Public artist Jo Hodges blogs about the EcoArt LAND flags project, part of the 4th Findhorn Bay Festival.
On special occasions – ceremonial or celebratory – a tall ship will be dressed overall, flying all her signal flags at once making a colourful and festive spectacle.
While berthed at Buckie Harbour for the 4th Findhorn Bay Festival, the tall ship The Lady of Avenel was dressed overall with over thirty environmental signal flags made by coastal communities of Dumfries and Galloway as part of EcoArt’s LAND project.
The flags were originally conceived as signals of our environmental concerns, designed and made by people who wished to send a message to COP26 Conference delegates when it took place in Glasgow in November 2021, where they were flown along the Broomielaw on the way in to the conference.
The project was so successful that it has been continued and last September a team of three artist from EcoArt – Jo Hodges, Robbie Coleman and Mark Zygadlo – brought the LAND project for the Findhorn Bay Festival.
As well as displaying the flags already made in the project, EcoArt engaged local community members and Festival audiences in flag design and making workshops.
On the afternoon of Saturday 24 September, a colourful gazebo on the quayside hosted a flag designing workshop for visitors to the ship.
The next day, a very successful public workshop was held at the Fisherman’s Hall in Buckie, which saw 25 people of all ages coming along to design signal flags.
On Monday and Tuesday a series of workshops was delivered to different age groups of Girl Guides, Brownies and Rainbows who between them made some 30 designs.
The older group painted small scale flags which will be flown as part of dressing the ship. The Guides also chose a design they all liked from their workshop and have undertaken to make a full-sized flag to add to the collection.
We were delighted by the support for these creative workshops among the local community.
Well done Buckie!
Find out more about the the LAND project on the EcoArt website.
