The creative challenge was to develop a concept that reflected Scotland and Edinburgh at the time of The Scottish Enlightenment, but in a modern context. We started looking at the architecture and design of the enlightenment period (circa 18c) and discovered the toile wallpapers that were popular at the time. To place in a modern context, who better to bring this to life than one of Scotland's finest design teams, Timorous Beasties, noted for their surreal and provocative textiles and wallpapers.
Controversial images of revellers urinating at the Greyfriar's Bobby fountain, homelessness, begging, and a traffic cone crowning the statue of the eminent Enlightenment philosopher, David Hume, provoked some reaction in conservative circles.
Featured on the cover of the Edingburgh International Festival programme, projected on to buildings, sets created in Jenners department store display windows, applied to taxis, made intot a film and applied to billboards across the city. The Edinburgh toile was part of the very fabric of the city.
