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Kinnaris Q at Birnam Arts
Fri 21 Aug
Kinnaris Q | Auditorium
20:00 - 22:00
Doors Open 19:30

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Chance Operations

Chance Operations Poetry Workshop with Martine Foltier Pugh

9 November 2024

A Birnam Book Festival Fringe Event, Chance Operations with Martine Foltier Pugh will appeal to aspiring and practising writers and artists alike. In the course of the workshop, you will learn how to pick words randomly from newspapers and books and how to present your findings. You will take home your own blackout poems that are visually striking works of art in themselves and some fresh ideas to develop further.

Words inspire Martine, in a playful way. ‘Chance Operations’ is called after Dada and the Surrealists who were fascinated by Freud’s study of dreams and the subconscious.  They experimented with simple techniques to generate text randomly and independently of the author’s control and rational thinking.  ‘Letting go’ feels liberating when everything else we do is about making hard choices. The process becomes meditative and brings about strangely evocative and uncanny juxtapositions, little poetic nuggets even, surprising and otherworldly.

    glide wonderful doubt  -  arching choice in shallow summer  -  soft despair never so true 

Of French and Italian heritage, writer and artist Martine Foltier Pugh grew up near Paris and has lived in Scotland since her early twenties.  She writes about art and artists, notably Scottish colourist Marj Bond. Her visual practice is text based. She is a member and regular exhibitor with the collective Heartwood Artists, has run a series of concrete poetry workshops during an artist residency in Abbeyhill primary school in Edinburgh and earlier this year gave a Chance Operations workshop in Birnam Arts.

 

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Other Events This Month

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Every third Tuesday

Knitting and Fibre Arts Club

Arts Workshop   |   Studios   |   19:00 - 21:00
Knitting and Fibre Arts Club at Birnam Arts
Sat 15 Aug 2026

Landscape painting demo and workshop

Arts Workshop   |   Studios   |   10:00 - 16:00
Landscape painting demo and workshop with Jonathan Mitchell at Birnam Arts
Sun 16 Aug 2026

Craft Market

Arts Workshop   |   Auditorium   |   11:00 - 16:00
Craft Market at Birnam Arts at Birnam Arts
Sat 29 Aug 2026

Introduction to Lino cut workshop

Arts Workshop   |   Studios   |   10:30 - 15:30
Introduction to Lino Cut Workshop with Lisa Speirs-Fleming at Birnam Arts
Map showing Birnam Arts and conference centre in Scotland

Opening Times

Box Office
Open periodically throughout the week | Book online 24/7


Cafe
Daily | 10 - 4



Birnam Arts
Station Road
Birnam Dunkeld
PH8 0DS
admin@birnamarts.com
Tel: 01350 727 674

Reading Room

Star Star Star Star Star

Birnam Arts has been host to great memories and moments, from dancing my heart out at weddings to speaking at conferences to enjoying wonderful music ... this place does it all and is an important hub. We look forward to the time we can enjoy BA to its full once again.

Susanna Thomson   |   Crowdfunder #savebirnamarts 2020

Entrance

Welcome to Birnam Arts, a boutique multi-purpose arts, conferencing and entertainment venue.

Highlights

Pop in to the Foyer Cafe for breakfast, grab a delicious coffee with a selection of our homemade baking or enjoy a light lunch whilst browsing on the free WiFi. Wander upstairs to view the latest of our monthly art exhibitions before visiting the world of Beatrix Potter, or the Gift Shop to purchase a special gift for your loved ones or yourself!

Star Star Star Star Star

I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for everyone's support in the planning and delivery of our Perthshire Artisan's event at Birnam Arts. The space was ideal, the food delicious and it was great to be back in real life!

Caron Ironside   |   Feedback

Beatrix Potter Garden

Opening times

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Star Star Star Star Star

Birnam Arts = Community Heart

Simon Yearsley   |   Crowdfunder #savebirnamarts 2020

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