Blank Canvas Artist Talk: Dirt under fingernails that use keyboards & screens by Andrew Gryf Paterson

What are the routes into a hands-on practice with dirt, soil, compost, gardens, when your hands are more often on device interfaces and not garden tools? Or: how do you encourage others to get involved? This presentation tells a story starting in 2002 and ends at the current moment in 2026. It focuses on 2 projects that on either end of this timeline, a virtual environment design project involving a garden with teenagers in 2002, and a VeeJaying (VJ) project with a 3D scanner and composting worms, designed to attract teenagers to get involved somehow, which started in 2025, ongoing. There's been much dirt under the fingernails inbetween all those years, including suburban allotment gardening, sharing Eisenia fetida and anti-instagram aesthetics. 

Self-styled 'artist-organiser', cultural producer, curator, educator, archivist and independent-interdependent researcher; Specialized in exploring connections between art, digital culture, science, cultural activism related to the commons, DIY/Do-It-With-Others, ecological and sustainability movements, along with cultural heritage and collaborative networks. Originally from Scotland, Andrew Gryf Paterson has an international practice of over 20 years, based in the Baltic Sea Region, most often in Helsinki, Finland. More or less archived here: http://agryfp.info

BLANK CANVAS: ANDREW GRYF PATERSON –

UPCOMING EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

Check out the rest of Andrew's events and workshops as part of Blank Canvas, exploring food, art, compost, ecology and digital culture.

2. Wormy Disco
📅 Saturday 7th November
🕙 10am–12pm

A playful introduction to composting for children and young people with their guardians. Explore compost materials, drawing, coloured lighting and the fascinating world of compost worms.

🎟️ Book your free ticket

3. VJ Clew – Live Visuals Workshop Series
📅 Thursdays 12, 19 & 26 November
🕔 5–7pm each week

A creative workshop series exploring VJ culture, live visuals and free open-source software. Experiment with compost materials, video loops, cameras and 3D scans, developing live visuals for the final CompostRave event.

🎟️ Find out more and book your place

4. CompostRave – Residency Celebration
📅 Friday 27th November
🕕 6–8pm

Celebrate the culmination of Andrew's residency with live visual art from VJ Clew, sets from local DJs, music, light and dancing, bringing together soil, sound and sensory discovery.

🎟️ Book your free ticket

These events lead up to CompostRave, celebrating the culmination of Blank Canvas, Narture's six-month food and arts residency programme, bringing together six artists – two local, two national and two international – each spending a month exploring the connections between food and art.

Everyone is welcome. Come along, get involved and celebrate creativity in Ayr!

References:

'Home-grown Tales' (2002)

https://archive.org/details/agryfp-2002-home-grown-tales-cleveland-arts

'Me an ma Wormies #1' / 'VJ Clew' (2017-)

http://instagram.com/agryfp