Life is for Livingston - Art Inspired by Archives

West Lothian Archives and Records Centre has been working with partners in Arts Services to deliver an education based art project which takes its inspiration from archives. Arts Officer, Len McCaffer, gives an overview of the project. 

In October 2011 I had several conversations with community group that I work with and they were interested in doing a project around Livingston’s forthcoming 50^th Anniversary.  In partnership with West Lothian Archives and along with support from the Community groups we were successful in an £49,800 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The archive is already home to the records of the Livingston Development Corporation which capture the history of the town from a corporate perspective.  This collection would prove to be the catalyst in discovering the community history and stories that are integral in making Livingston what it is today.  We aimed to allow the residents of Livingston to express, through different art and heritage projects, their stories and feelings.  What was it like coming to a ‘New Town’?  What was it like to grow up in Livingston?  How has it developed over the 50 years?

The Arts strand of the project had four main programmes; a visual art project where seven community groups and schools worked with artist Tessa Dunlop by looking at the archives and then expressing what Livingston meant to them.  These would become huge mock stain-glass windows that became a semi-permanent exhibition at the Howden Park Centre.  There was also a photography project that began by looking at archive photographs as inspiration to create new images.  Participants, superimposed themselves into old photographs, created plates, t-shirts and even skateboards.  Award winning filmmaker Thomas Sheridan worked with residents to create a documentary film that not only took the participants to the Archive department but uses footage as part of the film, this will be screened and entered into film festivals nationally and globally.  Lastly, a Livingston Art App that records all of Livingstons 29 pieces of public art and directs the user to the art and tells them about it, this will be an online archive. 

Over 360 people aged between 8-89 have been involved and over eleven community groups.  The groups all came together for the launch of the windows and photography exhibition and through the arts project they have helped to illuminate their own history and stories and preserve them for future generations to enjoy.