East Lothian communities welcome new sculptures – part of a community covid memorial project

Remembering Together is a national project that seeks to give each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities the chance to reflect their unique experience of the Covid-19 pandemic with the help of commissioned artists and creative organisations. Over the past year, East Lothian Council’s Arts Service in collaboration with greenspace scotland has embarked on an extensive process of co-creation with the wider East Lothian community to create memorials that authentically reflect the experiences of residents, and creates a lasting space of gathering for future generations.

In stage one of the project, artists Barbara Gardner-Rowell and Sophie Ferguson co-created six walking trails and an audio archive with the communities of East Lothian. Now as the project reaches its final stages, sculptures - created by artist Gill White are set to be unveiled. 

Gill's response to the theme of collective acts of reflection, remembering, hope and healing was to create a series of curved silver feathers that have been placed in the landscape of each trail walk.

Gill said:
“Each perched feather’s spine is curved upwards to the sun, as if just resting after flowing through the air, lightly touching, making contact with a sea wall, a seat, stream or rock. The intention is to respectfully reflect the experience of loss - of searching for reassurance in the natural world and the comfort that is often found in seeing movements of birds and butterflies in flight, which can bring comfort that a loved one’s presence is still near. Each feather is playfully placed in the landscape as a gentle reminder over time to slow down, be curious, and enjoy the simple pleasure of going for a walk”

The feathers have been installed on the walks in Musselburgh, Tranent, Prestonpans, Haddington and North Berwick, with details of the sixth near Dunbar, to be finalised soon.

Interpretation boards will also be placed at each walk with a QR code for walkers to scan to access a film - A Feather in Time, also created by Gill White.

Gill explained:
“The film invites audiences to follow the journey of a white feather as it floats through the landscape of East Lothian, accompanied by music and spoken word. Its journey has also been inspired by the community experiences held in the audio archive gathered in stage one of the project. The film aims to be nurturing and restorative - taking viewers on a gentle meditative journey of hope, exploring each walk, showing the tactile and sensory experience of spending time immersed in the rich nature of East Lothian landscapes.”

This Remembering Together public art experience aims to sensitively represent the act of memorial - as a walking journey to seek a place to remember loved ones, to reflect and be nurtured by nature, and see hope is on the horizon. Each sculpture’s playful placement is designed to reference the mediative, gentle and sensory experience of going for a walk.

A permanent community archive is now held at John Gray Centre in Haddington, to cement the legacy of the project for participants, as well as providing a valuable resource for future generations. The archive includes digital images, newsletters, journal entries, artefacts, books, artwork and audio recordings of lived experiences of lockdown from people of East Lothian.

Councillor Colin McGinn, Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing and Sport, Countryside and Leisure said:
“Remembering Together has been a far-reaching project which has allowed ordinary people in East Lothian to contribute their personal experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic - an extraordinary time, to reflect on how they came together in a time of crisis and persevered. The walking trails, audio archive, silver feathers and film provide an opportunity to reflect and remember while paying respect to those that we lost.”

Remembering Together East Lothian is delivered by East Lothian Council’s Arts Service and commissioned by greenspace scotland with funding from the Scottish Government.