Work is now underway on the creation of a Covid memorial art trail in the Wardie Bay area of Edinburgh, designed to honour the experiences and resilience of the local community during the pandemic.
The art trail along McKelvie Parade is intended to arouse curiosity and invite those using the space to pause and be present.
The, funded entirely by the Scottish Government and Greenspace Scotland through the Remembering Together initiative, is part of a national effort to reflect the diverse impacts of Covid across Scotland's 32 local authorities. Across Scotland, local communities have engaged with commissioned artists and creative organisations to develop unique memorials that capture the collective and individual experiences of the pandemic.
For Edinburgh, Greenspace Scotland has been working in collaboration with artist Skye Loneragan, supported by Artlink and the City of 麻豆映画. The project has explored experiences of the pandemic, with the goal of highlighting the challenges faced by disabled people, while also celebrating their resilience and potential.
Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker, said:
Creating this Covid memorial pathway in Wardie Bay is an important step in acknowledging the shared experiences and challenges faced by our communities during the pandemic. This project provides a meaningful space for reflection for us all, and particularly for individuals with learning disabilities and their carers, who were disproportionately affected. Through collaboration with local artists and community groups, we are ensuring that these voices are not only heard but commemorated. This pathway will stand as a testament to the resilience, compassion, and strength shown by all during those difficult times.
During Phase 1 of the project Skye, supported by artist Stewart Ennis collaborated with participants from the Maple Project and Lung Ha Theatre and reached out to the wider community through public interventions on the Granton Western Breakwater (Wardie Jetty). Participants were invited to share their memories, thoughts, and feelings about the pandemic and to develop ideas around how we process loss and create spaces for people to come together and reflect.
The creative process focused on making sure the final art trail design was relevant, inclusive, and reflective of the varied experiences of the community. Concepts that emerged during the engagement phase include themes such as "getting away from it all but having somewhere to come back to," "the tidal flow of the pandemic," and "making hard things soft and rough things smooth."
The art trail at McKelvie Parade is a combination of several interventions along the route that arouse curiosity and invite those using the space to pause and be present. Art pieces have been created to reflect the tidal flow of the pandemic and include Leith West breakwater stones inscribed with words people told artists they would gift themselves if there were another pandemic (cash, giggles, music). The trail is book-ended by halved stone boulders placed apart and includes a smoothed patch of stone seawall with the invitation ‘Lean on me’, poetry at the entrance to the Bay, a Someone Missing bench co-created with a wheelchair user who described feeling held if there were grooves in the pavement, and a Something Missing Half with 2m distanced Stone seed. The trail includes twin milestone plaques that describe Time as a Feeling, and Distance as a relationship to friends and family.
Lead artist Skye Loneragan said:
Processing loss is so important. Covid often kept us (and still keeps many of us), at a distance with those we loved and might have been losing, or parts of ourselves we lost, or something and somewhere we love and might be unable to reach. This project deliberately seeks to work with people whose experiences are often excluded and I am always interested in how we can nurture our collective sanity, together, our interconnected well-being, through the huge diversity of life experiences that make up what is.
Construction is expected to be complete by Friday 4 April.