narture cic: an artist’s collective with a new way forward

An introduction from Saskia, one of the co-founders of Narture, and a flourishing artist based on the West Coast of Scotland.

Hello! I’m Saskia Jae Singer, an artist and curator. My dad is an artist so I was lucky enough to be brought up in a creative environment when I was wee. I would always be running about his studio covered in paint and whatever else I could play with, which laid the foundation for my interest in art. I graduated from Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) in 2019. Collaboration is integral to my multifaceted practice, co-founding a project called ‘Dain Hing’s’, supporting the creativity of others whilst at DJCAD with Jek McAllister. We have hosted a number of exhibitions, workshops, residencies and events, bringing people together ‘tae dae hing’s’. Dain Hings opened the Artist Network Assembly in 2019 with a workshop, focusing on the necessity of artists’ communities collaborating. Since graduating in 2019, Dain Hings has offered a wide range of exhibitions, workshops and parties in Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Ayr. We invited participants to work collaboratively on activities such as drawing with sticks, the ultimate paper chain race and 15-minute exhibition challenge to collectively transform the transient spaces that we occupy.

Dain Hings hand screen-printed tote bag.

[image description: Off-white tote bag with black writing ‘Dain Hings’, held up outside against a rust painted fence]

MX: Your personal work seems to focus a lot on space, shape and colour. Why do you focus on these mediums and what do they express for you?

Saskia: Play is integral to art.

My degree show at DJCAD in 2019, was inspired by Psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott's Squiggle Theory. Psychoanalytical investigations were used as part of the therapeutic relationship with children, where Winnicott used the Squiggle Game as a technique of communicating with children through mark making. A dialogue of squiggles and scribbles was built up, used in place of orthodox speech therapy, to gain insight into the mind of the child. The squiggles were a raw expression of imagination, creativity and above all, feelings.

Tangled: Copper Sculpture now on show at BAaD

[image description: artist exhibition of copper sculpture floating mid-air against a white backdrop]

Squiggle Theory: Saskias degree show at DJCAD in 2019

[image description: artist exhibition of floating coloured squiggles, yellow, teal, orange, baby blue and purple paint splatters, against a white backdrop]

My work is motivated by the role of the subconscious and playing with materials, process and primitive techniques. It utilises the 'formlessness' of the squiggle: the subconscious guiding the foundation for visual production. ‘In playing and only in playing, the individual child or adult is able to be creative’ (Winnicott). Squiggles, mark-making and 'random' object-placement are elements of this play. I have dyspraxia and struggle to articulate myself with words sometimes, so I was really drawn to the idea of using squiggles and drawing games, to have a conversation instead of speaking. My work is a correlation of an improvised, subconscious approach; working intuitively to create an installation, while also continually being thoughtful and reflective about the mini-dialogues, conversations and energy present within my work.

How did you come to form your collective, Narture, and where did the name come from?

Narture evolved during the first lockdown as a father and daughter collaboration when I was living with my dad, taking the opportunity to ‘play with our food’ in a series of creative experiments at home. We decided it was time to manifest the idea that had been fermenting over the last few years, to open an experimental bakery/kitchen at 3, Cathcart Street in Ayr’s historic quarter, where we bake real bread to earn the dough to fund arts projects.

BREAD experimental bakery/kitchen at 3 Cathcart Street Ayr

[close up shot of fresh baked bread in the window of the BREAD experimental bakery and kitchen]

Narture grew organically from previous projects, FreshAyr and Bread Arts Lab; a series of pop-up events aimed at encouraging creativity in Ayr town centre, where we took over empty retail spaces and invited artists from different genres to generate artworks that highlighted the potential to change town centre usage. The name Narture evolved from combining nature, nurture and art into a gif which you can see on our website, (narture.co.uk) n∀rture - nAture —  Art, using the mathematical symbol for all, ∀ which embodies our ethos: nurturing the arts, respecting nature and the Bueysian notion that ‘everyone is an artist’, which conveys the message, that arts are, for ALL!

Why did you choose to use the medium of food for your practice with Narture?

Since leaving school, I have sustained myself throughout Art school by working in hospitality, in a wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars. Recently I revisited my printmaking to create edible art, using molecular gastronomy and 3D food printing which is published in Artist’s Tuckshop Cook Book.

Unpractical by Saskia in Make Bake Cook Book

[artist exhibition of a white plate with edible art and squiggles on it]

Can you tell us a bit more about Narture's plans post-covid, specifically your project based around reviving the historic Sandgate area of Ayr?

Through a unique vision across gastronomy, arts and sciences, we aim to reanimate the vacant shops and spaces in the Sandgate area of Ayr. We hope to commission in local artists and creative people to produce inspirational new digital and physical artworks to show these spaces reanimated for a post pandemic, post-retail, future. We will develop exciting experiential retail and cultural events to attract people back and restore vibrancy to the heart of our historic town. Our ambition is to use this reimagining as a socially responsible way of catalysing Scotland’s town centres, as sustainable places of employment for artists and makers, for the future. We are currently scheduling a year-long programme, with the initial exhibition ‘Water Salt Grain’ occupying the five windows of our art space DOUGH. Laura McGlinchey will follow, creating a paper cave that will look at how we have evolved from cave dwellers to settled societies. This will follow with a collaboration between Dain Hings and Loose Parts Play, looking at play and social interaction with local communities.

Why do you think it is important to bring life back into areas such as Ayr?

We want to encourage the cultural capital we lose to the cities when they go off to study for their degrees, by giving them a reason to bring their talents from the cities back to the town. We want to encourage a better understanding of the contribution professional artists bring to society by establishing a base for contemporary art in Ayr town centre - a liminal space where the studio is kitchen, kitchen is laboratory and laboratory is gallery. To support our collective of emerging and established artists with the income and resources to develop their practice in a supportive nurturing environment, while giving purpose and inspiration to others. Develop new audiences by encouraging a wide cross-section of the local community to engage with the creative, social and environmental aspects of the project.

How can people get involved and support this new project?

We are currently running a Creative Scotland match fund Crowdfunder, which will run until 19th April and have done exceptionally well in the first few days. We are completely in awe and humbled by the community support coming together. We will be looking to work with different creatives very soon, to get involved with projects and will be doing open calls, so make sure to keep an eye out on social media and our website.

If anyone has any project proposals for food and art, email us at info@narture.co.uk.

DOUGH, arts space across from the bakery BREAD in Ayr

[image description: Photo outside DOUGH, doorway entrance with a bench to the right]

You can see more of Saskia’s work on Instagram or through her website.

For more information on Narture head to their website or Instagram. You can support Narture’s new project through their Crowdfunder by donating here.

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Since leaving DJCAD, Saskia has been working on different personal projects and the forming of the Artist Collective Narture. She is the lead artist and curator for developing the programme for DOUGH Arts Space at 22 Sandgate Ayr, and is focusing on projects that aims to animate empty spaces, bringing the city to the town. Saskia can be contacted directly at saskia@narture.co.uk for any possible collaborations and is keen to discuss projects looking at food and art.