The official launch event of the Wee Hub will be held on Sunday between 11am and 4pm with music, circus performances, a tour of the Pianodrome sculptures, and a parade.
The community space is located in the old Debenhams store at Ocean Terminal and has become home to many groups all brought together by the Living Memory Association.
The focal point just outside the Wee Hub is the sculpture made entirely from parts of up-cycled pianos by the creators of the Pianodrome which is an amphitheatre made entirely from old pianos, most of which are past their playing days.
The Elephant in the Room is sx metres high and comprises a tripod of elephant tusks topped with more than 50 ivories. This is only one of ten piano sculptures which can be seen in the community space. Others include ‘Half of a Piano Cube’, a pyramid of three playable pianos, ‘Power to the People’, two grand pianos each with a large gramophone-like pentagonal horn made from lids and soundboards and ‘Piano Meant-A-Lot’, an allotment shed made entirely from old pianos and piano parts which houses a beautiful old playable upright piano. Legless grand piano planter boxes will be filled with vegetables and flowers to complete the scene.
As part of The Wee Hub’s official launch, which includes a parade around the centre, circus performances and a series of free events, Tim Vincent -Smith, the lead artist on Pianodrome along with Matthew Wright, the Pianodrome producer, will be there from 3pm – 4pm. Danny McGeever, Edinburgh-based singer songwriter, and Nikki Hill of Dripping Tap Theatre, will give a tour of the sculptures, animating them with music and movement. All events are free.
Expect music, clowning and a rendition of Sunshine on Leith from Danny.
Sean Logan of Full Spectrum, will be there playing the sculptures all day. Sean has a show in the Fringe and was also one of the pianists playing the Old Royal Pianodrome as part of Hidden Door Festival. Here is a short snippet of Sean playing:
Miles Tubb of the Living Memory Association which with the support of Ocean Terminal’s owners created The Wee Hub as a free collaborative space for local community groups in the heart of Leith, said: “Pianodrome’s sculptures are simply fantastic and opening their exhibition as part of our official launch day hits the perfect note. They are a community-led organisation, just as all the groups here at The Wee Hub, bringing people together to enjoy the arts, music and our heritage. The day will be a colourful and lively display of local people’s creativity and talents from dance through to circus performance.”
Tim Vincent-Smith and Matthew Wright who are also both musicians from the band S!nk set up Pianodrome in 2017 to build the world’s first amphitheatre made entirely from upcycled pianos. Tim said: “The sculptures were commissioned by the Leeds International Piano Competition and formed a piano trail around the city which was enjoyed by tens of thousands of people – many made the journey specifically to see them. Having set up in Leith and collecting and working with old pianos from the area, however, exhibiting our sculptures at Ocean Terminal could not be more perfect – it is a bit of a homecoming.
“Working with The Wee Hub also presents us with many opportunities for further collaborations. Here we are at the heart of a lively and creative community and with the likes of Tinderbox, who are also based at OT, we hope to bring piano-inspired workshops and events in the months ahead.”
The Wee Hub Launch also includes a laser sculpture workshop with the artist Jonathon Elder, a fencing demonstration from Salle Holyrood Fencing, Circus workshops from Think Circus, music workshops from Tinderbox, a model railway exhibit, and heritage exhibitions. There is also a dance programme beginning at 11am with a children’s disco, jazz, a parade and a show from the International Dancers of the Edinburgh Festival Carnival.
The Wee Hub Launch Day Programme:
- 11am Children’s disco
- 1pm – Nouvelle Jukebox. Edinburgh based duo. Jazzy vocals and swinging guitar.
- 2pm – Cutting of ribbon and parade round the Centre
- 2.30 – International Dancers from Edinburgh Festival Carnival
- 3pm – Pianodrome tour with music and movement.
- 3.15pm – Think Circus performance
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
