“I met a traveller from an antique land,Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert. . . . nothing beside remains…“OzymandiasI went on a hunt for Gulliver’s foot today - it is all that remains of a gigantic statue by the sculptor and former convict Jimmy Boyle, in a park near the housing schemes of Edinburgh’s Craigmillar and … [Read more...] about Gulliver’s foot and art’s redemptive power
community empowerment
Time to rebuild: Edinburgh Reimagined Part 2
We find ourselves in a similar position now to over 70 years ago. The genesis of the first Edinburgh International Festival recognised that art and culture were a means to healing a broken and exhausted society...In part one Morvern Cunningham made the case for rebuilding Scotland's 'festival city' from the roots up, growing with the strength of an oak tree. Here she … [Read more...] about Time to rebuild: Edinburgh Reimagined Part 2
More real than reality TV – the virtual community kitchen
On camera, the guests hold up the contents of their pots and pans to be checked by Noura while children and pets flit by in the background.One of the silver linings to come out of Covid's many dark clouds is the way people adapt to the restrictions caused by the disease. When our usual activities are curtailed, we find new opportunities. New ways of doing things. The Virtual … [Read more...] about More real than reality TV – the virtual community kitchen
Edinburgh reimagined: the future will be localised
How will Edinburgh emerge from the pandemic? In the early days of Covid-19, lockdown changed the city landscape more than anyone could have imagined. In the first of a two-part series, Morvern Cunningham sets out why and how Scotland's capital must be rebuilt. From the grassroots up. A message from the futureWhat lies … [Read more...] about Edinburgh reimagined: the future will be localised
The People’s Occupation: no more cuts
‘Pints are up two quid The staff are beautiful and bored You think it’s coming up ‘round here? It’s falling on its sword.’Kate Tempest, Perfect Coffee. When local campaigns organise in defence of city ‘spaces,’ what are people protecting? In whose name do they speak and what values underpin something as abstract as space? Can we ringfence community, and if so, how do we tell … [Read more...] about The People’s Occupation: no more cuts