The Meadows Mural

What do you do with an eyesore of an electrical sub-station that is adjacent to one of the capital’s most utilized and desired green open spaces? This was the dilemma at the Meadows park in Edinburgh, left to the Friends of the Meadows and Brunstfield Links, the City Council, and Scottish Power, who owned the property. Luckily, the aforementioned authorities listened to a group of students from the nearby Edinburgh College of Art, who suggested that a mural be installed to hide the unsightly structure and enhance the beauty of the surrounding area.

Money was raised from various sources, including a grant from the South Central Neighborhood Partnership group and a local newspaper Edinburgh Evening News, not to mention the walls owners, Scottish Power. In September of 2014, the mural, which was entitled “Processions,” was unveiled.

The five paneled piece of artwork is the collaboration between a local artist named Astrid Jaekel and poet Rachel Woolf. Besides an original poem inscribed by Wood, there are extracts from the nation’s bard Robert Burns’ “O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast” and from Muriel Spark’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.” Muriel Spark grew up and went to school not far from the installation’s location.

There are also depictions of several historical events that took place in the surrounding area. These include: the Royal Company of Archer’s, The Sovereign’s Bodyguards, and the 1886 International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art. All of which is surrounded by dancing and music playing woodland creatures.