Alternative futures - who decides? A story of lived experiences told through art

In the Alternative futures - who decides? exhibition (3rd - 5th October 2024), the people of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny told stories of their lived experiences through art, exploring their memories, experiences, realities, hopes and dreams.

This exhibition was a collaboration between the Ripple Project and the Binks Hub from the University of Edinburgh. Together they designed the ‘The Ripple Project: Past, Present and Future’ project and worked through a variety of workshops, art-making sessions, and fun activities to create the artworks presented at Dovecot Studios. The project revealed much about the experiences, views and hopes for the future of this community, including the wide diversity of different priorities and interests to be found there. This diversity of thought reflects a problem the Ripple Project has identified over the years. Much of the research and data that is used to govern policies, funding decisions and narratives does not account for the full humanity and human experiences of the people who live there. The key message of the exhibition was that there is a collective demand being made of those with the power and influence to effect change for the following to be raised up as priorities:

- A desire for the lived experiences and wisdom of community members to be recognised and validated.
- A desire for more green spaces, and for the management of greenery and green space in the local area to be improved.
- A desire for investment in more community and civic spaces in the local area.