Fences, dust and wind: Kite Aerial Photography at the edgelands of Aberdeen Harbour Expansion

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Fences, dust and wind: Kite Aerial Photography at the edgelands of Aberdeen Harbour Expansion

 

An event associated with the AHRC network Creative Landscape Futures: Making Decisions with the Arts and Humanities.

 

Led by Jvan Yazdani, PhD in Anthropology from Sapienza University of Rome.

 

This workshop will take its participants to the ‘edgelands’ of Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Project, to observe – through camera-mounted kites – how construction manifests itself beyond its established boundaries: from fencing to road works to dust, stockpiled materials and construction units, but also elements of Corporate ‘Social and Environmental Responsibility’ such as landscaping, community investment funding, mitigation and compensation plans, along with machinery noise, lines on grass and in soil.

 

Kites offer playful ways of engaging with the landscape and doing research: they literally uplift you. Sailing the kite becomes one with walking, or wayfaring, and is conducive to conversation and exploration. 

 

Participants will be invited to sail a camera-mounted kite (provided by the organisers) at particular nodes around the site: St Fitticks Park, Torry Battery, etc. The footage thus collected will be then discussed together.

 

Do such ‘rhizomatic’ expressions of construction provide insight into works-in-progress and/or processes of ruination? What does an engagement with the aerial and what it carries (sounds, dust, perspectives, litter, etc.) bring to the typically stratified understanding of landscape? Participants will explore these questions amongst others in an area of Aberdeen shaped by the onset of the oil industry in the late 1960s, and today the Harbour Expansion and proposed Energy Transition Zone.

 

When: Wednesday 29 September – Thursday 30 September 2021

 

Day 1, Wednesday 29 September

12pm: arrival

12-1pm: lunch (provided)  and informal introductions

1-4pm: site walk followed by kite training and practice

4pm: social discussion

 

Day 2, Thursday 30 September

Morning: Review footage and discussion to connect with the Creative Landscape Futures network. In person or online is possible.  

 

You will need:

- Outdoor gear for possible cold / windy conditions

- Sunglasses! A safety issue

- Participants are welcome to bring old phones / cameras to use (these may be damaged – brought at own risk!)

 

To take part please email Jvan Yazdani jvanyazdani@gmail.com  and Jo Vergunst j.vergunst@abdn.ac.uk . Places will be limited due to the nature of the event. 



October 2021 Update: a couple of photos from the event!

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