An international fashion guru has launched a Aberdeen’s visual art and design festival.
Wayne Hemingway helped kick-start Look Again 2017, which will attract some of the best international visual artists and designers, while showcasing work from artists in the north-east.
Mr Hemingway, who co-founded fashion label Red or Dead and now runs multi-disciplinary design agency HemingwayDesign, was joined by acclaimed duo Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead for the launch of the five-day festival.
The artists will be heading straight to New York after Look Again to exhibit their work at Frieze New York.
They have created a new work for Look Again called Control Room, using material from the rarely viewed archives held by Aberdeen Harbour Board, the UK’s oldest company.
Award-winning Stockholm-based designer Nick Ross, who is unveiling his new commission The Doric Boule at Marischal College, was also in attendance.
Festival director Sally Reaper said: “We have such a fantastic line-up for this year’s festival and are delighted to be showcasing artists from London and Sweden, alongside their counterparts from here in Aberdeen and across Scotland. People will be inspired, provoked and entertained in equal measure.
“It’s incredible to see how far Look Again has come since its debut three years ago. The wide appeal of the festival demonstrates that visual art isn’t niche but something to be enjoyed by everyone. Creating a festival inspired by our rich cultural heritage is a privilege and is a timely reminder that we should all be very proud to live in this part of the country.”
Professor Chris O’Neil, head of Gray’s School of Art at the Robert Gordon University, added: “This year’s festival has already captured the imaginations of hundreds with our campus showcase at Garthdee and the main festival is set to take this one step further.”
The festival, delivered through a partnership between RGU and independent art agency Smart, aims to encourage visitors to become tourists in their own city, looking at their surroundings though fresh eyes and gaining a new appreciation of the region.