‘FREEDOM: a living poem’ by Ellen Renton was commissioned by Wee Connections at Spartans Community Foundation as part of our Creative Encounters project, which places children's rights at the heart of the creation process.
What does the word freedom mean? Is it a tall tree in the wind or a shiny disco ball? Does it feel like speeding on a skateboard or getting comfy on the sofa? Created in collaboration with the Wee Connections group at Spartans Community Football Foundation, ‘FREEDOM: a living poem’ is an installation which brings together words, sounds, film, weather, and textures to ask what it really means to feel free. Once inside, you can make choices about how you would like to experience the poem – will you lie back onto the cushions or crawl into the tent? Will you pick birdsong or the sea as your soundscape? You can even keep the poem alive and growing by telling us what freedom means to you!
The group 'Wee Connections' from Spartans Community Foundation collaborated with Ellen Renton to inform the development of the instalation. ‘FREEDOM: a living poem’ was first presented at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival Family Day (24 May 2025) and at North Edinburgh Arts (23 & 24 July 2025).
Creative team:
- Ellen Renton - Lead Artist
- Valerie Reid - Designer
- Nik Paget-Tomlinson - Sound Designer
Research & Development
FREEDOM: a living poem was commissioned by and co-created with Wee Connections, a group for children with additional support needs and their families, organised by Spartans Community Foundation. Selected artists were invited to pitch their ideas to the group and run a sample workshop. Through this process, Wee Connections selected FREEDOM: a living poem as their commission.
Ellen Renton delivered a series of workshops for Wee Connections in order to develop the piece. Together, they decided the poem should focus on the feeling of "freedom", and they explored what "freedom" means to them through poetry exercises, collaging activities, and foly/noise making workshops. All of this influenced the content of the installation, including the audio poem and the visual design of the installation.
