Shedding new light on the Botanics

Under cover of darkness, in the heart of the City the abundant natural landscape of ‘the Botanics’ will come alive this winter when the gates are opened to visitors at night-time. Who knows how many pairs of little glowing ‘eyes’ will be keeping watch over them as the Garden sheds some light on its after-dark secrets?

botanics LloydSmithThis November, visitors to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) will be invited to enter the Garden after dark for a spectacular outdoor event featuring a magical combination of light and nature. It is the first outdoor light experience of its kind to be organised by the Garden.

Night in the Garden, which starts on 30 October and runs until 23 November, has been created by the Botanics and Edinburgh-based Unique Events, in association with Scottish light artist Malcolm Innes and his colleague Euan Winton. The artists’ vision means that night-time visitors will be able to make their way through a one kilometre route full of light and shadow and experience the Botanics in an entirely new manner, with interactive stations and a few unexpected surprises along the way.

The outdoor trail will use the Garden’s favourite features, such as the famous Victorian Glasshouses and Pond, as the backdrop for extraordinary light effects. Visitors can watch ‘the sun’ set inside the Palm House, see a host of sparkling lights suspended over water and enjoy enchanting illuminations that bring the indoors outside. They will also have the opportunity to create their own light show by manipulating some of the installations themselves.

Heather Jackson, RBGE’s Director of Enterprise, explained: “This is a chance for those who know and love the Edinburgh Garden, as well as new visitors of course, to see it in a completely different light – quite literally.

“We have over 700,000 daytime visitors a year and we are often asked if it’s possible to come at night, so we thought we’d come up with something unique to create a truly enchanting experience.

“The planned light installations by Malcolm promise to be spectacular, and by combining the wonder of light with the secrets of the trees and nature we have in abundance, it will certainly be a magical evening to remember for our night-time visitors.”

Malcolm Innes said: “The Garden at night is already a magical place, as some of the most recognisable features softly merge into the darkness.  It is this new reality that we will be manipulating to create installations that span the range from grand spectacle, through romantic and beautiful, to mysterious and tiny.

“The kind of hard edged, simplified geometry we learn at school is seldom discussed in relation to the natural world, but when the two are brought together, the visual effect can be magical. Come and join us and bring the family as we turn the world inside out and make the invisible, visible.”

The event will be open to members of the public with an hour-long experience allowing visitors to participate in something that they have never seen before, with different parts of the route being jaw-droppingly spectacular, some romantic and pretty, and others just a wee bit spooky – although not enough to put the kids off.  Night in the Garden is an event for all the family.

The experience is being delivered by RBGE and Unique Events, Scotland’s leading independent events company; organisers of the capital’s famous Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations and large-scale outdoor festivals and events. ‘Botanic Lights’ installations are designed by Malcolm Innes and Euan Winton of Edinburgh Napier University, and Leith-based Black Light is working with the partners to deliver lighting installation technical support.

Pete Irvine of Unique Events said: “Unique Events is delighted to be involved in this exciting and innovative project.  The Botanics is one of Edinburgh’s best loved places to visit in any season, but we will never have experienced it like this.”

Visitors to Night in the Garden will be required to purchase tickets in advance for a specific date and time slot.  Tickets are now on sale – for details and further informaton about the event, visit www.rbge.org.uk/botaniclights.

And if the Botanics lights experience appeals, you may want to know about this charity event too:

ebchantThe Enchanted Forest, Perthshire’s multi-award winning sound and light show, has announced that it has released an additional 1500 tickets for Thursday 2 October when it will hold a dedicated charity event, the proceeds from which will be split equally between Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) and Autism Scotland.

Over 45,0000 tickets went on sale for The Enchanted Forest’s 13th event, elemental, in June and organisers are already predicting a sell-out show this year with demand for tickets already up by 37%. The release of additional tickets will be welcomed by fans of the show and by supporters of the charities alike.

Graham Brown, chairman of the Highland Perthshire Community Interest Company that runs The Enchanted Forest, commented: “The Community Interest Company is, for the first time, in a strong position to give back to the local community and we have selected two charities that are very active in this area.

“It is marvellous to be able to assist Scottish Autism and CHAS with a charity night on the 2nd October and we wish them well and hope that they will benefit greatly from this unique fundraising opportunity.”

Derek Allan, producer of The Enchanted Forest added: “This is an exciting development for the show. As a community based event, we are very committed to giving something back and the two charities chosen both do exceptionally important work to support families and children across Scotland.

“Every year we get very positive feedback from customers whose children are affected by autism, and the profound impact the show has on them. For other families who are facing challenges, such as those supported by CHAS, the show offers an opportunity to enjoy time together and a break from their normal routine. We are proud to be giving both Scottish Autism and CHAS a helping hand.”

forestKaren Wilson, fundraising manager for Scottish Autism said: “We are delighted to be selected as one of the charities to benefit from this event. This is a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of our services which support people with autism and their families throughout Scotland. We are also looking forward to bringing along some of our service users to enjoy the experience on the night.”

Alison Rennie, CHAS Fundraiser added: “We’re very excited to have been chosen as one of the charities to benefit from The Enchanted Forest’s first ever charity evening. It promises to be a magical event and all the funds received by CHAS will help us to continue to provide vital support to babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions.”

The 2014 show, elemental, sees the return of the creative team that put together last year’s successful show, with lighting design by Kate Bonney and Simon Hayes, sound design and composition by RJ McConnell, and orchestral compositions by Jon Beales.

The Enchanted Forest takes place from Friday 3 – Sunday 26 October 2014 at Faskally Wood near Pitlochry.

Tickets for the Charity Night on Thursday 2 October are available by visiting www.enchantedforest.org.uk/charity

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Botanics tree-huggers await world record confirmation

treehugAn attempt to break the world tree-hugging record in Inverleith is now in the hands of international adjudicators. 1387 people took part in the world record attempt during the successful Midsummer event at the Botanic Gardens on Saturday evening – but a rival attempt in faraway Nepal is keeping the Scots huggers in suspense!

RBGE’s website blog Botanics Stories explains: ‘At 8pm an air horn sounded the start of a one minute tree hug on the evening of midsummer 2014 at the Botanics. The weather was overcast, but pleasantly warm. For the duration of the tree hug the Garden went quiet. Then the horn sounded for a second time, and as quickly as it had died away the gentle sound of conversation and laughter returned.

The participants signed a sheet to act as evidence in this world record attempt and we now know that the total number of people involved was 1,387. The youngest was just seven months.

Whether this will turn out to be a world record is unclear as an unofficial world record was set in Nepal recently that involved 2,000 people. This record will only be accepted if the supporting evidence can be provided. If it cannot then the Botanics tree hug would represent the current world record. We will be following this up and keeping our fingers crossed.

A big thank you to all those who took part.’

As all you professional treehuggers out there will know, the current world record for the largest tree hug was set in the USA by Treecology Inc and Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon, on 20 July 2013 – 936 people took part that day.

We know that record’s now been broken, but was that Nepalese attempt valid? It’s now an anxious wait – Inverleith’s Botanics, or Kathmandu? As the world holds it’s breath, Guinness world record adjudicators – it’s over to you!

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Botanic Gardens open late for midsummer celebration

The Botanics will open late this Saturday to celebrate midsummer with a series of free attractions and activities – and you can take part in a world record attempt too!

RBGE midsummer

 

 

RBGE says:

Enjoy the Garden in the evening and help us celebrate trees at midsummer. Join an attempt to break the world record for tree hugging at 20:00 and help us calculate the environmental benefit of our tree collection by doing some tree measuring. We’ll also have live music and performances throughout the evening, plus The Scottish Poetry Library will be joining us offering opportunities to write, share and perform poems.

6.00pm Corroboree stilt performance (30mins)

6.45pm Aerial performance with Vision Mechanics (5 mins)

7.00pm Harp performance (30 mins)

7.45pm Aerial performance with Vision Mechanics (5 mins)

8.00pm Tree Hug World Record Attempt (1 min)

8.15pm Midsummer Poetry with the Scottish Poetry Library (45 mins)

9.15pm Corroboree stilt performance (30 mins)

PLUS:

– Free entry to Glasshouses from 6pm – 9.30pm (last entry 9pm)

– Corin Sworn exhibition at Inverleith House (open until 9.30pm)

– Food & refreshments available at the Terrace Cafe and East Gate Lodge

Don’t miss it!

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Open doors at Inverleith House

inverleith house

Inverleith House is hosting an Open Weekend on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May from 10am to 5pm.

Events include talks by exhibition staff, performance, live music and special offers on limited edition exhibition catalogues and posters.

Events are free but booking is essential, so to reserve your place email

ihouse@rbge.ac.uk 

Botanics to create WW1 commemoration poppy field

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The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) will mark the centenary of the start of the First World War by creating a poppy field at the centre of its Edinburgh site. The display will commemorate the employees who went to war, many of whom lost their lives, and will also remember others who were, or still are, affected by war.

RBGE’s Regius Keeper Simon Milne MBE said: “Plant symbolism is
an important part of cultures across the globe, particularly through representing emotions and spirituality. It is therefore fitting that at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the heart of Scotland’s plant heritage, we mark the anniversary of the start of World War One with a poppy field. I hope that the flowers will encourage people to reflect on the 16 million people who lost their lives and the impact that the war had on the lives of everyone.”

The poppy field, located on the Garden’s prominently-positioned Glasshouse Lawn, will be sown in May using the common poppy Papaver rhoeas, an iconic symbol of remembrance and used to commemorate the Great War since 1921. This large, four-petalled, scarlet flower can lie dormant for many years before germination which is often triggered when the soil is disturbed.

During the First World War, battlefields that were blasted and bombed created ideal conditions for it to flourish. The sight of poppies, appearing to heal the torn earth, inspired Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae to write the memorable war poem ‘In Flanders Fields’.

RBGE’s horticultural team is planning for swathes of poppies to emerge in late July to mark  the centenary.

David Knott, Curator of the Living Collection, explained: “We did trials with the poppy in our nursery last year in order to try and get the timing of flowering just right to coincide with the start of the commemorations.
Once the poppies are planted, we are pretty much in the hands of the weather as to the result but we all hoping our efforts will make a fitting and timely tribute.”

At the time of the Great War, the Garden had 110 staff and of the 88 men, 73 joined the forces and 20 lost their lives in action.

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Botanics to be home to organ donation memorial

A new memorial for Scottish organ and tissue donors is to be situated in Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden. The memorial will be designed as a lasting tribute to Scottish organ and tissue donors who generously made the decision to donate their organs after their death so that others might live.

The memorial will allow the families of donors, transplant recipients and others whose lives have been touched by donation or transplantation a place for quiet contemplation and to celebrate the kindness of giving and sharing.

The artist appointed to carry out this task is Alec Finlay. Scottish born Alec is an internationally acclaimed artist who is currently based in Edinburgh. His work reflects on human interaction with the natural environment.

Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson said: “We are delighted to have an artist of Alec’s calibre and reputation involved in the creation of this memorial. We are also very grateful to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for their support and for giving us a home for this project.

“Through the selfless generosity of organ donors and their families, who at a time of great tragedy honour their loved-ones wishes, many lives are saved and transplant recipients go on to lead full and active lives. It is right and fitting that we should acknowledge the gift that is given through organ donation with a public memorial.”

Artist Alec Finlay said: “I really wanted to be involved in this project, there is no better task for an artist or poet than to respond to complex and deep emotions, which this memorial is bound to bring up. It will be challenging, of course, because you are dealing with people’s experiences.

“I remember something the writer Jenny Diski said about weakness being a part of life. Illness, loss and death, we all need to come to terms with these. But when it comes to organ donation, this takes on a specific intensity because in our time, and never before, we have evolved through medical possibility. There is a relationship between life and death through the gifting of organs. It’s a remarkable thing and yet it exists within a health system that belongs to all of us in Scotland.

“No one involved in organ donation thinks this is a simple concept but it is a reminder that we are all connected to one another, and that we can, potentially, help one another.”

Donor families, transplant recipients and healthcare professionals are working closely with Alec Finlay and also with experts from the art world to develop this beautiful and lasting tribute to Scottish organ and tissue donors. It will be a living memorial which will involve planting and landscaping that will fit perfectly into the beautiful surroundings of the Garden.

Organ and tissue transplantation touches the lives of young and old and the memorial will recognise this. Importantly, it will also reflect the themes and values of organ donation and transplantation such as generosity, sensitivity, thoughtfulness and the giving of the gift of life.

Director of Horticulture at RBGE Dr David Rae said: “The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is proud to host this memorial and the exact location has been chosen jointly by Garden staff, the artist Alec Finlay, and representatives of donors and recipients. It is a quiet, tranquil site surrounded by Scottish native species. We are sure that the artwork and its location will create a sensitive and inspiring memorial for all those affected by transplantation and donation and are pleased that the whole project has developed in a truly collaborative way involving all concerned.”

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was chosen as a home for the memorial because of the beauty and tranquillity of the surroundings and because of its world-wide reputation as a base for contemporary art.

A working group has been established for the memorial made up of those who have donated loved one’s organs and those who have received organs.

Sandra Warden donated her 11-year-old daughter Rachel’s organs, saving three lives, she explained: “Having a national memorial to recognise and remember all those who, in death were able to give the greatest gift of all – that of life – is very important.

“I hope it will make people think about organ donation and discuss with their loved ones what they would like them do if anything ever happened to them. From when she was very young Rachel understood organ donation and made me promise we would donate her organs if anything ever happened to her and we fulfilled her wishes.”

Gill Hollis, who is the recipient of a lung transplant and also on the working group, said: “The national organ donation memorial is very important to me. My transplant anniversary is now more important than my real birthday and I try to make the most of every day, not just for me and my family, but also for the person whose life saved mine.

“It’s impossible to thank my donor enough for the gift they gave me, but I’m really looking forward to having a place that recognises and remembers them.”

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Celebrate the history of Circle

Best wishes to all at Circle Scotland, the national children and families charity based in West Pilton Park, who are holding their annual lecture tonight in the Botanic Gardens Lecture Theatre.

Tonight’s speaker is Dr Mark Smith, Head of Social Work at the University of Edinburgh, and the theme of the lecture is ‘Celebrating the history of Circle’.

Circle was born as an independent charity in 2006, but the organisation has a long and illustrious history – Circle was created from Family Service Units, which were established in areas of deprivation just after World War Two.

Circle’s is a story worth telling and tonight’s event promises to be fascinating. Hope it goes well.CIRCLE

Find some fairies at the Botanics today!

The Botanic Gardens will be brimming with fairy tales this afternoon to celebrates the Scottish International Storytelling Festival

Wind your way to enchanting storytelling hubs all around the Garden. If you’re lucky some of our roaming storytellers might find you first!

The main storytelling hubs will run a series of 15 minute sessions on the hour, at twenty past the hour, and at twenty to the hour between 1pm and 4pm: feel free to come and go between these sessions.

Yarns in the Oak Lawn Storytelling Village, 1pm – 4pm
The Yurt welcomes children up to 5 and their families
The Teepee welcomes children ages 6/7 + and their families

Tales in the Temperate Palm House, 1pm – 4pm
The Palm House welcomes adults and children

Stories in the Gateway Decking Outdoor Auditorium, 1pm – 4pm
The Auditorium welcomes adults and children
Please note these sessions will run weather permitting

A Box of Delights in the Gateway’s Patrick Geddes Room, 2pm – 2.45pm
Fun for all and particularly suitable for children with additional support needs

Roaming storytellers will be on hand to treat you to a story on the spot –
you may find some in the Chinese & Queen Mother’s Memorial Garden Pavilions!

Featuring the Storytelling Festival guest storytellers, SYT Family Storytime and some of the Botanics’ own Talking Trees Storytellers.

Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh

 

 

Drylaw planters defy deluge!

Bet you thought Drylaw’s meadow planting would be cancelled yesterday? Oh ye of little faith – they’re made of tougher stuff up Drylaw way! The Neighbourhood Centre’s gardening group was joined by colleagues from Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh and together they braved the weather to start work on the paddy field and ornamental lake new meadow at the rear of the Centre!

Inside, meanwhile, altogether more sensible people from the Margarot Forrest Care Management team and clients enjoyed a nice warm cup of coffee and raised some money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Two jobs in one!

OneOak: new exhibition at Botanics this month

OneOak is an educational project devised by the Sylva Foundation, a charity working to revive Britain’s woodland culture. The fascinating exhibition follows the full life story of an oak tree, and features no less than fifty items crafted from that one oak tree.

The exhibition opens in the John Hope Gateway on Friday 12 October and runs until Sunday 2 December. Free admission.

For more information on the OneOak project visit www.sylva.org.uk