A hidden street art commission

Situated beneath a railway bridge, this dark spot offers an ideal setting for Graham Fagen’s captivating neon light work which presents a narrative illuminating a journey of a life and questioning what lies beyond. It is centred on the story of the Roselle, a ship that sailed from the Port of Leith to Kingston, Jamaica in 1786. Robert Burns had booked a passage on the boat, but never sailed.

The piece takes its name from a statement by pioneering environmentalist and planner Patrick Geddes, that ‘a city is more than a place in space, it is a drama in time’. It is apt that the work is positioned at the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder, a steep set of steps which link the Old Town – an area of the city Geddes worked to improve in the nineteenth century – and the New Town.

A Drama In Time was commissioned by Edinburgh Art Festival for the 2016 festival. The piece is accessible 24 hours a day, every day. To find out more about this and other permanent commissions, visit the Art Festival website.

Image credit: Ross Fraser Mclean / Studio Roro