The Ghostvillage Project by Tim Daly

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Six graffiti artists transform an abaondoned 1970s village on the west coast of Scotland into a giant art installation.
This short documentary was shot in October 2009 on the remote Cowal Peninsula in the west of Scotland. It details arts collective Agents Of Change's transformation of an abandoned village of Pollphail into an open-air art gallery. Six artists - Timid, Remi/Rough, System, Stormie Mills, Juice 126 and Derm - were given free reign to paint anywhere in the complex. 
The brutalist 1970s concrete structures had never seen human inhabitants - the site was constructed ostensibly as a base to house workers needed to construct concrete oil rigs, but the plan was subsequently abandoned - but were ideally suited to the separate styles and methods employed by the collective. Working together on huge collaborative walls and individually in hidden nooks and crannies all over the site the artists realised long held dreams and were inspired by the bleakness and remoteness of the site. Drawing on the history of the village the artists' stated intent on completion of the project was to populate the ghostvillage with the art and characters that it deserved. Inspired by the marked contrast between the architecture and the surrounding landscape of rolling hills, forests and lochs, the artists worked for three days through challenging physical conditions to produce foreboding yet hauntingly beautiful artwork all over the site. 
The viewer is rewarded with a unique insight into the world of the graffiti artist and an opportunity to experience the creative process behind such a huge undertaking. 

 Short fact: Word spreads fast in the highlands of scotland - 10 minutes after arriving on a site 3 hours from the nearest large settlement we had a crowd of children and the local police for company. 

 Image credit Photography: Richard Kenworthy 
Artwork: System and Stormie Mills

Crew
  • Director
    Tim Daly
  • Producer
    Tim Daly
  • Editor
    Ben Westaway
  • Director Of Photography
    Ben Westaway
  • Sound Designer
    Ben Westaway
  • Music
    Tim Daly
  • Music
    Ben Westaway
  • Assistant Director
    Alex Scaglia
Cast
  • Artist
    Derm
  • Artist
    Juice 126
  • Artist
    Remi/Rough
  • Artist
    Stormie Mills
  • Artist
    System
Related Links
http://agents-of-change.co.uk/projects/the-ghost-village
Festivals & Screenings
Rushes Soho Shorts, 2010
London International Documentary Festival, 2010
East East Film Festival, 2010
T2B International Public Art Festival, 2010
EdinDocs, 2010
Renderyard Film Festival, 2010
Awards
Winner - Best Short Documentary, Renderyard Film Festival, 2010

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