New stories of an old city retold in poetry competition
A three year collections project, Auld Reekie Retold, comes to a close tomorrow (Sunday 19 February) at the City Art Centre.
To mark the event, staff at Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have announced the results of a poetry competition hosted with the Scottish Poetry Library and Hannah Lavery, the Edinburgh Makar.
Poems had to be inspired in some way by objects in the current exhibition at the City Art Centre. Entries covered the full range of objects exhibited, from small pottery items made at the Buchans factory in Portobello to a blue dress sold by Jenners in the 1980s.
The judging panel was made up of representatives from Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and Scottish Poetry Library, with the final selection made by Hannah Lavery.
Nico Tyack, Auld Reekie Retold project manager said: “The poems were of a really high standard, and had us laughing, smiling and even crying but they all moved us and showed us the amazing power of objects.
“We all see the same objects in an exhibition, but what they mean to us varies in so many ways. It was humbling to see the collections interpreted in such creative ways.”
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker, said: “The poems are a moving and beautiful closure to the Auld Reekie Retold exhibition and project.
“Auld Reekie Retold was all about celebrating the shared public ownership of the collections, so what better way to tell new stories about the city than letting the people of Edinburgh do the talking?”
The winning entries were:
Under-18 Jiffy Washing Machine by Archer Thomson Adams
Over-18 First place, It is your turn, by Lynda McDonald Second place, Mind?, by Alison Findlay
Highly commended The Impermanent Collection by Iain Macfarlane and The Ballant o’ Hugh McKail’s Guid Beuk by Sam Phipps.
This short film shows the poets reading their winning entries, with images of the objects that inspired them.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh goes to the seaside in a new online exhibition
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have launched ‘Life on the Forth’, a new digital exhibition which celebrates the city’s coastal communities.
The exhibition is the latest strand of activity as part of the ongoing Auld Reekie Retold inventory project, and explores the range and depth of the history of the area of Edinburgh on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Using map-based technology, it shows stories in the context of the very streets and places they originally came from.
Edinburgh’s coastline is rich in history. Drawing on objects from across the museum service, Life on the Forth celebrates stories and histories from across Edinburgh’s coastline. Some of these might be familiar, others perhaps unexpected.
The exhibition includes personal stories and individual lives, as well as tales of an industrial past. Uncovered stories, such as the life of Barbara Seaton, or the dangerous work of Edward McRobbie, help us understand the city that little bit better.
Whether tales of fishwives, fishermen, incredible feats of engineering or more modest lives and businesses, these communities past and present make the collections of Museums & Galleries Edinburgh what they are. The exhibition features the outdoor bathing pool at Portobello, which would have celebrated its 85th birthday this May.
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Donald Wilson said: This fascinating exhibition is set to impress maritime history and Edinburgh enthusiasts alike.
“‘Life on the Forth‘ allows visitors to browse the exhibition at their own pace and without any time limit or physical restrictions. We’re proud to have expanded the reach of our exhibitions throughout the pandemic, not only to residents, but to those further afield who, due to distance, cost, disabilities or lack of opportunity, may have found it difficult to visit even in normal times.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse inside these fascinating stories and remember everyone who lived their ‘Life on the Forth‘.”
Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have been exploring new ways to engage with our audiences and this latest exhibition is a fantastic example of the service adapting what we do during these unprecedented times.
“2021 is the Year of Coasts and Waters, so what better time to discover new stories of life on the Forth? It’s truly fascinating and I can’t wait to revisit some of the areas highlighted in the exhibition.”
Auld Reekie Retold Project Manager Nico Tyack said: “This exhibition is the result of going through the coastal collections as part of the Auld Reekie Retold collections project.
“Many of these stories have never been heard before, and the virtual format has really helped us get the most out of these objects. ‘Life on the Forth’ is a truly team effort from the Auld Reekie Retold team, and much of the research has been carried out during lockdown.
“We are delighted to be able to share this new exhibition with you, and encourage you to explore the exhibition.”
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have launched ‘Cooking Up the Past’, a new digital series which brings the city’s history to life through cookery during lockdown.
The series is the latest strand of activity as part of the ongoing Auld Reekie Retold inventory project, features videos of staff members cooking up historic recipes at home which have been sourced from digital copies of historic recipe books discovered in the city’s collection.
During lockdown many have tried their hand at new recipes and kitchen skills, from sourdough starters to viral feta pasta bake recipes. ‘Cooking Up the Past’ provides audiences with an opportunity stave off that lockdown boredom and cook up some historic recipes while discovering some fascinating stories from Edinburgh’s history.
The first episode in the series which is available to view via the Museums & Galleries YouTube channel features Curator Vicky Garrington and Collections Assistant Oliver Taylor each attempting to make a recipe for soda scones from a 1932 edition of the book Plain Cookery Recipes from the Edinburgh College of Domestic science.
They filmed their preparation, cooking and tasting from their own kitchens at home.
Commenting on the new series, Vicky Garrington said:“With our venues closed and staff working from home, the Auld Reekie Retold team have been looking for new ways to share our amazing collections with the public.
“When I suggested the idea of filming a recipe to Oliver, he was up for the challenge, and hopefully the film we’ve made will inspire people to explore more of our collections online, and to revisit some old family recipes’.
Vicky and Oliver’s soda scones might not win the Great British Bake-Off, but the pair enjoyed tackling a recipe from the past, and are hoping that the film might inspire others to do the same.”
On researching the new series, Oliver Taylor added:“There were plenty of appetising recipes to choose from in the recipe book, but some were distinctly unappealing!
Alongside a tempting selection of recipes for pies, puddings and cakes were instructions for how to make dressed sheep’s head, raw beef tea to fortify invalids, boiled tongue and ‘Poor Man’s Goose’ which included sheep’s liver and heart.
These recipes show how public tastes have changed over the years, as well as attitudes towards treating the sick. We’d be more likely to tempt a patient with ice cream or fresh fruit these days, than to brew up some raw beef tea!”
The Edinburgh College of Domestic Science began life as the Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic Economy in 1875. Its founders, Christian Guthrie Wright and Louisa Stevenson, were heavily involved in furthering the education of women.
In founding the College, they had two aims: to improve women’s access to higher education and to improve the diets of working-class families. They began to hold lectures at the Royal Museum (now the National Museum of Scotland), as well as arranging lectures and demonstrations across the country.
In 1891, the School moved to Atholl Crescent in Edinburgh’s West End, where its main campus remained until 1970. It became the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science in 1930, but to many in the City it will always be ‘Atholl Crescent’. Many developments followed, including a broader curriculum, and the institution eventually became Queen Margaret’s University.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh holds a fascinating collection of objects relating to the College. It includes text books, millinery samples, needlework examinations pieces, exquisitely embroidered blouses and even furniture.
The edition of Plain Cookery Recipes from which the recipe in Cooking Up the Past was taken is enclosed in a beautiful linen cover, embroidered with strawberries, by a student at the College.
The Auld Reekie Retold team have plans for more cookery adventures as part of the series including: a recipe from the domestic notebooks belonging to Edinburgh suffragist Nannie (Agnes Henderson) Brown and a World War 2 rationing recipe.
Vicky Garrington commented:“A lot of people have enjoyed cooking at home during the pandemic restrictions, and searching our historical recipes adds another layer of interest to this activity.
“We’ll keep searching our stores for new recipes to try out, and we’ll be sure to share our cooking and the background stories of the recipes with the public”.
Oliver Taylor added:“We’d love people to try the recipe with us, and to tag us with the results on social media using #AuldReekieRetold”.
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Donald Wilson said:“A lot of people are drawing huge comfort from culture and heritage activities online at the moment. They can help us stay connected with our past and our shared heritage, as well as providing a welcome break from the stresses of daily life.
“As the Deacon of the Baxters (Bakers) which is one of our oldest Incorporated Trades I am aware of both the proud history represented in these collections but also the recent interest which has arisen as a response to the pandemic. This is a fantastic project and I hope it encourages others to try the recipes.
Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have been trialling online talks, craft events, art films, podcasts and more over the last few months, and Cooking Up the Past is another great example of the service adapting what we do during these unprecedented times.”
Episode 1 of Cooking Up the Past can be viewed here.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh officially launch Auld Reekie Retold, the largest collections inventory project ever undertaken in the organisation’s history.
Over the course of three years, the ambitious project will see the recording and cataloguing of the collection of over 200,000 objects which are housed in stores and venues across the City, in preparation for a move to a new store where those objects can be safely stored and effectively managed.
Auld Reekie Retold isn’t solely based on collection management. It will also connect objects in the collection, which has been growing steadily since the 1870’s, with people and places in the City, uncovering new stories from Edinburgh and its residents.
The project will harness that public and professional knowledge about objects in the collection to share it with visitors, both in person at the museums and digitally throughout the project.
That gathered knowledge and data will also be used to develop exhibitions and displays in the future – with all work designed to consolidate Museums & Galleries Edinburgh’s position as a leading Scottish cultural institution and to help better serve the people of Edinburgh and visitors from across the world.
Earlier this year, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh stood in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and pledged to play an active role in standing up to racism. Auld Reekie Retold is an important opportunity for greater understanding of the origins of the collections and the way they have been catalogued.
Throughout the lifecycle of the project, the impact of Colonialism will be highlighted, seeking to educate and bring new perspectives and hidden stories to light. Future phases of the project will involve working with diverse communities across Edinburgh to record objects in new ways that better reflect today’s world.
Permanent museum staff have been joined for the project by three dedicated Collections Assistants whose work focuses on matching objects with any existing records, updating the information currently held and carrying out research.
Prior to Covid-19 restrictions being in place, work was underway in object stores across the city and although some of this work is now paused, team members are very much continuing to work through digital records.
Below are a few examples of some fascinating stories and objects that have already come to light, as part of work carried out prior to lockdown, with many more future stories and news of new discoveries and calls for public input being shared across the duration of the project:
Consider for instance a tiny round metal stamp used for impressing on to wax, with the name and Trinity address of William Flockhart. Flockhart and his partner Duncan were surgeon apothecaries who produced a number of drugs and medicines in the 1840s. Among the customers on their books were James Young Simpson, the inventor of anaesthetics, and Florence Nightingale.
Or a playbill printed on a 100,000 Deutschmark note for a play at the Lyceum Theatre entitled “Tons of Money”, staged in 1925, a time when hyper-inflation in Germany had reached a point where money was no longer worth the paper it was printed on. While people were paying for loaves of bread with wheelbarrows of cash, in Edinburgh, the bank note was used to advertise the ironically titled play.
The project will create a web of connections across the collections held by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, from archaeology to social history. An example of this is the rediscovery of a small silver pendant of the Six Feet Club from the 1830s.
There were a surprising number of secret and not-so-secret societies in Edinburgh at this time, each with its own particular niche interest or membership rule. This club was dedicated to athleticism, and to be a member you had to be a man and oddly enough six foot tall. Sir Walter Scott was made an honorary member despite not being six-foot-tall and left with a limp by a bout of childhood polio.
Sometimes the finds are a little closer to home, like the Ronson Escort 2000 Hairdryer.
A “portable” hairdryer from the 1970’s, designed to be used at home and worn like a satchel with a tube that connected to a shower cap style hood which would allow you to go about your day as you dried and set your hair; as long as your day was only two feet from a plug. This was aimed at the modern women leaving her hands free to get on with her day, but from anecdotes from users it seems to imply it had varying results.
Once lockdown restrictions have eased and the museums reopen, Auld Reekie Retold will continue at pace.
There will be a series of exhibitions hosted across the collection including Museum of Edinburgh, The Writers’ Museum and the Museum of Childhood, allowing visitors the opportunity to learn more about the various processes involved in maintaining the collection and to connect with objects, bringing them to life in the process.
Thanks to a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland Museums Development Fund, the project will also feature a programme of public events and tours to enable visitors and special interest groups to engage with the collection and to share in the discoveries made.
While restrictions are in place, these events will be online, but when visitors are welcomed back in to the museums, they will be able to see and handle real objects themselves.
Information will also be made available digitally with regular updates, news and behind the scenes blogs and podcasts shared via www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk,
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh’s collections belong to the City, and Auld Reekie Retold aims to give every citizen of Edinburgh a sense of ownership of and connection to its objects and their stories as the organisation moves into a new dynamic phase of museums development with people, past and present at its heart.
Project Manager Nico Tyack said:“Auld Reekie Retold is a truly unique opportunity for Museums & Galleries Edinburgh to catch all the stories our collections can tell us about Edinburgh.
“From Jacobite muskets to life in tenements, Edinburgh Rock to Pride, medieval St. Giles to the Festival Fringe, we hope to spark conversations about our amazing collections and their hidden histories, gathering new insights for future generations to enjoy.”
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “Our world class collections are a powerful record of our journey to the present day as well as a window to the past where we can discover links to the Edinburgh and Scotland of yesterday.
“We are lucky as a city to have this resource but at the moment much of it is hidden and inaccessible. This is very important behind the scenes work as we review how we currently meet the needs of our citizens and how we can better use our collections.
“I have long believed there is untapped potential in our collections and Auld Reekie Retold is allowing us to develop and gain a fuller understanding of what we have. By recording and cataloguing the collection of over 200,000 objects, it will also highlight those items that can be used for online resources and future exhibitions”.
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convenor, added: “This project will help to broaden participation with our Museums & Galleries and ensure their long-term relevance.
“This is the story of our city and it needs to be told. It is only by understanding how we got to where we are now that we can know where we want to go in the future.”
