To the Bears - Stuart McAdam

To The Bears, 2019

The Arctic Agency for Environmental Research Methodologies and Artistic Practice, 2019

~Residency and Slow Pilgrimage

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The Residency | Summer 2019

In 2018, James Lee and Ruth Aitken asked me to participate in their new curatorial project Failure, Understanding, Care, and Kunst (F.U.C.K). The rationale for the project in a broad sense was to look at how the work we make as artists impacts on the environment. The location for the project was in Tromsø, in the north of Norway.
There were some rules or guidelines to frame the residency:

1. No artist or artwork to be transported by air.
2. No new materials to be bought in the creation of new work.
3. Any energy used to present work has to be renewable.

Outside of these rules, there was no restriction on what I could do / make / produce / involve myself in.
I decided to base my response to the project around riding my bike to the Arctic Circle, again using this as an opportunity to explore the themes that I am interested in -- slow travel, extreme mobility, pilgrimage, durational performance.

The residency took place in a converted caravan. It was situated in various locations in Tromsø and was open to visitors. Direct interaction and conversation with the public being an important part of the work.

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Stuart McAdam - To The Bears

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On Thursday 18th July 2019 I gave a talk at Small Projects . I introduced myself and my work and talked about the bike ride there. I set up everything that I had carried as a mini exhibition and I performed my Yuck N Yum entry from their 2011 AGM (I had mentioned it in the talk and someone wanted to know more about it, so I just did it.

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Stuart McAdam Small Projects Tromsø

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At the end of the residency, I drew a slogan written in used barbecue charcoal and hung drawn banners (on found paper), and made a small presentation about what I had been working on during my time in the caravan. This was focused around stories about the relationship I have to the materials I use in my work. I also handed out objects from the trip as postcards. I had intended to hand out drawings of things but this was changed at the last minute, and was a better solution. After the talk, we played a game of football and then went to the pub.

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Stuart McAdam - To The Bears

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On Failure Episode 4 | 2022

On the 12 July 2022, I met up with James and Ruth in Aberdeen to record an interview for their On Failure Podcast. This coincidentally was the third anniversary of my arrival into Tromsø. We sat on the St Nicolas Rooftop Garden and discussed the project and the work / life / art balance. You can hear the podcast on Spotify by clicking | here | or on the picture below.

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On Failure: Zine Launch and Film Screening | 2022

Once I returned home from the residency, I began to make a film from the footage that I shot during the trip north. I worked on it throughout the pandemic lockdowns while working as a teacher in the Scottish Borders. This film would eventually be completed after I moved to Aberdeenshire and was released in 2022. It was shown in the Tromsø Kunstforening as part of the exhibition On Failure.

If you are interested in hosting a screening of the film and an artist talk then please get in touch.

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Stuart McAdam - To The Bears FCU&K On Failure

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Berwick-Upon-Tweed Pecha Kucha | 2021

In September 2021 I gave a presentation as part of the Berwick Pecha Kucha 8 Event. This Pecha Kucha was focused on themes to do with the environment. It was part of the Elemental programme of events run by James Lowther and the Berwick Creative Guild. Below you can watch the presentation from the night. I took a little bit of a liberty with the format and used 20 video files instead of 20 images. Below you will also find a map of the route I took which was sourced from my GPS tracker, and a video from the app Relive showing the route.

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