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The Centre for Creative and Cultural Development PO Box 3101 ~ West Hobart~ Tasmania~ 7000
neilcameron@netspace.net.au

I have heard the news that the sculpture by Jimmy Boyle that I was instrumental in facilitating in Craigmillar is being destroyed. Perhaps some history of the structure might help in halting this travesty.
It was an enormous and significant project for the people of Craigmillar and one that has remained an icon to their identity. The idea that people living in deprived communities could help themselves, given proper resources, was a very controversial idea and it still is. However Craigmillar led the way with a large scale initiative sponsored by the European Community which made significant headway in proving that Scottish people were absolutely able to help themselves and reverse the cycles of poverty and its attendant ills. Craigmillar was a radical movement which gave clues to many organisations around Scotland that have used this model for rejuvenation. I feel the progress made in Glasgow for example came from the Craigmillar experiment.
Without going into details the arts component of the Common Market program employed thirty five people and made significant inroads culturally especially with young people and children. Gulliver was a project that integrated local cultural expression and employment of young people with the needs of children. Gulliver was built by groups of local people and professional artists and trade people. It is not just a play structure built by some subcontractor but a cultural expression of the local people feelings of hope and change.
One cannot help but get the feeling that if this cultural structure was made by people from more privileged backgrounds and had emerged from the ‘arts community’ there would be an uproar even by the suggestion that a cultural Scottish icon be destroyed.
I hope that the significance of the structure can be realised and its maintenance and upkeep guaranteed.

Director: Neil Cameron