Not all of Summerhall’s future is secure, says its business, creative and technology tenants
New group #MadeinSummerhall sets up a campaign to retain their city centre home for artists and businesses
Group represents more than 120 enterprises and hundreds of individuals based at the Summerhall site
Current and previous tenants include tech startups, BAFTA Award-winning filmmakers and 3D printers of PPE during Covid
Concern that Summerhall sale will ‘hollow out’ the cultural life of the capital
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday August 1 – for immediate use
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Over one hundred and twenty businesses and artists based at Edinburgh’s Summerhall have formed anew group to campaign to retain their artistic and entrepreneurial community in the heart of the city.
The new group, called #MadeinSummerhall has welcomed the news that the main performance and exhibition spaces will be retained for a few years at the capital’s cultural hub – which has been reported widely in the media. [ Guardian. Scotsman.]
However, the group is keen to point out that Summerhall is not solely a public entertainment venue, but is home to more than 120 businesses, artists, makers and science and tech innovators using a close network of studio spaces, offices and workshops. Together these rent-paying tenants – most of them on short-term leases with a minimal termination period – occupy 60 percent of the 130,000 sq ft city centre site.
Endless corridors weave through the old Dick Vet school buildings where potters rub shoulders with scientific instrument developers, and cartographers are neighbours with award-winning animators.
It is feared all of these spaces will disappear when the site is redeveloped.
Summerhall was put on the market in May by Oesselmann Estate Limited, an Isle of Man-registered company with a closing date for bids of 18 September.
The property’s particulars say the urban site offers ‘endless’ refurbishment and redevelopment options,including residential, boutique hotels, offices and student housing.
“It is terrific news that the public-facing venues will continue at Summerhall for the next few years,” says Lindy McNair, owner of ModernPrints.co.uk, one of the resident businesses at Summerhall.
“However, that is just the tip of the iceberg – and beyond that are literally dozens of businesses and artists who together have evolved over 13 years into an entrepreneurial arts and science-based ecosystem right in the heart of the capital. It’s like a small, vibrant, cultural village,” McNair says.
#MadeinSummerhall tenants range from well-loved brands such as Barneys Beer through to award- winning filmmakers, photographers and artists, including children’s book illustrator Kate Leiper and BAFTA winner Will Anderson. Tech unicorn Skyscanner began its life at Summerhall, and during Covid, Edinburgh Hacklab, Scotland’s largest community maker space, came together with other Summerhall businesses to form Shield Force, to supply 60,000 3D printed face shields free of charge to the NHS.
“The cultural life of a city needs more than its venues – in fact it would be nothing without the creatorsand makers who make Edinburgh a city of culture and innovation,” says commercial and creative photographer Peter Dibdin, another Summerhall tenant.
“It is vital that places like these remain in city centres – more than 95 percent of Summerhall residents travel here by foot, bicycle or public transport and it would be a loss to the city if this highly integrated ecosystem were dispersed to remote workshops on the periphery. It feels like hollowing out the city’scultural core.
“Now our #MadeinSummerhall group has been established, we will be highlighting the breadth of activity that takes place here – both culturally and economically – with a campaign running throughout the Festival and beyond, with a call to the city’s leaders to recognise that the richness of a city is not just its venues and that Edinburgh will always need artists, entrepreneurs and creators at its heart,” Dibdin concludes.
ends
Image credits - Peter Dibdin
Lindy McNair from ModernPrints.co.uk and Rebecca Milling from Copystand.
Andrew Barnett from Barney’s Beer.
Edinburgh Shield Force made face shields for the NHS with donated 3D printers. They had over 90 volunteers and produced over 60,000 face shields.
For press enquiries please contact:
Lindy McNair
T: 07950 220224
E: info@modernprints.co.uk
Alice Nelson
T: 07811 256336
M: heyalicenelson@gmail.com