Fallow Land centres around four artist residencies (Oct 24 to May 25) creating a series of interdisciplinary place-centred projects across working and post-agricultural lands involving Portobello, Craigentinny and Jedburgh culminating in an exhibition at Mote102 Leith Edinburgh (9-17 May 2025) and new journal publication: Fallow Land produced by Rosy Naylor and Tom Jeffreys.

Over a period of six months, each artist has explored a number of interpretations of fallow: from soil health and soil conductivity to community and marine farming initiatives, from fallow processes like tilling to rested land and lands left behind untended due to forced exile.

The project is curated by Rosy Naylor, with scientific support for the ‘Residue’ residency (artist Hanna Paniutsich), from Professor Larissa Naylor, geomorphologist from University of Glasgow who has a specific knowledge experience relating to Seafield and the legacy of waste for the coastal zone. Across the project we have also been working with the two MSc Earth Futures student placements, Emma West and Liqin Peng creating an ‘Inquiry’ series, available to see via our Instagram feed.

About the artist projects

Fallow Land, Fallow Communities James Wyness

As part of his Fallow Land, Fallow Communities residency James Wyness has spent slow time over the last six months observing, researching and documenting patterns of land use in two fallow fields situated within the hinterland of Jedburgh. These arable fields have been set aside from food production for soil regeneration. Through collected sound, performative video and text, his installation Set Aside at Mote102 (May 2025) explores ideas of ruralism and rights of land ownership, considering access and our wider relationships to agricultural land, involving:

Audio: environmental multi-channel sound recorded at Hunt Knowes, a stubble field set aside as part of a winter stubble scheme to encourage birds, later ploughed and sown with spring barley.

Video: a series of performative movements carried out and filmed at Western Muir, a field set aside for two year short term grass. The short moving image clips and loops develop The Landowner project, a series in which Wyness plays the part of a Borders landowner carrying out specific actions in the environment.

Text: gerunds (‘-ing’ words) relating to the assumed activities of a Borders landowner; agricultural terms; and planting map of fields around Hunthill above Jedburgh.

Simultaneously during his residency, Wyness has initiated a community growing food initiative around the town of Jedburgh, Get Jed Fed, exploring the complexity of relationships between ownership and custodianship of public green space and between food growing in both town and county.

James Wyness is a multi-media artist based in Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. He works primarily with sound and lens-based media, producing a range of work from documentary, archival and socially engaged processes to more experimental investigations. His current research converges on a long-term examination of social and environmental aspects of Jedburgh, the river and its basin. Past work has included the sonification of climate change data and the sonic documentation of Seville’s Holy Week Processions.

Shore Hunt Rudy Kanhye and Lauren La Rose

Their residency ‘Shore Hunt‘ considers the shore as fallow land, functioning as testing grounds for alternative realities, economies and borders. A shore is a space where margins and borders expand, where diasporic, migratory and disabled bodies can change the process of representation itself.

As part of Fallow Land, they create a community ‘shore’ cultivating ‘native’ oyster leaf plants (mertensia maritima) situated on Portobello Promenade, an installation Récif d’huîtres (oyster reef) containing 50 handmade porcelain oyster shells made in collaboration with ceramist Anna Samson (Hoya Ceramic) forming their installation at Mote102 (May 2025), followed by further development of the Shore Hunt growing space and mural, planned as part of the Art Walk Porty Festival (September 2025). These interventions build on intersectional research between critical race, disability and decolonial studies, and site-specific research in Mauritius and Scotland, highlighting the role of women across empires – connecting stories from shore to shore.

The work also takes inspiration from a group of fisherwomen of coastal Maharashtra (Western India), who farm oysters from bamboo structures behind their creek, together with the current reintroduction of oyster beds into the Forth (once the largest oyster farming site across Europe).

Rudy Kanhye and Lauren La Rose are mixed and disabled visual artists, collaborators, partners and carers. Their transdisciplinary practice explores the untold histories of indentured immigration, the fallibility of memory, and its potential to act as a form of political resistance. Through their continuous engagement with vanishing or vanquished historical memory and archives, they investigate the erasures that the colonial project has brought to bear on certain parts of the world. Exploring memory as a form of resistance and empowerment, empathy and solidarity, their work combines the past, present and future with poetry, experimenting with the timelessness of certain symbols, intercultural gestures, globalisation and technologies.

Residue Hanna Paniutsich

Hanna during her residency Residue has explored the area of Craigentinny, a land once a moorland, an irrigated meadow and a common sewer system. The irrigation system concentrated around the production of grass for animal feed and was connected to the production of milk, where once the Fillyside Dairy was located. Around the time of the Second World War it was also a military camp, later demolished to make way for a golf course that currently occupies this area of land near to Edinburgh’s north eastern coast at Seafield.

Such a history of the land prompted Hanna to consider soil health and how contamination and fertility are connected. Measuring the electrical conductivity of soil – along with humidity and temperature data – is one of the vital parameters offering insights into soil health.

Her installation at Mote102 (May 2025) includes: Your Body and the Ground which measures the voltage potential difference between our bodies and the ground, using a copper plate connected to a patch of soil outside the gallery. This artwork explores the grounding properties of earth and the possibility of electricity to be discharged into the soil, something also explored in ‘electroculture’ gardening, where people use metal “antennae” and wires to draw ambient electricity into the soil for use as plant fertiliser.

Hanna Paniutsich is a multimedia artist and researcher based in Glasgow (b. Minsk, Belarus) whose practice is heavily informed by scientific research within the fields of ecology, chemistry, biology and emergent technologies. She navigates different bio materials, satellite imagery, data and coding languages to form a range of multimedia installations, moving image and written works. Recent projects have focussed on subjects of radioactivity, in particular the 30km exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, exploring radiation, pollution and contaminated ground.

Homelands left behind Henna Asikainen

Within her residency Henna met with a group of Syrian older women with farming backgrounds who had arrived in Scotland as refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. For those who had been forcibly displaced, the concept of fallow land carried profound resonances. Their longing was woven into stories of home, livestock, orchards and olive trees destroyed, and their own lands, now far away from the soil they once tilled. Fallow land suggests an eventual return, a season of restoration. But what if return is denied? Homeland, not abandoned by choice, but rendered untended by forced exile – existing in a state of suspended potential in the minds of those displaced. Like a fallow field, not barren but waiting – could a homeland held in memory still hold the possibility of renewal? And if leaving land fallow is an act of restoration, then what is being restored—the land itself, or the people who still carry it within them?

Henna’s installation at Mote102 (May 2025) involves two works:
Roots and Soil – An uprooted young sycamore tree, displaced by commercial forest clearing. Its exposed roots carry traces of the soil it once held, embodying both loss and resilience. ‘Roots and Soil’ reflects on the fragile interdependence between land and life, inviting contemplation on what it means to be uprooted—both for the tree and for those whose lives are similarly disrupted by forces beyond their control.

We Lived from Our Cherry Orchards but They Are All Cut Down Now – A felled cherry tree stands as a silent witness to loss and resilience. Thin strips of red birch bark, inscribed with words from women who have experienced forced displacement, are hung from its branches—like echoes of voices… These inscriptions speak of orchards destroyed, land seized and abandoned, and livelihoods lost. Cherry, walnut, and pistachio trees once flourished, sustaining communities now uprooted. Yet amidst the loss and ravaged landscape there is space for hope and renewal—the land, though scarred, waits patiently…

Henna Asikainen is a multidisciplinary, socially engaged artist, whose work questions human relationships with nature, and the complex social and ecological issues that emerge. Many of Asikainen’s recent projects have been built around communal experiences within different landscapes and have examined issues including migration, climate justice and unequal access to nature. Her work consistently advocates for a philosophy of friendship and radical hospitality.

Associated writings

Exhibition Review by Maria Howard @Corridor 8

Journal Publication: Fallow Land, priced £5

Read more about the four residencies together with articles from curator Rosy Naylor, writer Tom Jeffreys, coastal specialist Larissa Naylor and researcher Anna-Katharina Laboissière in our latest journal publication:
Issue 3: Fallow Land.

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In early September 2024, during the Art Walk Porty festival, we engaged with the public through conversations along Portobello’s beach promenade and at the festival hub on the high street. Over the two weekends, we gathered input on future projects, inviting festival visitors to share their thoughts and experiences on their food-growing practices, food-sourcing behaviours, and what their ideal garden space would look like. This anecdotal feedback focused on three potential future projects that AWP has in mind: using traffic control planters as community vegetable-growing spaces, creating a community garden on disused shorefront land, and establishing a pollination corridor through Portobello using spaces to plant insect and pollinator friendly plants.

To facilitate these conversations, we prepared guided questions and activities such as drawing and post it notes. We built a solar dehydrator to spark interest and illustrate alternative methods for food preservation. These elements helped start conversations with passers-by on reducing food waste and encouraged people to consider the alternate possibilities of using preserved foods in different ways.

From the conversations and interactions we had from across the festival three key themes seem to emerge. These were: Community and Sharing, Environmental Concerns and Alternative Growing Practices.

Community and Sharing

Community and sharing were a core theme that came across, many conversations emphasised the social benefits of gardening and food sharing. One lady shared that she only began to grow vegetables during the first COVID-19 lockdown to reduce visits to the shops and become more self-reliant. But was surprised when it also led her to connect with her neighbours, she had lived on the same street for many years, but it was only when she started to grow food did she start to talk and exchange growing tips and sharing excess food, from this others on the street began to do the same thing. The act of growing food in the first place was the reason for creating a sense of community which has continued past covid. This sentiment was echoed by a number of people through the course of the festival and showed the effect that growing and gardening has on a community beyond the obvious. 

Children participating in the drawing activities shared that gardening had become a popular hobby during lockdown, and has remained a valued activity with their parents even after restrictions have been lifted. This link between growing and community support appeared to deepen bonds, as families commented on the social benefits of exchanging produce and gardening tips. Many people also referenced Art Walk Porty’s apple tree-growing project (The Neighbouring Orchard), I was struck by the amount of people that either knew of where apples were growing or had an apple tree themselves which demonstrates the awareness of the project in the community. One man, who had adopted an apple tree, highlighted how initiatives like this encourage community involvement and increase interest in locally grown food. 

Another festival attendee who was a wheelchair user, attended a talk by Edinburgh Shoreline on the beach using a wheelchair from Beach Wheelchairs and was excited to try one out for the first time. She returned multiple times throughout the two weekends, enjoying taking part in the workshops like fabric painting with Sherry Wang and the closing meal at the end of the festival.

Environmental Concerns

The future project which had the most interest was for a garden and community growing space on the seafront of Portobello, many residents felt it would create an accessible, shared community resource that connects with Portobello’s coastal identity. As the coastline plays such a big part of the identity of the town there was enthusiasm for regenerating disused land that had become neglected into a space which had benefit to the public. Interest in this project came up more frequently in the conversations we had following Larissa Naylor’s talk on shoreline resilience and the potential for green spaces to serve as sustainable drainage and flood defences against rising sea levels.

The most prominent environmental concern many people had was focused on pollution and environmental safety. Several people expressed concern about the idea of using traffic barriers as planters for growing vegetables, noting that exposure to car emissions and street pollution might make produce unsafe for eating. Air pollution was a recurring topic, reflecting a heightened community awareness of environmental health risks of Portobello High Street, there was however strong support for using plants in the traffic barriers to help mitigate some of these issues and soften the hard landscaping around it them.

A particularly memorable conversation was with someone who initially had concerns about plastic waste and packaging and how this impacted on our health, although this wasn’t a core focus of the festival. Through participating in mycelium workshop, which explored using mycelium as a material which could be used for packaging we were able to address their concerns and shift the conversation from initial scepticism to an open discussion about alternative, sustainable products and food growing. By the end, she was not only won over by the workshop but also interested in future Art Walk Projects’ events.

Alternative Growing Practices

The final theme, alternative growing practices, emerged primarily through the workshops and conversations around the solar dehydrator. The dehydrator itself served as a conversation starter, with many people expressing fascination and surprise at how dehydrating could sustainably extend the life of food through passive means. People seemed encouraged through the discussions and began to think of innovative ways to grow and preserve food in the future and a few people were interested in building a solar dehydrator themselves.

Artist Sherry Wang’s workshops also prompted conversations about using plants for purposes beyond food consumption. Her use of natural dyes made from plants introduced the idea of a “dye garden,” composed of plants cultivated not for food but for material production. These conversations highlighted participants’ interest in alternative uses for plants, with many sharing examples of plants they grow for non-edible purposes. This led people to suggest that potentially the shoreline growing space project could incorporate a section for plants used for other purposes than just eating.   

Reflecting on the feedback and conversations over the two festival weekends, it became clear that the wild garden on the seafront and expanded growing spaces was what people were most interest in seeing being developed in Portobello, especially given the beach’s accessibility and ongoing environmental concerns. Another insight was the evident impact of other Art Walk projects, like the apple tree initiative, which is well known within the town even among those not directly involved or know about the project but are aware of the amount of apple trees which shows the success of these past projects and shows the potential impact of future projects. 

Workshops and hands-on activities proved a useful way of starting and opening up broader discussions.

Overall, these conversations highlighted the community’s enthusiasm around shared environmental and social concerns. The festival offered a platform for learning and idea-sharing. Going forward, incorporating more structured activities to capture nuanced insights would enhance documentation and further inform Art Walk Porty’s future projects.

Written by Thrift Project Curatorial Engagement Assistant, Murray Morrant

Thrift was supported by a ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’: Community-led Research Award, provided by the RSE with the support of the Williamson Trust, and a community micro-grant from The University of Edinburgh.

Next Steps?

Following on from the input received during the Thrift conversations we are currently in the process of assessing best ways to create a new coastal garden as a nature based solution for Porty’s coast. Working with ecologists and responding to the feedback received, ideas are being developed for a medicinal shoreline garden at Seafield. We hope to have more info available early in 2025 including ways to get involved.

Additionally, The Wild Food Map begun at the Art Walk Hub during the festival proved to be a really popular way to map our local wild foods growing across many uncultivated commonground areas. We plan to create this shortly as an online resource that people can add to, to map wild plants growing across all seasons.

If you’re interested in getting involved in our new coastal garden project please email us at info@artwalkporty.co.uk – we hope to shortly arrange a meeting to take this forward.

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Scotland is home to >1500 species of lichen, more than 85% of the total species found in the UK, and is recognized for its clean air quality and abundance of lichens. Despite this prevalence, lichens are far less likely to be identified and surveyed by members of the public and citizen science initiatives than vascular plants. The interactive guide and walks seek to increase awareness around lichen biology and ecology, uncovering the environmental importance of lichen species.

Toby Mills – researcher based in Glasgow, currently studying at RBGE
Frances Lingard – creative technologist and researcher based in Glasgow, working with websites, games and CGI 
Finn Rabbitt Dove – digital artist and filmmaker based in Glasgow
Sam Della-Valle – artist who has created the illustrative map for this project 

The project is funded by Art Walk Projects (Paths for All – SCSP Award) and the British Lichen Society, with support from Rosy Naylor, Curator, Art Walk Projects, and Dr Rebecca Yahr Lichen Biodiversity Scientist at RBGE

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Mycography refers to creative processes of documenting fungi. This may encompass techniques such as drawing, recording, or other imaginative methods of rich description.

Participants were able to get involved in beginner mushroom identification, illustration, crafts and cultivation. The walks & workshops contributed to a collectively shaped chronicle of contemporary connections with local fungi.

Series co-curated by artist Johanna Koen & researcher Oona Dooley from Myceliart. Featuring facilitation by Sally Somerville-Woodiwis and Ruby Scott-Geddes, as well as workshops led by Edinburgh’s community mushroom farm and education project Rhyze Mushrooms.

An Introduction to Foraging for Medicinal Fungi (Nov 2023 to Sept 2024)

A series of walks were held exploring the rich variety of fungi present across a number of outskirt green space areas of Edinburgh, led by Myceliart organiser Johanna Koen and Rhyze Mushrooms.

Held across areas of Craigmillar, Craigentinny, Duddingston and Newhailes the walking workshops delved into the world of local medicinal fungi. A creative exploration developed covering the fascinating history of ethnomycology, a field of study that explores the relationship between fungi and humans. This involved recording medicinal fungi uses, with Rhyze Mushrooms demonstrating guerrilla mushroom cultivation of frequently-used medicinal species.

A number of the walks are detailed below.

This series of mycelial walks and workshops was commissioned by Art Walk Projects and forms part of our continuing Climate Cafe ‘In Hand with the Land’ series supported by Postcode Lottery and Awards for All.

The series culminated in an exhibition at the 2024 Art Walk Porty ‘UnderCurrent’ Festival including the production of e-zine produced by the participants.

14th January 2024 12:30-2.30pm

Newhailes Pilgrimage – Mapping a Fungi Forage

Join Myceliart organisers Johanna Koen and Oona Dooley on an upcoming pilgrimage to creatively document our winter mushroom encounters at Newhailes Estate. 

Join us on a walk to chronicle your winter fungi sightings. This is an opportunity to engage in radical mycography, the creative documentation of our mushroom encounters, as well as a chance to share our foraging experiences in and around Edinburgh. 

Inspired by both medieval pilgrimages and the radical mycology movement, this foraging walk sets out to question themes of self-transformation, linear progression, and predetermined destinations as we document our shared journey.

We will provide pens and paper. However, you can bring your preferred writing and drawing materials if you so desire.

All notes and drawings will contribute to a co-created record of our experiences, thoughts, sightings and feelings regarding fungi. Upon completion of the pilgrimage, a medieval souvenir awaits you.

10th February 2024 1-3pm

Fungi Paper Making – Lochend Park

Join Myceliart on an upcoming workshop to learn how to make paper out of bracket fungi. 

The session will start with a short guided walk through Lochend Park where we’ll discover fungi and first signs of spring. Subsequently, we will settle down at the picnic tables, where we will demonstrate the process of making paper from bracket fungi. 

Please note that this is a demonstrative session only, and the paper takes about a day to dry. If you wish to take some home, kindly bring a tea towel and folder for transport.

Any leftover paper made during this workshop will contribute to a co-created field studies guide– There will be opportunities for drawing and note-taking, so feel free to take a notebook

If you attended our previous workshop, you’re welcome to bring any drawings or notes from the last session to add to our collaborative field studies guide. 

Starting Location: Lochend Park, meet by the benches next to Playpark, Edinburgh EH7 6BP

Sat 9 March 2024 12.45–3pm

Foraging Journaling at The Field, Duddingston 

Join Myceliart for an upcoming nature journaling workshop with Ruby Scott-Geddes and Johanna Koen at the Field in Duddingston. Learn to identify spring plants and mushrooms through anatomy, context and sensory immersion. 

The session will start with a relaxed exploration around the area, collecting and observing what’s growing this time of year. After our walk we’ll look at some drawing techniques and sketch our finds with guidance and advice from Ruby and Johanna.

Images by Johanna Koen

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