Tag: artwork

Census 2022: ‘Scotland Connected’ completes its tour in Edinburgh

Pictured: India Winston and Lauren Boland ‘Scotland Connected’, a large-scale artwork created to mark Scotland’s Census. The 4 metre by 2 metre artwork visited Edinburgh on Sunday where locals coloured in sections and found out more information about filling in the census.

‘Scotland Connected’ completed its tour of the nation’s communities on Sunday as it visited the heart of Edinburgh on Census Day.

Created by the Edinburgh-based artist, Pilar Garcia de Leaniz, the artwork represents the fabric of Scotland, its people and the role of the census, an official count of everyone in Scotland which is used to plan vital public services and inform investment in areas such as education.

The census is a unique count of everyone in Scotland; it is used to plan vital public services and inform investment in areas such as education, transport, health and social care.

For the first time it is anticipated that the majority of census responses will be made online, with paper questionnaires available for those who wish to use them.

More than one million households had already completed Scotland’s Census 2022, ahead of Census Day on Sunday.

These households are making sure their contribution count when it comes to important services in their communities, from health and social care, to transport and education.

It’s essential that everyone in Scotland takes the time to fill in the census to ensure that every household is heard and their needs captured; it’s also a legal responsibility.

The artwork – which represents the fabric of Scotland, its people and the role of the census – was met by Pilar Garcia de Leaniz, the artist who designed it, and Registrar General and Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland (NRS), Paul Lowe.

Pictured: Lara Fabiani and Gary Moncreith ‘Scotland Connected’, a large-scale artwork created to mark Scotland’s Census. The 4 metre by 2 metre artwork visited Edinburgh on Sunday where locals coloured in sections and found out more information about filling in the census.

Paul Lowe said: “To reach one million completed returns, ahead of Census Day on 20 March, is an amazing milestone. I want to thank everyone who has participated so far. I am delighted to see such a terrific response from the people of Scotland.

“The census only happens every ten years and its results will be important for generations to come. By taking a few minutes to answer questions about yourself, your household, and the place where you live, everyone plays a vital role in helping shape important services in your community, from the building of new schools and hospitals to improving transport links and understanding health needs.

“These one million  households have ensured their voices have been heard. Make sure yours is too. It’s quick and easy to complete online, with paper forms available for those who need them.

“Help and support is available on our website census.gov.scot or via our free helpline 0800 030 8308.”

Pictured: India Winston ‘Scotland Connected’, a large-scale artwork created to mark Scotland’s Census. The 4 metre by 2 metre artwork visited Edinburgh on Sunday where locals coloured in sections and found out more information about filling in the census.

Pilar de Garcia Leaniz added: “It’s been great to see communities across the nation fill in the ‘Scotland Connected’ artwork and bring it to life. It’s inspired by the people of Scotland as well as the role of the census.

“I’m proud to have been part of this exciting project and hope it will continue to help encourage the nation to fill in the census”.

Census Day was 20 March but households have been able to complete their return since 28 February. Responses should reflect their circumstances on Census Day itself.

The census asks questions on a range of topics, including the types of accommodation people stay in, household relationships, age, sex, health and employment status.

New questions for the 2022 census include use of British Sign Language (BSL), passports held, previous armed forces history and new voluntary questions on sexual orientation and trans status.

Census letters have been issued to more than 2.7 million households representing 5.5 million people.

A census of the population has been taken every 10 years in Scotland since 1801, with the exception of 1941, because of World War Two and in 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

You can still complete online and on paper. For more information and to complete the census online, visit census.gov.scot

Betty the basking shark takes up residence at Ocean Terminal

Edinburgh artist Johnathan Elders illustrates the scale of Scotland’s electronic waste
with powerful installation

Reindeer, penguins, and polar bears are the sort of animals you would usually expect to see taking pride of place in a retail display at this time of year. However, one Edinburgh shopping centre is adding a little more ‘bite’ to its seasonal offering with the installation of a powerful new sculpture – Betty the e-waste shark!

The work of Edinburgh artist Johnathan Elders, Betty is a life-sized basking shark which aims to illustrate the sheer scale of Scotland’s electronic waste problem.

The sculpture was created using a range of second-hand electrical devices including more than 200 keyboards and water cooler panels, all of which have been saved from landfill, plus two projector lenses and TV screens which display a hard-hitting film about the true impact of e-waste.

Previously displayed at the National Museum of Scotland, local sustainability campaigner Sara Thomson of The Leith Collective has successfully secured Betty a residency at Ocean Terminal, and the artwork is available to view now.

Created in response to a call-out from the Edinburgh Science Festival, Jonathan had a clear vision of what he hoped the artwork would achieve. Firstly, it needed to demand attention.

He was determined to craft something that was simply too big to be missed, and instantly recognisable in order to create a reaction. Secondly, it needed to be engaging – something that people would want to touch and interact with.

It was also important that the piece was inclusive and accessible in its entirety to people of any height or level of mobility. Finally, it needed to inform viewers of the immense problem of e-waste faced by Scotland. 

Commenting on the piece, Jonathan Elders explains: ‘I chose the basking shark, native to Scotland, as I encountered one as a child whilst on a boat trip to Bass Rock in North Berwick. This moment had a huge impact on me, and it has stayed with me ever since. 

‘I didn’t want to be subtle. As a nation, we have so much to be proud of – like these magnificent creatures – but we also have a massive problem that we’re just not doing enough to address. Like producing such vast quantities of e-waste. 

‘As the footage shows, much of this waste is shipped away to other parts of the world so that we can forget about it. But that needs to stop.’

When asked about the name, Jonathan said: “Betty is the name of a lovely local lady – a total character who knows everybody. She lives overlooking Newhaven Harbour but won’t go anywhere near it because she is scared of the sea. Hence the reason I called the shark Betty, because like the real-life Betty, this shark will never go to the sea!’

Betty the e-waste shark is available to view now at Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh. Guided tours and talks about the artwork are available upon request for schools, clubs, and organisations.

If you are interested in giving Betty the e-waste shark a home after her residency at Ocean Terminal ends, please email info@theleithcollective.com to discuss.

Heart Research UK: Grab some art and help some hearts

National charity Heart Research UK have launched the ‘anonymous heART project’ 2021, an online fundraising campaign that will see hundreds of anonymous one-of-a-kind masterpieces created by huge names from the worlds of art and entertainment go up for auction on eBay. 

Heart Research UK Patrons Robert Smith (The Cure) Paul Insect and Christopher Kane have joined the likes of Chvrches, Jamie Hewlett, Ralph Steadman and hundreds of international stars and artists who have created stunning A5 pieces.

The twist? Though the list of artists will be available to all bidders, the artist of each individual piece will be kept anonymous, only being revealed once the auction is over. Could you bag yourself an original masterpiece for a bargain price? 

Their pieces will be auctioned alongside almost 500 others pieces created by a host of celebrities and international artists on eBay from 22nd October – 31st October 2021.

You can bid on your favourite piece here www.heartresearch.org.uk/heart-auction

The anonymous heART project is back for its 4th year, with previous editions raising over £130,000 in total. All the money raised will fund Heart Research UK’s vital medical research into the prevention, treatment, and cure of heart disease. 

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “The anonymous heART project is one of the most exciting projects Heart Research UK has ever run. We are delighted to welcome it back for another successful year, as we have received an astounding number of artworks from artists, designers, and celebrities all over the world. 

“At Heart Research UK, we are always looking for fun and innovative ways to raise money to help us continue our vital medical research, helping us benefit patients as soon as possible. 

“The anonymous heART project is a fantastic event allowing people to own their own mini-masterpiece created by an artist or celeb but allows them to get involved and give a little something back. 

“What makes this project so special is that everyone has the chance to own a piece of iconic art; it really is making high class art available to all whilst, allowing people to support our ground-breaking medical research which helps save lives.” 

The anonymous heART project is proudly sponsored by international law firm Walker Morris.

Walker Morris, who partnered with the charity to launch the first anonymous heART project in 2018, are reinforcing their long-standing reputation for innovative sponsorship of the arts with a two-year sponsorship of the project, including the Anonymous heART Project’s 5th anniversary year in 2022.

Edinburgh boy defying doctors celebrated with artwork at New Sick Kids

 
An Edinburgh teenager who defied medical experts has had his passion for dancing transformed into artwork for Edinburgh’s new Sick Kids hospital. 

Evan Glass, 13, battled through his first two hours of life and mum Danni was told he may never eat, talk or walk. Since birth, he has been fascinating medical experts with his resilience – but it is his dance performances which most often leave people speechless. 

Evan began dancing five years ago through attending classes run by Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s (ECHC) Arts Programme. Run in partnership with Dance Base, the classes support children receiving treatment at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children with their physiotherapy. Through dance, Evan has completely transformed the way he moves. 

Danni Glass, Evan’s mum, said: “I was given the news that every mum fears after giving birth – I was told that my baby wouldn’t make it. Doctors still can’t believe he is here but he is proving everybody wrong!  

“Since beginning ECHC’s Step Out dance classes, Evan has come on leaps and bounds. His movements used to be quite stiff and robotic but now he moves much more fluidly. His balance has also really improved but where we have seen the biggest changes are in his confidence – it has really helped to bring him out of himself.”

When Evan was offered the opportunity by ECHC to have his dancing made into a piece of artwork for the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP), he jumped at the chance. 

To create the piece, Evan and Dance Base Instructor Christina Liddell wore sensors on their wrists and ankles which tracked their movements as they danced together. These movements were digitalised and coloured, then transformed into the beautiful piece of artwork that is now displayed for all to see on entering the new children’s hospital.  

Danni said: “Evan is my little miracle. I am so, so proud of everything that he has achieved. He just forgets everything when he dances and loses all of his anxieties – it’s just wonderful to watch. 

“He was so excited to take part in the making of the artwork with Christina and thinks the finished piece is the greatest thing ever. I never realised it would be as big as it is – it’s absolutely amazing! When he first saw it, he was so chuffed and wanted to take photos from every angle. It’s just incredible to think that his artwork is now on display for people to see in the hospital forever.” 

Fiona O’Sullivan, Arts Programme Manager at ECHC, said: “We are all so proud of just how far Evan has come with the help of our partnership with Dance Base. Since starting out, he has danced with Christina at a number of our events and he always steals the show! 
 
“Our Arts Programme doesn’t just provide distraction for children in hospital – it achieves real results that help to improve patients’ health and wellbeing.  
 
“Evan is testament to this and we are thrilled that his artwork is now on display at the RHCYP so visitors can see just how remarkable he is.”

ECHC’s Arts Programme will play a key role at the RHCYP when it opens next year. The charity has funded over £3.1million worth of enhancements at the new hospital to give children and young people a positive hospital experience.

Evan’s artwork is just one of the many beautiful and often interactive art and design pieces that can be seen throughout the new building.

To help support more children, young people and families in hospital and healthcare like Evan and Danni, donations can be made at www.echcharity.org/donate 

Shy Moon artwork shines at Stockbridge Library

 ‘A library card is a passport to a whole new world’ – author Jackie Kay

Stockbridge Library 1A striking new permanent artwork was unveiled at Stockbridge Library  on Monday, the start of Book Week Scotland 2014. ‘Under the Shy Moon’ was created by artist Rachel Barron and takes the form of a vinyl installation and geometric mobile suspended from the beams within the library. It’s hoped that ‘Under the Shy Moon’ will encourage the local community to visit their library and begin or continue their reading journey.

The artwork was inspired by Dear Library, a poem written by best-selling Scottish author and playwright Jackie Kay as part of Book Week Scotland Dear Library highlights the important role that libraries can play at every stage of an individual’s life, from childhood to old age. Rachel was given one verse of the poem to inspire her artwork, written from the perspective of an expectant mother.

Artist Rachel Barron commented: “Working directly with the architecture of the library, the installation has been made in response to Jackie Kay’s poem, which expresses the excitement and aspirations of an expectant mum.

“Inspired by astronomy and lunar cycles, the artwork represents the phases of our journey through life, using a gradient of colours. I am delighted to be part of the ‘Artworks for Libraries’ project, as it has allowed me to develop my work within a new context, towards my first permanent public artwork. It has been a pleasure to meet and work with the library community during the creative engagement workshops, and I am excited to see the final artwork unveiled today.”

Stockbridge library 3Jackie Kay said: “It’s absolutely vital that we tell libraries why we love them so that we can keep their doors open, and with those open doors, our minds and hearts. A library card in your hand is your democracy. Reading expands the boundaries of your own possibilities and opens doors to your future life.

“A closed library could only welcome a closed mind. A library card is a passport to a whole new world, a boundless world without restrictive borders. And you must tell your library why you love it because otherwise it won’t know why you love it and its feelings might get hurt.”

Stockbridge was the first of five Book Week Scotland artworks to be revealed this week, with Musselburgh, Saltcoats, Lennoxtown and Shetland to be revealed over the next four days. Each artwork is inspired by a different verse of Dear Library and members of the communities have been given the opportunity to work with the artists during the creative process.

Stockbridge Library 2

The poem in full:

Dear library

1.
See when ah wiz wee
ma faverit day wis
Wednisday, library day,

when Ma an me wid go tae ma library
an I wid get to pik ma book
an get it stampd oot

efter the ither yin had been stampd in
and I hid ma very ain card
which wiz a wee magic envlope

that took me tae anither world
awthegither fu o’ caracters an creatures, auntie lopes,
big broon bears, loins and tigrs, new wurds

an anythin an aw’thin I wants tae ken aboot
the moon, stars, sea, the hale galaxy, the wide wurld
wiz at the tip o my fingers in ma locall library.

2.
Always a new book to wolf down in the dead of night,
a borrowed book to read by torchlight…
In the morning, last night’s saved page turns
to who last had this book out
and the date returned, 9 June, this year.

This same book in a stranger’s hands, half-known.
Those readers, kindred spirits, almost friends.
You are in transition; you are on the threshold.
The library is the place that gets you. Pure gold.

You are Holden, you’re Lyra, you’re White Fang,
you’re Kidnapped, you’re Skellig, you’re Refugee Boy.
You’re Callum, a nought, you’re Catch 22.
You’re Chris Guthrie. You’re Hyde. You’re Boo Radley.
It’s not Accidental. You are those books. Those books are You.

Inside your mind you’re strong. Safe.
Toss a coin: heads, reader; tails, writer.
The library is the young writer’s first home.
You read pertinent sayings, make your own.
The cool teenager is a member of the library.

3.
I go to my library to find out about the baby
growing like a story inside me: 37 weeks!

My baby is likely to be sucking his thumb, her thumb.
My tight tummy is a drum, a drum.

The child who I will one day – hopefully –
bring back to this library, ah wee one, is turning.

I’ll get her a first library card, bless,
and sit where I’m sat now, reading, to test

the books I’ll soon read to him, fingers crossed.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

The Runaway Bunny, Goodnight Moon
37 weeks: my tummy – boom, boom, beating time!

Come soon wee baby; wee baby come soon.
Come dream in your basket under the shy moon,

My hungry caterpillar, my goodnight gorilla.
My dear wee daughter, my good little fella.

4.
A book borrowed, kindly given.
A book swapped, loved, exchanged.
A book you will always hand back.
A book is a coat for your mind.

You’ve reached the age, 50 something, when you look back
on borrowed books as if they were old friends –
with nostalgia, with affection, intimately known.

The time when you read The Raj Quartet, or Han Suyin
Toni Morrison or Memo for Spring,
Things Fall Apart or Fire on the Mountain.
Poor Madame Bovary. Poor Anna Karenina.

Your life: many characters, bleak houses, long day’s journeys.
Your life of mixed fates, give and takes;
What you borrowed last month, you return today.

5.
Dear Library, you want to say, Dear Library, you have served me
well all my life. You are magnificence, munificence.
You are a book festival every day. There is no way, me an OAP,
could ever value what you’ve given me by money.

There is no measure for the enriching of the mind, friend.
Faithful and trusty, Dear Library, you are a heart stopper, a kind giver.
I treasure your lively silence; your very pleasant librarians.
They represent what a public service is truly, libertarian.

Impossible, did I say that already, to put a price on that. Again,
stop me if I am repeating myself, your staff will tell
me of a Saramago Street in a nearby town.
Browse, borrow, request, renew – lovely words to me.
A library card in your hand is your democracy.

If you were to shut, Dear Library, it would break my heart.
A library user all my life, I’d be lost without my library.
A closed library could only welcome a closed mind.
Is there a kinder place that you can find than your local library?

I want to say, and I do. I pick up my pen and write to you.

Pictures: Rob McDougall.