Over the last couple of weeks, Rachel and I have been exploring options for gaining resources to help repair the shed and outdoor spaces. we've been applying for funding from local businesses and today we've arranged a successful grant of supplies from Travis Perkins, a business that deals with construction and landscaping. Crucially the company is lending our site a couple of huge skips in December, which means the old community allotment spaces can finally be cleared! HOORAY!
So It's a big victory for the garden spaces as this has been a real problem as also a safety worry over the last few months so now It feels like we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and get things really started.
With this ive also made some arrangements for the site the work with the Edinburgh University Conservation Society (AKA The Dirty Weekenders) whom would all being well on a upcoming Sunday in December would visit the site for a big work day. Ive actually been a member of this group for several years now, so knew as soon as we agreed on plans for the gardens future that they would really keen to get on board.
After a good look within the shipping container, it became clear that there sadly was little to salvage at the stage of damage it mostly all was in. Yet we were actually despite this able to salvage a few art supplies, as well as a hand painted canvas roll from a stage set and a range of old photographs that through water damage have created the most bizarre and beautiful range of colours and patterns as you can see here!.
Although initially its sad to think of the photographs mostly from the 1990s and early 2000s to be in such a bad state but the fact we were able to find them and the negatives provides hope that they can themselves tell a story.
Strange colours ghost like faces and lucky survivals in this collection all I feel really tell of the need of a archive within Craigmillar and Niddrie for tells a cautionary tale of how fragile and in a sense non- permanent things like photographs could be if left in poor conditions. They also are such a bizarre and interesting sight I cant help but feel drawn to them, perhaps they now in this state could make a interesting resource to research with or perhaps use in a future exhibition at the centre. Myself and Rachel the manager of the centre have both decided in thinking these points to dry out all the photographs and negatives storing them safely for future display or use by the community.
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