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Adventures in Animation at Birnam Arts
Sat 26 Jul - Sat 15 Nov
Adventures in Animation
10:00 - 12:00
Doors Open 9:50

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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.

 

Planning Your Visit

Links to our Cafe, opening times and directions.

Visitor Information >

Other Events This Month

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Amy & Gary's Breakfast Brunch at Birnam Arts
29 Jul - 13 Aug

Kids Summer Art Workshops

Arts Workshop     |   Various
Kids Summer Art Workshops at Birnam Arts
Tue 26 Aug 2025

Art Club for Adults - Aug

Arts Workshop   |   Studios   |   13:30 - 15:30
Art Club for Adults with Michael Fullerton - Aug at Birnam Arts
Sun 28 Sep 2025

Zine Club!

Arts Workshop   |   Gallery   |   13:30 - 15:00
Zine Club! with Louisa Preston 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

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

Great exhibition and performance spaces. Lovely terrace and indoor seating with lots of light. Great food and drinks and even a garden next-door for a stroll afterwards. Like

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  • Entrance

  • Kinnaird

  • Cafe

  • Beatrix Potter

  • Shop

  • Gallery

  • Studio