Edinburgh Artist Creates Festival Street Art

The artist behind the celebratory street art is Mark Kirkham, known professionally as the Edinburgh Sketcher. His work is part of the third year of the "Festival City Stories" project, a collaboration between Edinburgh's 11 major festivals and the creative street advertising agency BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland. The project aims to visually narrate the year-round partnerships between the city's famed festivals and its diverse local communities. Kirkham's new pieces are displayed on street hoardings at Dundee Street and Wishaw Terrace. He attended various community workshops and events to capture their essence, creating sketches that were then transformed into postcards for participants to share their own experiences. These personal stories and sketches now form the public art, offering a vibrant testament to the festivals' local engagement. The artworks highlight a range of community initiatives. These include the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival's "Latin Dance Inclusive" project for young people with disabilities and their families, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival's "Paper Trails" initiative, which tackles literacy inequality in partnership with local libraries. Other featured projects involve the Scottish International Storytelling Festival's BSL Apprenticeship Programme and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's "Generation Fringe" which helps young people explore careers in the arts. This project is part of a broader shift in Edinburgh, where street art is increasingly being embraced. While once viewed as vandalism, there's a growing acceptance of murals and public art, with some artists noting that travel has exposed residents to the established street art cultures in other countries. This change is further evidenced by the upcoming launch of the Edinburgh International Mural Festival (EIMF), which aims to establish the city as a global hub for street art and urban renewal. The "Festival City Stories" initiative has evolved over its three years. In its first year, the project commissioned emerging illustrators from the Edinburgh College of Art to bring to life quotes from community project participants. The second year utilized an Edinburgh-based photographer to capture the stories and individuals involved in these partnerships. The origins of Edinburgh's festival season date back to 1947 with the establishment of the Edinburgh International Festival, intended to reunite people through art after World War II. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe started concurrently when eight uninvited theatre groups performed on the "fringes" of the official event, establishing a legacy of open access and unconventional venues. One participant in a festival community project, a teacher involved with the Edinburgh International Children's Festival's Immerse Project, noted the impact of such programs on her students, saying "the residency really helped my pupils show how special they are – even from another universe they shine." Another participant in the Scottish International Storytelling Festival's "Big Scottish Story Ripple" remarked, "Something magical was created that day. Sharing and hearing stories, igniting curiosity, and forming connections." Looking ahead, the Edinburgh Sketcher, Mark Kirkham, continues to be active in the community, leading sketching tours and workshops. The new Edinburgh International Mural Festival, debuting in collaboration with Hidden Door, plans to be a year-round program dedicated to elevating muralism and street art culture in the city.