If you thought you heard woodpeckers by the river in Warriston over the last few days, you were mistaken. That was the grinding of teeth.
Entertaining and slightly testy correspondence has been darting back and forth between Public Art Commissions & Exhibitions (PACE), based in Out of the Blue's Dalmeny Street Drill Hall, and residents at Boat Green by the Water of Leith. Parts of that exchange have now been leaked – or perhaps overtopped – by various sources to the Spurtle.
PACE Director Juliet Dean first contacted locals to ask their opinion of new wooden covers mooted for the two sets of floodgates on Warriston Road. Artist Gordon Young has been commissioned by City of Edinburgh Council to carve designs into proposed horizontal wooden planks there made of tropical hardwood ekki.
In an email, Dean explained that for the gates closest to the bridge at Warriston Junction, Young had decided to reference the nearby Lady Haig Poppy Factory. He has suggested either lots of poppies with no text (Version 1) or poppies with text reading 'LADY HAIG'S POPPY FACTORY' and 'WARRISTON ROAD' (Version 2).
For the gates closest to Boat Green, Young has suggested a kingfisher design plus poem by Edinburgh poet Tessa Ransford about the bird, with words again rendered in upper case. Neither the Poppy Factory nor Ransford have any objection.
Not all Boat Green residents were convinced. Some misunderstood the computer graphic visualisations to mean that the designs would be applied in colourful paint rather than carved.
Dean quickly replied with clarifications, quite a few of them in unusually emphatic capitals. Perhaps this was a nod to the use of capitals on the proposed artworks, or perhaps she thinks Boat Green residents are hard of hearing, or perhaps it signified her exasperation at having to REITERATE what she thought was already abundantly clear.
- The work was to be CARVED into the WOOD and not painted.
- It would be subtly realised by an experienced artist who would not, as some feared, create poor-quality or tacky work. Where such fears welled up from Spurtle cannot say, although we suspect Young's 'Comedy Carpet' situated at the foot of Blackpool Tower and highlighted on PACE's website may have unsettled some.
- The inspiration for a kingfisher, AS PREVIOUSLY EXPLAINED, came from the fact that such birds have often been 'sited' [sic] on the river.
- Dean suggested residents contact the Council if they have 'issues' with the kind of wood to be used.
- She concluded by saying that she looked forward to receiving constructive feedback in future.
Constructive feedback from a local bird enthusiast is exactly what she got:
'Re your rather strangely worded email reply, I'd like to confirm that
the terrain necessary for a kingfisher to survive is NOT present between Canonmills and the cemetery – including Boat Green – as referred to in your email.
'I regret all mature trees, and associated undergrowth, were decimated and stripped bare of the overhanging vegetation which is necessary to support the kingfisher when the Water of Leith Flood Prevention Scheme was undertaken. To my mind to put a lovely carving of a kingfisher on the gate is akin to putting salt on the wound of the Boat Green residents who enjoyed the pre-existing tranquillity of the original scene. Bare banks, planted with new saplings now grace the view.
'The area opposite the cemetery, close to the Poppy Factory, is still
pristine with the long standing vegetation required for kingfishers:
i.e. the bird perches on overhanging river branches to see, and dive, for fish. Trees were not touched alongside the cemetery; there is a
low, and old, wall for people to see any kingfisher. At Boat Green, we have a new, and high, wall alongside the river which prevents the view of the river for residents, and pedestrians, between here and Canonmills. However, we know the heron is viewable from the Canonmills
Bridge, as are the ducks frequenting the area. Both I believe would be more appropriate for the flood-gate carving.'
Boat Green residents are not being awkward just for the sake of it. They are understandably sceptical about Council-sponsored blandishments after the shocking disruption and sudden U-turn visited upon them during earlier phases of the Water of Leith flood defence works.
As one put it: 'Like many in Edinburgh, I am (with foundation) devoid of confidence in the Council but sadly I'm too busy working hard to pay my local taxes & endless parking fines to them to have the time to query their already questionable judgment'.
Spurtle accepts that the Council here is genuinely trying to beautify the area for the benefit of locals and visitors alike. Interestingly, however, when proposals first went before Planning in a report of 2007 (see pp. 21 and 25 of the pdf at foot of page), a kingfisher design was put forward for the more ornithologically appropriate wall bounding the Stockbridge Colonies, and a reference to Chopin's 1848 visit to Warriston Crescent for the site here (p. 20). 'Bairnsangs' (p. 13) and sporting themes (pp. 15, 17) were suggested for other artworks along Puddocky.
Hopefully, with tact and patience on both sides, an acceptable solution can be found.
An alternative, of course, would be to have simple, plain, wooden panels or perhaps even no panels at all (we rather enjoy the gates' undisguised, unapologetic functionality as they are).
What do you think? Send your constructive suggestions to Juliet Dean at email: juliet@paceprojects.org and kindly share them with us at the same time.
[Image top-right: Wikipedia Creative Commons]
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@theSpurtle to be fair, a bird should be sited over the river in order to be sighted over the river (or cited, if it's the song)