NEWBATTLE (MAYFIELD AND EASTHOUSES)
From autumn 2021 - 2022, the project for the civic parish of Newbattle took place in Mayfield and Easthouses, Midlothian.
Led by fieldworker Yvonne Weighand Lyle, students, community members, and partner organisations explored the questions who are we? And what do we value?
The community engaged in a variety of creative action research, focusing on well kent (known) places to tell the story of the lives of local folk and the surrounding landscape.
This included:
a Facebook page
weekly creative workshops with local organisations and schools
six advertised public creative workshops
Well Kent Places postal packs
a photographic record
The project concluded with two key productions: Well Kent Places Exhibition and Well Kent Places Public Artwork.
The Well Kent Places Exhibition comprised community artworks created during the public creative workshops:
three community pom-pom knitted gala day bowers
six cyanotype fabrics of the landscape installation
three MAEDT craft group paper quilling artworks
ten Project posters
sound file recording of stories of Mayfield and Easthouses from community interview
Well Kent Places postal pack & sample of completed returns
creative Fieldworker sketch book, workshop posters & sample of workshop items
The Well Kent Places Public Artwork comprised 24 concrete tiles, sculpted by members of the community and local schools, cast and installed by the Creative Fieldworker, formulated a map of Mayfield and Easthouses corresponding to participants’ well kent places and the completed returns from the well kent places postal packs.
Fieldworker
Yvonne Weighand Lyle
Partners and Contact Organisations
MAEDT (Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust), Mayfield and Easthouses Community Council, Ageing Well Midlothian Walking Group, Mayfield Church Art Group, Community Access Team (CAT) Midlothian, Lawfield Nursery, St Lukes RC Primary School, Lawfield Primary School, Mayfield Primary School, Newbattle High School, National Mining Museum, National Library of Scotland, Black Diamond Radio
Aims
To creatively connect communities to their local culture: intangible cultural heritage, history, literature
To stimulate participation and bring together local activists and organisations
· To record aspects of local culture - songs, stories, dances, traditions
To affirm the work of local practitioners
To broker platforms for the expression and celebration of local culture and creativity