We first met Rachel Green, the Ripple Project’s director, at our launch in May 2022. It quickly became clear that we were both keen to work together, with Rachel joining the University of Edinburgh to study for a Binks Hub-funded Masters degree in Health Humanities and Arts, and the Binks Hub team spending time at the Ripple getting to know the organisation, the local area, and the people who live there.
Last summer, we began to think through what a co-created community arts-based research project might look like, and the idea for our exhibition ‘The Ripple Project: Past, Present and Future’ was born.
On Saturday 15th June, the communities of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny, together with the Ripple Project and the Binks Hub, were proud to launch their exhibition of artworks exploring the memories, experiences, realities, hopes and dreams of the local community.
We were completely blown away by both the artworks created by the local community and the ambition for the area. The artworks themselves are stunning, and a testament to the drive, hopes, and creative energy of the community.
“This exhibition has been so important in getting local people’s voices heard,” said Ripple Project director Rachel Green. “So often, we can focus on the physical elements of a space, whereas what’s highlighted here is the deep connections and relationships with the area that enable people to live full lives despite the outward appearance of the place.”
Both the artworks themselves and the process of making them have given our team a wealth of information about the local area, the community members who live and work here, and the diversity of lives, experiences and dreams that make this place so special. We additionally invited visitors to the exhibition to share their own thoughts and aspirations for the local area.
We will now use this information to prepare a range of connected materials:
To find out more about the project, please just get in touch with our research fellow Jimmy Turner or the Ripple Project director Rachel Green.
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