A celebration of the life and learnings of revolutionary 19th and 20th century Scottish social thinker Patrick Geddes is taking place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. By Creating We Think – Celebrating Patrick Geddes is a day of workshops, screenings, talks and discussions, organised by the Scottish International Storytelling Festival in partnership with the Sir Patrick Geddes Trust, and continues Edinburgh’s 900th anniversary programme.
The day looks to the future, structured around Geddes’ key sayings, including by creating we think, combining ideas with practical initiatives that can open pathways into ecology, culture and creativity to create a city rich in local, national and international identities.
Geddes was an ecologist and town planner, who believed that our future lies in merging the natural world with human culture. He also championed the need for science and society to work together, citizen-action, creative learning, and the need for green space.
Speakers include environmental artists Kenny Munro and Claudia Zeiske, Murdo MacDonald who is a leading writer and original interpreter of Patrick Geddes, the environmentalist and nature writer Mandy Haggith, Bengali storyteller Neel Debdutt Paul, and Samuel Gallacher, Director of Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, who has been closely involved with the ideas and legacy of Geddes – alongside many other writers, activists and thinkers.
Festival Director Donald Smith has authored Edinburgh: Our Storied Town, illustrated by Edinburgh artist Cat Outram – an enchanting journey through time revealing the city’s storytelling evolution through the centuries, and an educational resource, Through Your Eyes, developed in collaboration with City of Edinburgh Council Creative Learning, has been distributed free to all Edinburgh secondary schools as part of the Edinburgh 900 programme.
