March 28, 2024
The first full Hidden Door Festival took place in March 2014, when the then-disused Market Street vaults in Edinburgh were transformed into gallery and performance spaces, playing host to a nine-day celebration.
Described as ‘an artist-led project that brings the old historic city to life with new ideas, and fresh vision using a space which has hitherto been ignored’ – the ethos that remains at the heart of Hidden Door – the 2014 festival was conceived and produced by the original 2010 collective, plus an expanded volunteer team, allowing the group to showcase their combined creative vision at scale.
Hidden Door 2014 was based around the theme of Regeneration, explored in different ways by the contributors, and offering attendees access to 50 live music acts, work created by 80 visual artists, 40 filmmakers and 30 poets and performers, 20 animators, as well as two bars, a theatre and a cinema.
Housed in 24 vaults, the venue lent itself to the creation of unique multi-arts experiences, as attendees stepped through doorways and pulled back thick velvet curtains to step into the individual spaces.
One space, curated by Rachel McBrinn and Alison Piper, featured a video installation and a floor filled with water, which created the illusion of a cylindrical space; the vault becoming a tunnel leading nowhere, or to infinite places.
Another vault housed new sculpture and print by Bronwen Sleigh, inspired by industrial and modern architecture, while another included installations made of light and glass, transforming the space into an intimate live music venue.
Some artists worked with the fabric and physical boundaries of the vaults, while others challenged the parameters, creating spaces that utilised and played with light, dark and illusion.
As with future events, the festival focused on showcasing local creative talent, with David Martin, the creative director in 2014, saying: “I wanted to create a festival made by Edinburgh, for Edinburgh, and invite talented individuals and acts from all over to come and join in with what we are doing.”
As well as the indoor spaces, the street area around the vaults was transformed into a welcoming area, which included food vans, artwork and outdoor performances.
When lit up at night, the site was visible from lots of vantage points in Edinburgh city centre, which added to the sense that something really special was taking place.
For several of the artists and creators who were part of this festival, 2014 marked the start of a longstanding connection with Hidden Door. Many of the contributors, including Miriam Mallalieu and Jill Martin Boualaxai, have been part of subsequent festivals, and their contributions will be explored more as our series of retrospectives continues.
To find out what where we went next, stay tuned for our 2015 retrospective coming soon…
Images: Chris Scott. Words by Lynn.