Tag: ReDrawing Edinburgh

ReDrawing Edinburgh: free Cinescapes outdoor events

ReDrawing Edinburgh is a community-led outreach project designed to mark the centennial commemoration of the 1920 Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act.

It is coordinated by a community steering group comprising representatives from each of the boundary extension areas, with support from Council Archive, Library, and Museum services.

The city boundaries were extended in November 1920 to incorporate the Burgh of Leith in the north and the Midlothian parishes of Cramond, Corstorphine, Colinton, and Liberton to the west and south of the city. The expansion meant the city grew from 17 square miles to 53 square miles and increased its population from 320,000 to 425,000.

The ‘amalgamation’, as it was referred to at the time, was welcomed by some but opposed by others – in particular Leith Town Council who fought to retain its independence. The centenary commemoration provides an opportunity for everyone to understand how the city has grown and for the communities to reaffirm their own identities and heritage.

A series of short films created as part of Redrawing Edinburgh, were produced in a partnership between local heritage and community groups and Council Archive, Library, and Museums services. These presentations explore what happened in 1920 and celebrate the identities and histories of these communities.

It is the city centre of Edinburgh that often receives the most attention, however this project focuses on the communities that joined in 1920.

For general information about the project please contact archives@edinburgh.gov.uk or redrawingedinburgh@gmail.com

Free outdoor screening events, September 2021

All images © Lesley Martin photography

Join us on the 3-18 September for Cinescapes: ReDrawing Edinburgh, a series of five pop-up outdoor screenings of a new 15-minute film.

This film has been created from archive footage showing the 5 areas which were amalgamated with Edinburgh in 1920 through the Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act. ReDrawing Edinburgh celebrates the strong independent identities of the areas of Cramond, Colinton, Corstorphine, Liberton, and Leith and how they have retained them throughout the past century.

This isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about identity. We’re celebrating the individual spirits that make up Edinburgh by screening the projections in the places that they are from.

Book tickets for these events via Eventbrite: 

Corstorphine on Friday 3 September

Colinton on Saturday 4 September

Cramond on Friday 10 September

Liberton on Saturday 11 September

Leith on Saturday 18 September

For general information about these events, please contact:

archives@edinburgh.gov.uk or redrawingedinburgh@gmail.com

National Lottery funds support Edinburgh creative projects

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.