distance behind some dark trees, also snow covered. The sky is bright blue, with a swathe of light sweeping down the left hand of the photo. Some bare tree branches stretch into the frame from above ,almost touching the hills in the distance but not quite.View over the wall, from SSW's yard (2021). Photo: Zoë Tumika

Pause, ’til 2022

SSW is closed from Wednesday 22 December – Wednesday 5 January 2022 for a winter break. We want to say a big thank you to everyone who has worked with us and supported our work in 2021 – you are all very much appreciated and we can’t wait to see what we can do together in 2022. From Lumsden Live, a 5 day’s radio broadcast on FM and online forming the first EU BEPART Assembly, through to the announcement of […]

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News 5:25 pm , December 20, 2021 Comments Off on Pause, ’til 2022
The profile of 2 people in a room, sat opposite each other at a table. The person on the left has blonde, wavy, shoulder-length hair. They wear a long coat with a tartan-like pattern, dark bottoms and boots. The person on the right has brown, straight hair in a bob. They wear red glasses; a multi coloured knit scarf; a purple and yellow striped top and blue trousers. Both people are smiling and looking out the large shop-front window next to them. The window faces on to a row of two storey; brown; pebble dashed; terraced houses on the Main Street in Lumsden.November Coffee Morning (2021). Photo: Zoë Tumika.

First steps towards Community Making Space

At the beginning of December we were glad to welcome artist Kathrin Böhm of Myvillages to SSW for the first visit in the Rural School of Economics BEPART Fieldwork. The work with Myvillages will centre around our new Community Making Space, created through our current Capital Development Project.  As an opportunity for our friends and neighbours in Lumsden to visit the Community Making Space and meet Kathrin in the early stages of this work, we temporarily opened up what will […]

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BEPART / News 5:39 pm , December 17, 2021 Comments Off on First steps towards Community Making Space
Graphic of a map of Scotland in light teal on a darker teal background. Overlaying the graphic is large white text saying 'Call to Artists'. Beneath that in smaller, dark blue text it reads ' RSA Residencies for Scotland 2022'

Open Call: RSA Residencies for Scotland

Deadline for applications: Sunday 23 January 2022, midnight GMT SSW is participating in the RSA Residencies for Scotland programme to offer one artist a month-long funded residency in 2022. The RSA Residencies for Scotland provides research and residency opportunities for artists. It forges important networks with centres of artistic excellence across Scotland, ranging from traditional residency venues to specialised production facilities. Open to visual artists at all stages of their careers, the emphasis of the residency programme is on enabling […]

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News 3:44 pm , December 17, 2021 Comments Off on Open Call: RSA Residencies for Scotland