Recycling a Hospital is an interdisciplinary arts project that connects woodworking, poetry, stone carving, ceremony and photography, and aims to honour the Old Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on Lauriston Place and the memories connected to it. The project is facilitated by Edinburgh Futures Institute, which recently moved in to the refurbished former surgical part of the hospital.
The motivation behind the project is the belief that before embarking on the building’s new life as an educational space, it is vital to honour the experiences of people who were connected to the building whilst it was a hospital. Since the hospital was so central to the city’s life, many people in Edinburgh have memories connected to it – from the joys of a child being born, to the sorrows of illness, the relief of healing, or mourning following death. The building also saw numerous cohorts of nurses and doctors who started their careers in it and were part of these memories. As the building transitions into its new life, these memories should not be forgotten.
The project began in 2022 with the discovery of interesting materials on the building’s construction site. These materials – large wooden floor beams and roof slates – were not in good enough condition to contribute to the refurbished building. However, we realised that they nevertheless bear a rich history and symbolic connection to the former hospital – so letting them be disposed of in usual ways did not feel right. Instead, we decided to give the materials a new life in the form of an artwork. That way, the materials would contribute to not only the physical, but also the symbolic transformation of the building.
We partnered up with the Grassmarket Community Project and Gus Fisher, Scotland-based stone and lettering artist. Together with Jimmy Turner, they are working to produce the Spirit Case – a sculpture that combines the wood and the slate pieces. The sculpture will also feature the memories of the former hospital staff and patients, carefully sculpted into poetry during workshops facilitated by Jennifer Williams.
The stories of the hospital are also being documented by Gintare Kulyte, who works closely with each person who agreed to share their memories to produce a series of creative photographic portraits. These will be published online and exhibited at EFI during the project community event in May 2024. The event will be centered around a ceremony aimed to complete the building’s transition from a hospital into an educational space. The ceremony will be facilitated by Ekaterina Shurkova.
On this blog, we are documenting the project and posting important updates. You can also read about the history of the building and new plans for it, as well as find ways to get involved with the project.
