Luminate Festival 2014

Luminate’s third nationwide Festival hosted 435 dance, drama, music, visual arts and outreach events the length and breadth of Scotland to explore what ageing means to all of us.

An older woman is swinging forward on a fabric swing as part of an aerial dance class. She is posed like superman with her arms outstretched — All or Nothing Aerial Dance and Scottish Ballet Regenerate, Luminate Festival 2014
Photo: Eoin Carey

Programme highlights:

Changing Room: artists Jo Hodges and Denise Zygadlo were commissioned by Luminate to create an interactive installation exploring experiences of the menopause. The work was exhibited in Dumfries & Galloway with supporting workshops.

We’re trying to raise awareness and understanding of the complexities of the menopause... It sounds quite a serious subject, but there’s also a lot of playfulness and fun in it

Jo Hodges, Artist The Commonty

Falkirk Cabaret: choir leader Stephen Deazley worked with care homes and older people’s groups in Falkirk on a singing project culminating in a celebration at the Town Hall.
Let Me Stay toured in the Highlands. Julie McNamara celebrated life through the eyes of her mother, challenging the view that Alzheimer’s must always represent a withdrawal from the world. Presented in partnership with the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (SMHAFF)
A Place to Sit shared table settings designed by people living with dementia in collaboration with artist Deirdre Nelson. Coasters and table mats were inspired by memories of the dance halls of Glasgow, and by the natural world around the city. Exhibited at CCA in Glasgow, this was the culmination of a day centre project supported by Alzheimer Scotland.
Life Lines: Intergenerational LGBT+ Storytelling, an evening of performance poetry and storytelling from a diverse range of LGBT+ people. Organised by LGBT Health and Wellbeing.
J O U R N E Y created by Belgian choreographer Koen De Preter, featured two dancers aged 31 and 87 who bridge the gap between young and old. Co-presented in Banchory with DanceLive.
Light as a Feather: All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre gave dancers from Scottish Ballet’s Regenerate company the chance to fly!
Making It Matters: Westhill Men’s Shed and arts students from Aberdeen collaborated on an intergenerational design challenge led by MAKLab.
Suffragettes: Our Mothers, Sisters, Aunts? Glasgow Women’s Library shared some of their Suffragette playscripts, followed by a handling session of Suffragette artefacts and a discussion about the experiences of these Firebrand Women.
Utsavam Celebration, an Indian dance workshop by Dance Ihayami for older people, families and carers at Lifecare in Edinburgh.

Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing festival, ran between 2012 and 2019.

Download the 2014 Luminate Festival Programme

Providing opportunities for older people to learn new skills and try out creative pursuits is vital to ensuring people not only live longer lives, but also healthier and happier ones

Brian Sloan, Chief Executive, Age Scotland

It’s been wonderful to see a passion across the generations for an event that celebrates creativity as we age

Janet Archer, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland

Photos from the Festival

A table is set with floral coasters and a floral tablecloth made from using pressed flower images — A Place to Sit - Luminate Festival 2014

A wardrobe door hangs open to reveal a black evening dress with a white bodice and a number of handbags in storage spaces on the right hand side — Changing Room - Luminate Festival 2014

Twowomen are sitting at a table with song lyrics in their hands. One is laughing as there is a man asking her to speak into a microphone — Camelon Over 50s Group and Love Music, Luminate Festival 2014

A group of people are caught mid-meeting gathered around a small table with notepads and coffee — Making It Matters, Luminate Festival 2014

Suffragette banners in white, green and purple are decorated with the names and occupations of feminist heroes — Suffragettes, Luminate Festival 2014