PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Anna Macdonald

Address: Level 3, 7 Water Row, Govan, Glasgow. G51 3UW

Telephone: 0141 425 4812

Email: anna@fablevision.org

‘Imagined Space’

In conjunction with the launch of the Backlands festival in the Royston road area, Fablevision are proud to announce the launch of an innovative new book - ‘Imagined Space’ - Gerry Cambridge, writer and photographer in affiliation with the people of the Backlands area. This abandoned court was the back courts inbetween the Copperworks housing co-op

Through a series of workshops with children and adults alike, artists from Fablevision helped the community envision the Backlands space and begin to think of it as theirs. This book is there to remind them of their connection to it.

The idea of the book was to enable local people to connect to a previously disused, desolate piece of land. Through tracing the lands history, and its relationship to the residents both long standing and new, this book explores the possibilities, and brings back a sense of joy to the area.

Quotes From the book:

One resident said “Even the grass, it got that long, ah used tae say, “There could be a deid body in there an noabdy would know. You’d see the drunks goin up, and maybe fawin, and you’d be sayin, Hope he wakens up, cos if he disnae they’ll need a search party tae find him. Oh it was terrible…”

Some of the wishes the kids have made:

Chloe Farrell – A tiger the size of a table; Wild birds eagles and falcons; Ponds with ducks and chicks; Bugs and grasshoppers; Flowers and roses

Margaret Dowling – I would like to hold a honey bee

Jason McMillan – A Backlands fox

G. Cambridge “...So let in a space for dreaming

                        In the common wealth of summer.

                        Let in a place of every colour

                        To live unafraid

                        Let in a place

                        Of imagined fountains

                        Here in the Backlands –

                        A bright place, or gloomed place,

                        The choice to be made

The launch of the book will coincide with the Backlands festival - Saturday 28^th October 2006. There will be site specific performances from local groups, which will encourage and affect the sense of ownership of the space.

*Fablevision is Scotland’s foremost artist led Cultural Planning organisation which aims to work in partnership with organisations across a multitude of sectors to develop grass roots arts and cultural initiatives. Placing artists, cultural processes and local people at the core of different policy agendas, Fablevision has tackled social issues such as Anti-social behaviour, social inclusion and developing public space.