Artlink:
Human Threads

Human Threads is a large scale, multi-sensory exhibition curated by the Edinburgh based organisation Artlink and presented in partnership with Tramway. 

All images courtesy of Artlink.

 
 

The exhibition is the culmination of over 20 years collaboration with Cherry Road Learning Centre in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, where artist have explored ways to involve people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the creative process - through watching, listening and learning from the sensory detail that delights, and sharing these new ways of involving with those who care as well as those who are cared. 

A person lies down on a blue floor with a pattern that simulates water on it - they are in a dark blue jumpsuit, and there are patterns on the wall in the distance
A group of people stand in a room with light being beamed through a bottle with colourful water contained in it, which in turn casts a green pattern on the wall in front of it

“

It might seem so simple - a gentle brush on a face, a ball jiggling in a hand - these are all incredibly powerful moments of communication”

— Laura Spring, Artist

Human Threads is an interactive landscape of light, sound, touch, smell and performance.

From a huge silk sail which sways softly in a breeze, to a sculptural ramp that translates audio into vibrating pulses, a series of little worlds that dance with sound movement and smells, light and texture projected through a magnifying water lens, and a playful tower emitting light, smoke and bubbles - each installation within this gentle fairground offers an ever-changing and immersive encounter.

The  artworks also serve as a backdrop for different Human Threads programmed events, each designed to exaggerate a sensory aspect of the artwork or add an element of the unexpected.

A person stands in front of a wall casting a shadow with their hand
A group of dancers stand amongst an audience - they are in colourful dresses

“It is very necessary to be open to changing perception, connecting to different forms of creativity that will make us all feel good, better on the inside; more alive, kinder, compassionate, and full of empathy. More able to be in this together.”

— Laura Aldridge, Participating Artist

Human Threads was developed with and informed by the sensory interests and preferences of a small group of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

The artists who partnered with them rendered and amplified sensibilities in these pieces to create open and interactive artworks that engage a variety of senses and experience.

These works aim to expand our perceptions of what an artwork might be, and what we can learn from each other when we share and take time to be together, value our differences, and support one another.

The exhibition is dedicated to the people who didn’t make it through the pandemic, to the people who couldn’t leave their homes, who lost all their supports. And to the carers who struggled to cope. 

A man stands in front of a large gong-style drum as though he is about to hit it to make a sound - it's in a row of three drums, in a white room with high ceilings and bean bags on the floor
An artist holds a leaf in front of a light which casts its shadow on the wall - three people watch her do this (a man, a woman, and a small child)

“In the end it’s not about what you are or even who you are. It’s about what we are together. That’s what’s important. The fact that we all need each other, that we need positive relationships, and it’s this that makes us human.”

— Liz Davidson, Cherry Road Learning Centre

Learn more about Human Threads on the Artlink website.

Learn more about the impact of art and creativity on community.