SURGE is a unique organisation. For one, it is the only outdoors arts organisation in Scotland who are a Regular Funded Organisation (RFO) with Creative Scotland. According to their director, Alan Richardson, they wish that was not so.
On the cusp of the Annual Surge Festival – July 19-21, which takes place in Merchant City, Glasgow – Richardson, resplendent in trademark Adidas tracksuit top in a bright canary yellow and speaking passionately about his company, discussed what was in the pipeline for the festival and what was happening in the world of outdoor arts.
In his words, Surge’s core remit is to develop outdoor arts and circus across Scotland, who support artists who want to make their own work as the national development organisation for street arts, outdoor arts, physical theatre and circus.
“Surge began in 2009 when there was barely anybody under 50 doing street arts because they didn’t know about it,” Richardson said. “At the time, there was a festival in Falkirk that was really big, where 95% of the people didn’t come from Scotland.
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“We had Mischief La Bas, which is closed down now, but there were few artists for younger performers to look up to. Now there’s quite a small core of artists in their 30s making work and there is starting to be [a network] but it’s difficult without any money.”
The precarious nature of street arts in Scotland is, according to Richardson, defined by Surge being granted “about 0.25% of the Regular Funded Organisation (RFO) funding.”
This is paltry in comparison to other organisations. “If you compare it to Europe, it is absolutely appalling. In fact, in England since The Elephant, [street art] has been held in such high regard,” Richardson said.
In 2006, The Sultan’s Elephant, by French theatre company Royal de Luxe wowed audiences. More than one million people flocked to see it, leading to a review in England and real change for the arts.
“The reason why [Royal de Luxe] can do things like that is because of investment,” Richardson said. “Now there are centres all across England developing work, while in Scotland, over the last 10 years, [Creative Scotland] has reduced its spend.
“Last time, in around 2018, they cut it from three organisations to one. If they cut it again, it will be none. There were other outdoor arts organisations who did apply [for this round of funding] but they got rejected at stage one, and we are the only ones in round two.”
Surge offers a plethora of services for emergent artists, as Richardson pointed out: “We house about 15 artists in the building and give rehearsal space to anyone in the sector who isn’t being funded. Even if they are being funded, they only have to pay a contribution.
“We also do community street theatre and take some acts out who work with communities, then after a few days they perform in their local festival.
“Community arts is not embedded into mainstream school and university training, so we work with New College Lanarkshire every year, and tour round the country training people in finding out what it is.”
Finance is key to growth, the support given by Surge to others helps but the scene according to Richardson is “not as developed as it could be through lack of investment.”
“When things become tight, arts funders pour their money into buildings and not the outside.”
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He does concede there are times when street art becomes popular, “they throw money at outdoor arts whenever there is a big event like the Commonwealth Games or athletics and then put us back in our cupboards when they don’t have to show off to the world”.
In July, Richardson pointed out, Surge’s festival is, “the most public-facing thing we do with people in Scotland making work getting a chance to showcase it to the public.
“We are quite well connected across Europe so programmers will come here but also it is about bringing two or three international acts [over] for the artists here to get a chance to look at work that is not being made in Scotland.”
Their festival runs on emerging ability and volunteers, with volunteering a key success, Richardson explained.
“There is an internship connected with the festival which is done through universities with students who are doing business management or arts development to get them hands on.
“There are not many opportunities like this in Scotland. They actually run the volunteer programme for the festival, so they have something which is their own and are mentored through it.”
Volunteering is increasingly part of the funding processes: “You are always asked on funding applications about volunteers, so it is important, but because we are a development agency, we are very aware of what the difference is between hiring a professional and hiring a volunteer. We don’t have volunteers covering work which we should be paying for. We are now paying some of the volunteers because they keep coming back.”
Having a pathway to a professional career is not the sole motivation for volunteering, however. Richardson added: “Largely the volunteers are people who don’t have aspirations to work in the arts, and the thing they like doing is meeting the artists. Quite a lot of the volunteer work is looking after the artists, which means they get to chat to them. Volunteering is essential to the festival and the atmosphere around it, though is not reliant on them.
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“We have one volunteer who has been doing it for 10 years, though 95% of people who work on Surge Festival are paid.”
With Surge in July and the jamboree of Edinburgh’s art festivals around the corner, most people look set to have a renewed interest in seeking the outdoors.
But Richardson’s warnings are clear – if we do not treasure independent arts organisations, we could see the work they put in go to waste. Ironically it puts me in mind of an old Royal Mail advert about if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Surge, while a unique venture, is not alone in the possibility of a dark future, and if we do not heed the warnings, it may become another art form we mourn more than we celebrate.
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