Four artists explored the barriers within the Creative Industries in Dundee through research and an artistic response, presented here.

Josh Moir’s research centred around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how the barriers caused by a dangerous, uncertain and continually changing environment affect people working in the Creative Industries in Dundee. Through interviews with creative practicioners from different backgrounds and disciplines, themes of financial instability, healthcare, mental health and the need to count on unreliable digital mediums for work became very clear.

In his own words: “I created a large drawing using archetypal images which represented the topics that had come up in my interviews with the creatives I had spoken to, and a time lapse video of me completing the drawing. I decided to make the act of creating this drawing part of the project itself, by forcing myself to experience as many of the barriers which had been discussed as I could.“

“To do this I deliberately worked from home in a space ill-suited to drawing, worked in very large scale format, and recorded the process. Each barrier I put in my path pushed me further and further from my comfort zone, but was essential to generate the empathetic approach that was needed to make sure the final piece was an accurate examination of the barriers I had researched, and would generate conversation needed to support creatives through the coronavirus crisis.“

On The Full Picture Project, Josh explains: “The process of completing this piece over what was relatively a short and intense period of time has strongly influenced how I think about accessibility and how we interact as a creative community. Without resorting to the cliches we have all become increasingly tired of, I have become even more convinced that by supporting one another as an industry and being open to working collaboratively we can ensure that as many working creatives survive this unprecedented situation as possible. I am looking forward to pushing myself out of my comfort zone even further as these are lessons which I believe will hold incredible value for my practice!“

You can follow Josh’s work on @joshmoir and find out about the other artists here.