Book festival wants stories of historic hospital
It played a crucial role in the lives of the people of Edinburgh for more than 150 years. Now stories documenting the impact of the city’s historic royal infirmary building are to be brought to life when the building itself is reborn this year.
The personal reflections of leadingwriters,formerworkers and members of the public will be performed inside the A-listed building on Lauriston Place when it becomes the new home of the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.
The Words from the Wards project is expected to reflect on moments of “hope, fear, joy, and grief” from the previous life of the A-listed building, which was designed by architect David Bryce and opened in 1879. It was closed to the public in 2003 when a new royal infirmaryopenedatlittlefrance,in south Edinburgh.
Organisers of the festival have instigated a “mass-participatory” writing project that will bring together for an online “timecapsuleofmemories”recollections of experiences at the hospital.aselectionofthesewill be read by members of the public, alongside new work commissioned from leading Scottish writers, at a series of special bookfestivaleventsinoneofthe converted hospital wards.
Festival goers will also be able to view a new work of art created from pieces of slate and the original floorboards from the building, which were salvaged during construction work two yearsago.thespiritcase,which combines elements of woodworking,poetryandstonecarving, will also feature the memories of former staff and patients at the hospital. Work to transform the complex began seven years ago on an Edinburgh University development to create a new education, research and innovationhub–theedinburgh Futureinstitute–thatisduetobe unveiled in the summer ahead of the book festival’s relocation there from the Edinburgh College of Art.
Dr Gavin Francis, Michael Pederson, Hannah Lavery, Sara Sheridan, Lisa Williams and Kirsten Innes will be among the writerstakingpartinthewards from the Wards project.
Noëlle Cobden, the festival’s communities programme director, said: “We’re incredibly excited that our new home is the Edinburgh Futures Institute – not just because of the visionary ideas and projects at its heart, but because of its rich and meaningful history.
“It is where many residents – and those now further afield – took their first breaths, and its walls have witnessed uncountable moments of hope, fear, joy, and grief. We want to capture and honour the experiences, relationships and memories that people connect with the building'spreviouslifeasthefestival becomes part of its future.
“We hope as many people as possible will share their stories with us, as our fantastic writers willalsodo,andcan'twaittodiscover the hidden, personal histories which make this place so special."
Kirstininnessaid:“likemany, many people born in Edinburgh, I began in this building. Of course, I don’t remember that, but I do remember being 19 and going back there, visiting mygrandfatherintheearlystages of dementia, after he’d had a stroke.
“Thinkingaboutthiscommission has already started conjuring scents and sounds.”
We want to capture and honour the experiences