AN INTERACTIVE exhibition showcasing everyday historical items is set to open at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre this weekend for free.
The project – fondly labelled Auld Reekie Retold – is the largest of its kind and has recorded, catalogued, and revealed thousands of items housed in stores and venues across the city.
To show the long span of Edinburgh’s history, visitors will see historic over 200,000 artefacts dating back to the 1870s – when the collection started.
Guests may recognise some objects from their own lives as the project runs through a timeline of the city’s history to the present day.
Project Manager of the Auld Reekie Retold, Nick Tyack, said: “It’s truly wonderful to see these objects we’ve grown to love over the years brought together with their stories for the first time.
“The collections belong to the people of Edinburgh, so this exhibition is a great way for us to celebrate our city’s rich history.”
Visitors are encouraged by both funding bodies for the exhibition – Museum Galleries Scotland and Edinburgh Council – to bring along their smartphones and scan available QR codes during their visit to dive deeper into the stories told with films, podcasts, and images.
The Auld Reekie is a nickname for Edinburgh that dates back to at least the 18th century.
Early 18th-century poet Robert Fergusson uses the phrase in a namesake poem to describe a day in the life of the city.
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Labour Edinburgh councillor, Val Walker, said: “This fantastic project is allowing us to develop a fuller understanding and appreciation of what we have right here in our collections”.
She added: “This is the story of our great city that we all love. It needs to be told and I look forward to visitors discovering it for themselves.”
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