The site will be one of 12 Unexpected Gardens around Scotland as part of creative arts programme Dandelion, showing that even the unlikeliest of places can bloom
Gardens are set to transform unexpected places in Edinburgh as it’s announced today, Edinburgh Agroecology Coop (EAC) will be partnering with creative arts programme, Dandelion,to grow an Unexpected Garden within Lauriston Farm.
Commissioned by EventScotland and funded via the Scottish Government, Dandelion is Scotland’s contribution to UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a nationwide programme of creative events and engagement.
Driven by the concept of ‘Sow, Grow, Share’ – not just food but ideas, music, scientific knowledge, and community – Dandelion takes a unique approach to growing.
Bringing together artists, scientists, performers, and technologists to present events and programmes throughout Scotland, including the Unexpected Gardens, Dandelion will culminate in hundreds of harvest celebrations later this year.
Bringing new life to community libraries, car parks and even tidal sites from the Western Isles to the Borders, the Unexpected Gardens are set to be a highlight of Dandelion, taking place from April to September 2022.
The 100-acre Edinburgh site will give members of the EAC and volunteers to the site the opportunity to experiment with farming practices and nurture the indigenous and existing plants, while creating a magnificent portal to Lauriston Farm. The EAC will work closely with North Edinburgh Arts on the project as they invite residents and wider communities to come together to learn and grow.
A spokesperson for Lauriston Farm said: “Lauriston Farm is delighted to be part of this nationwide project that celebrates the diversity of growing, people and places.
“Having the opportunity and support to create a unique garden and cultural programme that connects community, art and food is fantastic and enhances pathways for creative engagement in the farm.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming lots of people to explore and participate in the garden and activities at the farm.”
Other sites include Findhorn Bay Arts’ gardens in the centre of Forres, the unique garden will respond to the town’s main square and multiple alleys, promoting the growing of mushrooms which will thrive in the dark shadowy entryways. Also in the Highlands, arriving to sites across Caithness, Lyth Arts Centre’s Garden will roll off a trailer and become home to a performance and workshop space.
In Fife, the Leven Programme will convert the car park of The Centre – a community space – into a garden site. While Cove Park in Argyll will look to the water as they use tidal sites in Loch Long and Gare Loch to focus on food and flora native to the area such as sea buckthorn and seaweed.
Elsewhere in Scotland, RIG Arts will take over a site behind South West Library in Greenock, Taigh Chearsabhagh in Uist, Fèis Rois in Alness, The Stove Network and Stranraer Development Trust, Alchemy Film & Arts in the Borders and a partnership of organisations in Dundee are also dusting off their green fingers to get involved!
Neil Butler, Festival and Events Director said: “We’re excited to announce today the locations of our Unexpected Gardens. We look forward to watching each of the gardens come to life as they grow and hope that their programme of events succeeds in bringing people together.
“Sustainability lies at the heart of our programme, and we can’t wait to see people from all over Scotland sowing, growing and sharing food, music, ideas.”
Each Unexpected Garden will host a programme of events unique to each location throughout the summer, programmed by a creative producer. A local Musician in Residence will also be appointed to each site, with applications now open, to create a new piece of work to be presented at the culminating Harvest event in September. Lauriston Farm is one of 10 sites currently taking applications for the role, for more information, and to apply please go to dandelion.scot/opportunities
Additionally, the gardens will be visited by Dandelion’s specially designed Cubes of Perpetual Light, part-artwork, part-miniature vertical farms, the cubes will grow hundreds of seedlings under LED light, showcasing the latest technological innovation in horticulture.
Fiona Dalgetty, Futures Director, said: “As part of Dandelion, we’re excited to work with a local musician or band who will help provide the soundtrack to our harvest. Our Musician in Residence role is a great opportunity for artists who are passionate about the environment and the climate crisis to share their voice. Music has the fantastic ability to forge emotional connection and unify people from all walks of life and hopefully create an understanding of the environmental challenges facing our times.”
Marie Christie, Head of Development at Event Scotland said: “We are thrilled to see that gardens across the whole of Scotland will be enjoyed by local people and visitors as part of the Dandelion programme throughout this year. It’s wonderful to be part of a project that celebrates such creativity and aims to connect with the widest range of audiences and participants.”
Dandelion is one of 10 major creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, which is taking place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 2022. The UK’s most ambitious showcase of creative collaboration includes free large-scale events, installations and globally accessible digital experiences, and an extensive learning programme, which aims to reach millions of schoolchildren. Five other projects from the UNBOXED programme will present activities in Scotland, in addition to Dandelion.
UNBOXED’s Chief Creative Officer, Martin Green said: “UNBOXED celebrates creativity in its widest sense, placing it at the heart of people’s everyday lives, as Dandelion is doing across Scotland this summer. As a project, Dandelion is literally about sowing seeds for the future, which we hope will inspire local communities and the next generation. It’s part of a programme of five brilliant projects taking place in Scotland as part of UNBOXED this year, which combine art, science and tech, offering amazing events and experiences for everyone.”
To find out more about your local ‘edible garden’ visit: dandelion.scot
The full programme of events at each garden will be released in Spring.
Dandelion
April – September 2022
dandelion.scot
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK
March 1 – October 2, 2022
Unboxed2022.uk
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