Four Aberdeen pensioners are heading down to the big smoke today (7 May) to appear live on This Morning with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. The latest additions to the street art world will be demonstrating their new skills and giving the daytime duo a graffiti masterclass live on air to the nation.
Local resident’s Dorothy Bothwell, Anne Yule, Pearl Cameron and Rosemary Murray all took part in the LATA 65 – Young at Art workshop, as part of Nuart Aberdeen 2019. Street art and the method of graffiti has seen by many as a pastime of young people, Nuart Aberdeen provided the opportunity for over 65’s to delve into the graffiti world and in their own imitable style, challenge that very stereotype.
The workshop led by internationally renowned Portuguese curator and architect, Lara Seixo Rodrigues, who devised the concept after noticing through her own curatorial interventions that urban art was reaching and provoking a reaction from the most varied of groups, but particularly older people and residents.
LATA 65 emerged as a challenge to take the interest shown by an ‘ageing’ audience to prove that ‘active ageing’ makes sense and to bring seniors close to a form of artistic expression usually associated with younger people.
Over the course of the workshop Aberdeen participants learnt all about urban art, starting with its roots in graffiti and conclude by actively producing their own work on the street. The workshop highlighted the benefits of motivating the elderly through urban art and illustrated the positive benefits it can provoke.
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired says,
‘We have been blown away by the global attention that LATA 65 – Young at Art has gained in only a few short weeks. Four of our local participants have been propelled into the national spotlight and will now be sitting alongside the King and Queen of morning TV Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield. I have little doubt they will steal the show and capture the hearts and minds of the nation. We are still in awe of the attention that Nuart Aberdeen has had and continues to have across the country. I am sure there’s more to come from Aberdeen’s newest street art loving seniors, so watch this space!’
Rosemary Murray, Lata 65 – Young at Art participant, commented,
‘I am astonished by the attention that our new found group has attracted since our workshop in April. I never would have thought that when I signed up to the workshop back in February that I would now be heading down to London to show off my new skills on national daytime television! Not only has this given me the opportunity to develop new skills and make a new group of friends for life, but it has also opened the idea to anyone, whoever you are, that you can do exactly what you want. I can’t thank the team enough at Aberdeen Inspired and Nuart Aberdeen for giving me this opportunity.’
Nuart Aberdeen is spearheaded by Aberdeen Inspired and Aberdeen City Council, with generous support from delivery partners Burness Paull and The McGinty’s Group.
