WELCOME TO YOUR LATEST IN TOUCH NEWSLETTER
We all need a splash of colour in our lives after the long winter and with spring so slow to arrive.
So everyone at Aberdeen Inspired is delighted to bring not just one, but two major projects to create a vivid sense of vibrancy in the city centre – Nuart Aberdeen and the return of the ADHD Umbrella Project.
We were thrilled to host the Nuart Aberdeen team recently, as they scouted for walls ready to be transformed into stunning works – large and small – when the festival of street art bursts into life in June.
We know curator Martyn Reed has some amazing ideas in store to delight and dazzle everyone, and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks ahead of the globally-acclaimed Nuart Aberdeen returning.
Colour is very much to the fore, too, with the Umbrella Project, which will see Shiprow festooned with strings of brightly-coloured brollies from May through to September.
It really is an eye-catching display that creates a special atmosphere, one which never fails to lift the spirits and put a smile on people’s faces.
But beyond looking good, the Umbrella Project does great good too, by celebrating and raising awareness of neurodiversity in all its forms.
What better way to promote inclusivity and community than by bringing people together to enjoy this wonderful display – as well as all the mini-installations I hope we will see in schools and businesses across the city?
We at Aberdeen Inspired are proud to partner with the ADHD Foundation on this vital – and vibrant – project.
Both Nuart Aberdeen and the ADHD Umbrella Project also underline the importance of arts and culture to the Granite City, not just making it brighter and better but also encouraging people to come in to discover and enjoy the great things the city centre has to offer.
All in all, it’s going to be a brilliant and inspiring summer, so let’s get out and enjoy it together.
Best wishes,
Adrian Watson, Chief Executive, Aberdeen Inspired
STORIES
Image Credits - The Douglas Hotel
Brolly good show as colourful Umbrella Project returns to brighten Aberdeen’s summer
Aberdeen is in for a brolly good show as the colourful Umbrella Project returns to the city this summer to both celebrate and raise awareness of neurodiversity.
A stunning canopy of multi-coloured brollies will be unfurled on Shiprow from May through to September in tribute to the “umbrella” term of neurodiversity, which includes ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia, and Tourette’s Syndrome.
As part of the hugely-popular project, local schools and businesses are also being invited to create their own mini-installations by Aberdeen Inspired, which is bringing the campaign to the Granite City in partnership with the ADHD Foundation and sponsors, Harbour Energy and TMM Recruitment.
You can read more about it here.
Image Credits - Aberdeen Inspired
Nuart Aberdeen’s top team scout for walls to transform into artworks
Nuart Aberdeen’s top team has been in the Granite City scouting for walls to transform into works of art this June.
They have identified almost 50 locations where world-acclaimed street artists can work their magic during the festival, which will run from June 6 to 9, attracting thousands of people to the city centre.
Their mission comes as Nuart walking tours are gearing up to return for the summer, giving a fascinating insight into the works that make our cityscape vibrante and exciting.
You can find out more here.
Image Credits - Aberdeen Inspired
£5 million revamp of Union Street office block is part of new dawn for Aberdeen city centre
Plans to give a Union Street office block a £5 million makeover and attract new workers could be the beginning of a fresh dawn for the Granite Mile, says Aberdeen Inspired.
Caledonian House, on the corner of Union Row, is to be revamped by new owners The SRE Group, who hope to have the former Wood Group offices completely refurbished by the end of this year.
The building, which had a deep clean of its granite exterior last year, will be renamed Aurora Aberdeen, and those behind the project say it will “further enhance Union Street as it once again becomes the focus of business and leisure activity in Aberdeen”.
You can read more about it here.
Image credits - Aberdeen Inspired
Evening parking for a quid is boost for city centre
A £1 evening parking deal for the city centre has been welcomed by Aberdeen Inspired as a boost for the night-time economy.
The new bargain fee will come into effect from the end of May and see parking after 5pm for just a quid at off-street car parks such as Gallowgate, Frederick Street and Marischal College, seven days a week.
The council recently announced the new rate in a bid to encourage footfall into the city centre.
You can read more about it here.
Image credits - Aberdeen Inspired
Rolex store is vote of confidence in Union Street
The countdown is on to bring another touch of luxury to Union Street as work begins on a Rolex shop on the Granite Mile.
The new outlet is part of a £1 million investment on Union Street by iconic city jewellers Jamieson & Carry, who have already opened a Tag Heuer boutique on the corner of Belmont Street – across from the Rolex store.
The arrival of the Rolex shop has been welcomed as a vote of confidence in Union Street by Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired.
You can read more about it here.
Image Credits - Aberdeen Jazz Festival
Aberdeen Jazz Festival is in full swing
Aberdeen Jazz Festival is in full swing – and blues, and trad and funk – transforming the Granite City into a musical wonderland for 10 days.
The extravaganza kicked off on Thursday, 14th March, and will run to this Sunday, 24th March, offering a stunning range of concerts and events at venues right across the city with more than 30 events and over 100 artists taking part.
With huge names from the international jazz world to the best of local talent, the fest has been welcomed by Aberdeen Inspired chief executive Adrian Watson as a major boost for the city.
You can read more about it here.
Image credits - Aberdeen Performing Arts
Review: Hats off to The Full Monty at Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre
The Full Monty is still as relevant today as it was back then.
At its heart is a story about so many serious issues including unemployment, homosexuality, depression, body image, despair and poverty, yet it manages to be incredibly uplifting, hilarious and provides toe-tapping and hand-clapping moments in abundance.
You can read our review of this outstanding show here.