Bid judges could be won by post-Brexit ‘thinking’ over

Perth2021 campaign may have the angle to impress, says adviser

Perth’s “post-Brexit” City of Culture bid could capture the imagination of judges, top designer Wayne Hemingway has argued.

The Fair City is just weeks away from learning if it has made the allimportant shortlist for the 2021 crown.

An application, which highlights how a win could bring massive, long-lasting benefits to the region and its people, has been lodged with the UK Government.

In its bid, the Perth and Kinross Council team say the area is facing a “quiet crisis” of social isolation and low wages.

Many people living outside the city feel alienated and cut-off from Perth, and few travel into the city in the evening.

Culture, the bid team argues, could help improve connectivity with a shared sense of pride and place.

The bid has been backed by Red Or Dead co-founder Wayne Hemingway, who has been acting as an adviser to the local team.

The 56-year-old fashion designer was drafted in after helping Londonderry win the first UK City of Culture prize in 2013.

Speaking exclusively to The Courier as part of a week-long series exploring the details and benefits of Perth’s bid, Mr Hemingway said the Fair City stood a good chance against strong competition.

“Obviously Perth is a much smaller place than many of the other bidders and they’re doing this on a much, much smaller budget,” he said.

“But I think we’ve come up with some very interesting angles which I believe makes us the left-field choice.

“Judges will be looking for an exciting bid and something that’s different from Hull or Derry. Although, having said that, you cannot second guess the judging panel and you can’t second guess what other cities have put forward in their bids.

“It’s really a win for Perth whether it wins or not. Cultural regeneration is the best kind of regeneration because it comes from the bottom up.

“It’s always the longest lasting and most impactful financially and socially.”

Given the previous winners were Hull and Derry, does the fact that Perth is not a rundown post-industrial city count against it?

“I’m sure that will be discussed by judges, it’s bound to be,” Mr Hemingway said.

“But it can’t always be that kind of city that wins, because then it becomes too repetitive.

“It would be very disappointing if Perth was dismissed because of that.”

Mr Hemingway said one of the strongest parts of the bid looked at how culture could be used to help people across the region feel more connected and less alienated.

“It highlights a gap, and often a discourse, between city and rural dwellers,” he said.

“Perth’s team is looking at smart ways of bringing everyone together.

“It’s not an angle I’ve seen taken before, but I think it is definitely something that will get the judges’ attention.

“It is very much post-Brexit thinking. You look at the results from last year and you see how people in cities generally voted to remain, while people living outside of cities felt very let down and voted to leave.

“That could be a very interesting angle and if we are shortlisted to the final four, my gut feeling would be that is the thing we should really work on,” added Mr Hemingway.

Fashion designer Wayne Hemingway, pictured at the AK Bell Library in Perth, has been advising the Perth2021 City of Culture team on their application. Picture: Kris Miller.