My City exhibition
8 - 22 July 2018
My City worked with a small group of young people and their families attending Multi-cultural Family Base through workshops led by Victoria Beesley with Yvonne Buskie and Arran Howie. They used theatre, puppetry and visual art to explore two important cities: a city they know from living in other countries (including Syria, Lebanon and Egypt) and their new city of Edinburgh. Their experiences, memories and imaginations have all combined to create Edippo.
Welcome to Edippo.
There has been a city in this place for 2020 years. People have travelled from all over the world to live in this city. It is a friendly place. People sit in the streets together, eating and talking. People look after each other. People help their neighbours when they need it.
The city is run by a king who is scared of his people. Whenever he comes out of his castle he is surrounded by guards to keep him protected.
There is a wall surrounding the city and the army is based here. They keep the city safe.
There is a dragon who lives just outside the city. The dragon mostly keeps himself to himself, but sometimes he chooses to attack the city. The people have to run and hide. There are lots of good hiding places in the city, down narrow streets.
Luckily for the citizens, there is also a magical unicorn who lives just outside the city. There are a group of citizens known as the whistle-holders. If the city is being attacked by the dragon, the whistle-holders blow their whistles and this makes the unicorn appear. She is stronger and more magical than the dragon. She defeats the dragon every time and makes him leave the city. The people are safe again.
Once a year the people of Edippo celebrate the Festival of the Unicorn. Everyone is invited. They make nice food, wear rainbow clothes and paint their faces in bright colours. One person in the city is chosen to make a wish to the unicorn statue. It comes true the next day.
This exhibition has been created as part of My City, a pilot project developed out of a partnership between Imaginate, Multi-cultural Family Base and Scottish Storytelling Centre.
With thanks to funding from the National Lottery.