April 2025

We've kicked off the season in fine style with our first spring EcoForge markets our "Freecycle @ The Forge" event, and our first WordForge event of the year on-site. The site has passed the winter in fine style, thanks to all the efforts from our wonderful directors and angels who worked so hard last year to get everything up and running.

Attendance has been wonderful too, with an equal share of familiar faces and newcomers coming through our gate. We continue now, and forever to welcome all good people from all communities and walks of life. You're all safe with us :)

Earlier this year the Forge team were delighted to be invited to work with S2 pupils at Banff Academy on an ambitious creative project. Working in partnership with Palestinian street artist Taqi Spateen and The Forge Team, pupils explored themes of home, identity, change and cultural heritage to create a collaborative exhibition of work.

It was a beautiful spring day when we visited pupils at Banff Academy, daffodils were blooming, birds chirping and all felt at peace, a world away from the daily reality of Palestinian street artist Taqi Spateen. As I walked through the school gates, I wondered how and if pupils would be able to grasp and articulate the complex global issues inherent in this project’s themes through their work. 

We were made to feel very welcome by pupils and staff during our visit, and I have to admit I was blown away by the maturity and intelligence with which pupils tackled the project. The Forge team had helped provide a structure for the exhibition; a collection of boards featuring work by pupils as a collaboration, rather like a patchwork, reflective of the varying themes and individual interpretations and experiences of pupils coming together as a community. In the classroom, pupils were working on their individual pieces with varying themes; climate change, identity, home and conflict, their enthusiasm and comprehension was apparent from the outset. We had a number of interesting conversations around the nature of identity, home and climate change and I was impressed with the intelligence and thought pupils had brought to the project. 

Over the half term break we returned to school to fix the boards together and I was delighted to be confronted by a large collection of artwork in different styles and media; painting, drawing, collage, all reflecting linked themes - it was truly fabulous to see them all together as if the voices of pupils were singing for all to hear! We spent a couple of days organising and collating the boards to create patchwork displays themed around climate change, home, conflict and pattern. I have to say the pattern patchwork display is my personal favourite; a collection of celtic and arabic patterns demonstrating clear cultural links between Banff and Palestine. 

The exhibition was opened by local artist and Forge Director Bryan Angus on the 17th April at The Smiddy in Banff. Displays can also be seen at local businesses Holistically Happy, Retro Carmelite and The Living Room. Pupils' work has also been displayed by Taqi on the West Bank Wall in Palestine - creating a true powerful and physical link between Banff and Bathlehem.

It was truly a delight to be involved in this project that in its very nature fosters understanding and tolerance whilst building community links. As Karen Adams MSP wrote in her Social Media post about the project ‘This is how we build bridges, not walls’.