In celebration of Cove Park’s 25th Anniversary, our fifth Spotlight on 25 is by multidisciplinary dance artist and choreographer Janice Parker.

‘I have a deep love and respect for Cove Park. My first encounter was in 2005 thanks to a Creative Scotland Award and a recommendation from the wonderful Roanne Dodds.

For me Cove Park is a space away from the world, where the edges are porous and time literally changes. There is nothing prescriptive or organised: it’s okay to drift and be soft at the edges, to live in dream time and liminal time, and equally to be driven to make and create. Artists are seen and held but with no expectation to perform, produce, or be visible. There is space and time for all, and choice in the ways residents can share space together. Cove Park is a place of chance encounters and unexpected conversations – so vital and enriching.

Across the course of my numerous Cove Park residencies, I’ve witnessed the changes, the flourishing, and the growth. I knew the old Artists Centre well, and now the new Jacobs Building; I have my favourite Cube, but have also stayed in the Pods, sharing space with fellow artists. I go for my own practice, on self-funded residencies, and at the invitation of other artists and organisations as part of their work, and I’ve contributed in different ways to Cove Park’s ever expanding engagement programme.

And the land speaks, with its mountainous vista and all the weathers that pass over it. I’ve moved with the trees, the fence posts, the swing bridge, the rocks and the stones, the steps, the tufted grasses, the wildflowers, the gravelled paths, the water, in all the weathers. These are the invitations of a place. To be in residence is to inhabit, settle, and linger for a while, so vital to my practice and development.

Happy 25th Birthday Cove Park, thanks for being there.’

Janice Parker is a multidisciplinary independent dance artist and choreographer based in Edinburgh. An early innovator in socially engaged practice and disability-led arts, she works across art forms, communities, mainstream, and experimental art making. She is known locally and internationally for her collaborative approach, creating a mixture of installation, text, film, spoken-word, performance and live work. Janice now also mentors, lectures, hosts and advises.