Creative projects from Edinburgh artists and creative organisations are in motion thanks to National Lottery funding awarded through Creative Scotland’s Open Fund.
A new poetry project from Neu! Reekie!, a community arts project focusing on Edinburgh’s history and a 50th anniversary commission from Meadows Chamber Orchestra are among the 53 projects in total sharing in over £1.2million of National Lottery funding.
These funds aim to support creativity across Scotland for artists, organisations and creative groups as they seek to build sustainability while emerging from Covid-19 restrictions.
With new funding, independent publisher 404 Ink will be continuing their development of new and emerging Scottish voices, including new poetry, novels and memoirs.
Co-founder and Publishing Director Heather McDaid says: “As a small publisher trying to survive and thrive through the pandemic, this is an incredible opportunity to put real resources behind authors and titles we fully believe in, and create a large network of freelance opportunities, while also being able to develop our paid internship programme and look to 404 Ink’s long-term recovery and sustainability.”
Neu! Reekie!’s forthcoming The New Now! will draw focus on Scotland’s poets. From #NeuVoices publishing their first poem to Scotland’s new Makar making their mark, The New Now! will offer poets and audiences alike, a year-long series of live shows and broadcast-quality digital events.
Neu! Reekie! Co-founder Michael Pedersen says: “We’re elated to see this vital project taking flight — through it we hope to make sense of the last bewildering period and gather gusto for the future.”
ReDrawing Edinburgh is a community-led creative project from Edinburgh City Archives designed to commemorate the centennial of the 1920 Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act.
Activities around this project will include the projection a short, commissioned archive multi-media installation onto five buildings in the five boundary extension areas, on five evenings during September 2021.
Henry Sullivan, Information Asset Manager says: “The heritage of each community will be displayed to local audiences in their own community spaces in an innovative and engaging fashion.
“The hope is that this will be a model for future collaboration between content custodians, community organisations and local artists.”
Meadows Chamber Orchestra will celebrate its 50th anniversary with the commission and Scottish premiere of an exciting new orchestral symphony by renowned composer Eleanor Alberga.
Principal conductor and musical advisor, Peter Evans says: “As the Meadows Chamber Orchestra prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in June 2022, the ensemble is particularly delighted to receive financial support from Creative Scotland for the commission of a new symphony from the Jamaican -born British composer, Eleanor Alberga. The new piece will be a joint commission with the Bristol-based Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra.”
INTO THE ALTERED STATES is a year-long project by artist Benjamin Owen celebrating voices across Scotland and bringing together an intergenerational group of musicians alongside the voices of elderly individuals.
Benjamin explained: “This funding is a vital opportunity for me to develop as a participatory artist after a twenty-year career in arts education.
“It allows me to integrate all sorts of skills and experiences gathered in teaching into a more experimental and flexible environment.”
Joan Parr, Creative Scotland’s Interim Director of Arts and Engagement, said: “Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, these vital funds are helping artists to continue to develop and present their work and to bring extraordinary creative experiences to life within our communities.”
A full list of recipients of Open Fund awards is available on the Creative Scotland website.
