Fun A Day Dundee 2016 - Creative Opportunity
FUN A DAY DUNDEE 2016
Dundee has been participating in the Fun A Day project since 2011, first introduced here, by artist Morgan Cahn due to its popularity in America. Fun A Day Dundee is now in its 5th year, with a simple premise to follow: choose a project (e.g. take a photo, draw a picture, bake a cake, go walking, etc.) which can be achieved every day in January. The results of the creative efforts are exhibited in a group show the following month, providing an opportunity for artists and non-artists to share their work with the public.
This year we have had a large number of participants posting their work daily on Twitter, Instagram and on our Facebook page. One participant; photographer Dylan Drummond, set about taking surreal, and fantastically entertaining, photographic Self Portraits every day. He described his experience as "a challenge and also very satisfying creating the images and having an audience for them." Many participants used Fun A Day this year as a chance to inject some fun and creativity into an activity they do regularly, as well as it being a motivational tool to produce new art work, build on skills for enjoyable projects, and simply, to do something new and fun that brightened up their January.
Yoga teachers Penny and Morgan explored some playful yoga postures in January, describing their reasons for their project as "creating a bit of space for freedom, fun and relationship." They add; "We're taking a pause from our daily lives and coming together to explore playful yoga postures. We love to do our yoga and hope to show you how yoga can be gravity defying, but most of all fun!" For the exhibition Penny and Morgan are displaying photographs of their impressive, combined yoga poses.
There is a the wide variety of work that is featured in the show, with painting, prints, photographs, sculpture, textiles, poetry, and much more being featured. Musician; Ed Muirhead, has taken part in Fun A Day Dundee several times, combining art with his talents in music, and this year has produced a series of paintings along side new song lyrics. He shares that painting with "fresh colours" each day, whether he "felt like it or not", created "a positive experience once again, to create new things at the start of a new year." The project can be challenging, but Fun A Day Dundee focusses on participants enjoying their work, and chooses quality of experience over the quantity of work produced.
Fun A Day Dundee strives to encourage participants to network and support each other during the project, which they clearly succeeded in, through online comments, discussions, and shares of artwork. We find the art work very inspirational, and it's clear to see the extensive scale of effort put into individual projects this year. The exhibition highlights the talent and determination found in individuals in and around Dundee.
Dundee designer; Judy Scott, has already continued her project into February claiming that she doesn't think she can stop now. Her project embodied "a colour mark making, collage and mixed media filled January. To focus on positivity, happiness and moving forward to a fabulous uplifting 2016." We think we will take a leaf from Judy's book, and continue our quest of securing a creative and fun filled new year.
Until next January...
Fun A Day Dundee
Sam Baxter / Becca Greig
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