Artistic flair helps light up Lochgilphead
A DRY, chilly day in Lochgilphead helped bring out the crowds for the annual Mid Argyll Round Table bonfire night celebrations.
But this year there was much more to it than simply fire and fireworks.
With efforts to revive the lantern festival proving unsuccessful so far, local artists under the Artmap Argyll banner came together to organise a smaller-scale festival.
The light-based project
was entitled Ignite – and it turned into a real hotbed of imagination and creativity for local youngsters as around 100 took part.
Ignite was timed to coincide with events already planned for bonfire night, helping to create a festival feel, and for weeks beforehand artists and children had been working together to make all sorts of colourful installations to be seen all over Lochgilphead.
The Ignite festival kicked
off at the community centre with Sparks, drift and
rain, an exhibition by young artists from Tarbert. At the same time, workshops were being held creating lanterns, glow-in-the-dark T-shirts and imaginative cartoon animations.
The Stables building on Argyll Street hosted a popup display of bugs and beasties by local young artists, while a light labyrinth caught the eye at Colchester Square. The 19th Argyll Scouts had lanterns on display on the front green.
A recycled reef sculpture, lit by programmable LED lights, was another highlight.
There was performance art, too, as street dancers from the high school entertained.
Ignite organiser Sian MacQueen said: ‘My own personal highlight was seeing the kids run round the inside of a giant jellyfish – aimed at raising awareness of plastic pollution – and the animations on the reef screen. But the lanterns made by the Scouts also kept the memories of the lantern parade alive, and the desire for another one in the future.’