Meet the Artist: Yvonne Weighand Lyle
Remembering Together: Midlothian have appointed their artist to co-create memorials with communities. Meet Yvonne Weighand Lyle.
Yvonne is a visual artist with a socially-engaged placemaking practice. She explores her experience of place through participation in her own work both as an artist and as a member of the community. Yvonne’s artwork is centred on the heritage, history, geology and communities of Midlothian, where she has very strong family and work connections.
She graduated from Gray’s School of Art with a BA (Hons) Painting. She is currently a Committee Member of Gorgie Collective and Creative Fieldworker for the People’s Parish, Mayfield and Easthouses. Yvonne is also a contributing artist on Edinburgh's first Street Art Sculpture Trail.
Image credit: Marius Alexander
Yvonne says: “Midlothian is my place, a place I have a deep love of and a place I call home. I am deeply grateful to the community in Mayfield and Easthouses for all their essential support to my family during the pandemic, and I am delighted and feel very privileged to be part of the county’s memorial development discussion.”
“I will be facilitating free, simple, achievable art activities as pathways to discussion of how the people of Midlothian have coped during the pandemic and continue to do so, and develop this discussion into creative exploration of a form of memorial for the county.
My approach is to go to the places where people are, the places they gather, and the groups they meet at in the course of living their daily lives, both the urban and rural. The activities will be led by the places where people meet and can be completed over a cuppa, such as pebble art, collage, cyanotype, and post it note rainbows. For those who may not wish to take part in person, I will be creating a free postal pack that can be completed at home, perhaps with a friend or support.
It’s important folk take time to consider and reflect on support that might be needed during or following participation, so I will be providing details of further support as an integral part of the activity materials and packs.
Everyone who would like to take part is welcome and we are an inclusive and diverse project for those of all ages and backgrounds and if there is something preventing you from taking part, get in touch.
I hope that taking part will provide the opportunity to safely discuss experiences and how we are continuing to live with the lasting and ongoing effects of the pandemic, in a creative and supportive environment.”