The Spirit of Punk & More

Arts and Media charity RIG Arts have received a National Lottery grant of £28,700 for an exciting Inverclyde Music Heritage project. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project will explore the importance of music in Inverclyde’s cultural heritage.

The project will focus on the music scene in Inverclyde mainly during the 1970s and 80s. RIG Arts will connect with the bands who hailed from the area and explore the importance that music movements had on people's lives and how Inverclyde's heritage and environment shaped local musicians’ art and method throughout their careers. Oral histories will be collected and exhibitions will share physical heritage such as photographs, ticket stubs, archive footage and memorabilia.

RIG Arts has been working with Simon Dell to tie in with his research work on local musicians. Dell has collected a large collection of personal histories and heritage objects, as well as having strong relationships with the friends and family of Port Glasgow born electronic musicians Thomas Leer and the late Robert Rental, two of Scotland's finest but less well-known musicians. The kick-off point of the project will be a retrospective exhibition focusing on Leer and Rental.

The project will solidify the importance of music in the cultural heritage of Inverclyde and will safeguard it from disappearing with the generation who experienced it. Research and design workshops, booklets, online content and a documentary film will be produced to ensure that the heritage is recorded and accessible beyond the close of the project.

A spokesperson for RIG commented on the award, “This is a great opportunity to widen the participation in heritage activities throughout Inverclyde, especially as the subject has been so important in shaping Inverclyde and its communities. We are thankful for the support from The National Lottery and are positive this project will inspire young musicians and researchers alike.”

Lucy Casot, Head of HLF Scotland, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, HLF is able to help communities learn about and take pride in their local heritage as well as training in new skills. Learning about history can be rewarding, fascinating and fun, and Inverclyde Music Heritage is no exception.”