Street Texts

Highland graffiti and design duo DUFI (Al MacInnes and Fin Macrae) contributed to Imagining the Centre when they worked in collaboration with playwright Sophie McCook. Their ‘One Day Revolution’ included a giant banner being unveiled by abseilers, speaking statues, massed ranks of youth protesting ‘tea and cake’ and a Soviet-style mural depicting local heroine Flora MacDonald. Following these and other recent successes, DUFI were commissioned by IOTA to adapt its graffiti stencil style to a permanent project within the Old Town streetscape. Street Texts sees 25 inscriptions on the theme of water appearing in the newly laid paving. Many of the texts have been sourced from local writers, poets and musicians and each is cleverly placed creating a fascinating resonance with a local landmark nearby.

The centrepiece of Street Texts is a gulley feature on Baron Taylor’s Street. Bespoke cast-iron grates poetically highlight the diverse forms of precipitation that fall on the city before percolating down the drains. This project has involved a lively collaboration with the children of Cauldeen Primary School and local musician, Andrew Howie.