Edinburgh Art Festival - Wind Pipes

Trinity Apse, atmospheric, inspiring, the only surviving remnant of the Gothic Trinity College Church, was founded as early as 1460 and used for their graduation ceremonies in the 1590s by Edinburgh University. But as with many of our historic buildings, beautiful as they may be, etched within the very annals of Scottish history, it was demolished in 1848 in the name of progress to make way for the construction of Waverley Station. Its only saving grace was that it was painstakingly dismantled, each piece of masonry carefully numbered, with the intention of re-building the church on an alternative site. But as with all best intentions, this did not happen. The plus side, however, was the reconstruction of the choir and one of the trancepts during the 1870s. Standing in Chalmers Close, just off the Royal Mile, this is now known as Trinity Apse.
Wind Pipes for Edinburgh, a commission for this year's Edinburgh Art Festival, is currently housed in this wonderful building. Created by talented artist and musician Sarah Kenchington, this amazing instrument sits proudly in Trinity Apse, drawing from its surroundings, innovative and organ-like in appearance. This truly inspirational work by Sarah has been fashioned from materials discarded by our throw away society. Fittings more commonly used by a plumber combine very effectively with organ pipes salvaged from scrap yards and snatched up from eBay to breathe life into her most ambitious project to date. Previous instruments from the skilled hands of Sarah have been purely for the artist alone to play, delightful musical mish-mash constructions utilising bicycle spokes, inner tubes from tractor tyres, and even long-forsaken typewriters. And yes, notes of one kind or another emit from all.
This is the first instrument created by Sarah designed to be played with others. And visitors to Trinity Apse are actively invited to "give it a go." Man the bellows - of which there are six - pump air into the pipes, and you are up and running. Push the levers, all marked with the corresponding notes for those of a musical disposition, colour-coded with tape for the more unsure, and listen. Simply stunning, definitely mind-blowing. I loved it. Could have stayed all afternoon piping away, as long as there was a strong arm to man the pumps!! Tubular Bells? Give me Wind Pipes any day. 

Anyone can play the Wind Pipes. A group of people can produce amazingly complex tunes. Individuals doing their own thing create sounds which echo hauntingly, resounding high into the ceiling of the Apse. An historic building, going hand in hand with a quirky organ rising from a collection of historic materials, a perfect combination. Make a point of going along and trying the Wind Pipes for yourself. There are concerts and workshops, the staff are incredibly helpful and informative, and all in all this is an experience not to be missed. You will enjoy it, your kids will love it, a fun way to create original music from a truly original instrument.