Spring on Calton Hill
A hopeful day in Edinburgh, plus an upcoming event at the Scottish Arts Club
Audio introduction:
On Saturday I joined a march for Scottish independence in a bright and blustery Edinburgh, going from St Giles’ on the High Street up to Calton Hill. In the days before the march I was mulling over the question of how to make a visual impact with a banner or a sign.
It was a different question to my usual two-dimensional illustration and design work - different in scale, materials, and wind-resistance! It was a creative challenge which made me think and which I enjoyed finding answers to.
Sunflowers are a favourite of mine. They’re not a traditional Scottish flower, of course, but they radiate with a sense of hope and possibility which I also feel for Scotland. I sketched up an idea for a sunflower banner, with the large disc in the centre making room for a message: Another Scotland is possible.
On the morning of the demonstration, I walked the sunflower to the meeting point at Parliament Square by St Giles’ (it was too big for getting on the bus!)
The history of Scottish independence resonates in this square. Its name, Parliament Square, comes from the old pre-Union parliament which existed the last time Scotland was independent, pre-1707.
All together at noon we marched down the High Street. International visitors seemed cheery and supportive, which is always telling in itself, as it becomes easy to imagine Scotland being welcomed into the community of nations.
Down through the Canongate we went. There’s a bit of independence history here too; this part of the Edinburgh Old Town was restored and conserved by the Scottish architect Robert Hurd (1905-1963) who was an early figure of the independence movement.
We skirted the edge of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, then bent our way up towards the top of Calton Hill. The city was sun-drenched, but windy. It felt like spring. We passed the Burns Monument, and the Democracy Cairn, and arrived at the windy hill-top to hear speeches and music beneath the hill’s iconic pillars.
I carried a backpack with emergency supplies; staples, string, tape, cable ties. But luckily the sign stayed in shape until the end of the gathering.
The day felt rejuvenating. I hadn’t been to something like that for a while, and it’s always nice to feel a sense of affinity and common purpose with like-minded people.
Scotland has been in a period of independence stalemate for several years now, being denied the power to hold a new referendum by Westminster governments. It’s not entirely clear how things will resolve, but up there on Calton Hill it felt like that phase of being stuck was drawing to an end.
We need new ideas, new visions, fresh starts. Soon there will be a Scottish Parliament election, and things may shift once again, but I also feel the shift we need may lie outwith parliaments – in the public, in culture, in how we see ourselves.
The day after the march the sunflower appeared in various newspapers and press photographs, a pop of yellow amongst the sea of blue. It was funny to see it for the first time from a distance, hovering in amongst thousands of faces and Saltires.
Another Scotland is possible - that’s what I believe. But another Scotland is also necessary, urgent, vital. Let’s hope for more hopeful days like this, and that the change we need will come to us soon.
Book talk at the Scottish Arts Club
I’ll be giving a talk about my Atlas of Scotland project at the Scottish Arts Club on Saturday 18 April - all about mapping Scotland by hand and exploring Scotland’s history and culture. Copies of the book will be available too.
Tickets (available here) are free for Scottish Arts Club members and £10 for non-members.
If you haven’t seen the Atlas of Scotland project before, below is a wee introductory video. I also have copies of the Atlas available from my online shop.
A bit about me. I am a writer, illustrator, and map-maker based in Edinburgh. My work aims to make Scottish history and culture more accessible through a variety of unique creative projects. I am the author of 3 illustrated books covering Scottish history, culture, current affairs. My latest book, the Atlas of Scotland, uses hand-drawn maps and illustrations to tell Scotland’s story, including Scotland’s historic European and international connections. Here you will find links to my website, my online shop, and my accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Brilliant article Andrew, enjoyed your journey with your sunflower, your enthusiasm and hopes for the future! Interesting bit of history too!
Inspiring article, Andrew. Love the sunflower.