Collective opens new programme inspired by the original panorama invented on Calton Hill
Today, Collective is delighted to announce and open a new programme, Panorama: New Views of a City, running from Wednesday 9 July to Sunday 21 December 2025.
Article Source: Collective
Last Updated: 9 July 2025 13:59
Inspired by the work of Irish artist Robert Barker (1739–1806) – credited as inventor of the panorama – the programme invites artists and audiences to explore new ways of seeing the city of Edinburgh and our surroundings.
Barker’s Panorama of Edinburgh from Calton Hill was made in 1788, capturing a 360-degree view of the city and surrounding landscape in a continuous image. The original drawings were created from Observatory House – the oldest building on what is now Collective’s site – marking Calton Hill’s early role in science, astronomy and timekeeping, as well as a place for art and close observation.
Two centuries on, Collective responds to this legacy with the Panorama programme by inviting artists to respond to the site’s histories and present contexts. The Hillside Gallery will serve as a hub for reading, research, public events and activities. At its centre is a new large-scale reproduction of the 1792 aquatint of the panorama, offering a detailed view of the late 18th century cityscape.
Visitors are encouraged to explore the panorama installation and to visit the gallery’s reading area, featuring materials on the history of panoramas, and Calton Hill. The space also invites visitors to engage with videos and audio guides, developed in collaboration with artists and historians focussing on the layered histories of Calton Hill. A series of public events including talks, walks and workshops will accompany the programme.
Artist Residencies
Collective looks forward to welcoming two artists to undertake short residencies over late summer and autumn responding to the themes of the Panorama and resulting in public events.
The first resident will be Lucas Priest. Priest is the founder of the School of Pedestrian Culture – a mock-institution designed to disorient how we encounter space and place across Scotland’s central belt. The School of Pedestrian Culture will be developing a new game in response to the first ever panoramic image. Adventurous participants will contribute towards a collective image making process through a series of walking scores and movements.
Amanda Thomson will begin her residency in Autumn 2025. Her work centres around nature and our place within it, bringing fresh perspectives to our relationship with the hill and the city, considering all kinds of movements, migration and change over time.
Play Camp Weekend: Parallel Panorama Universe
On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 July, Collective will host a special Play Weekend led by artist Frieda Ford. Inspired by the panorama, primary-aged children will imagine and create a playful, parallel version of Edinburgh – complete with costumes and invented landmarks! The children’s artwork will be displayed in the Hillside Gallery until 3 August.
The Panorama programme continues until 21 December 2025, with artist updates and event listings available at the gallery and on Collective’s website.
Director of Collective, Sorcha Carey added:
“We are so pleased to be presenting a reproduction of the original panorama image back in its home on Calton Hill, offering a chance for visitors and artists alike to see the city of Edinburgh in a new light.
We hope the invited artists will feel inspired by our unique history and context – bringing together our role as a contemporary art gallery and custodians of the old City Observatory complex.”
For more information about Collective and the programme visit: https://www.collective-edinburgh.art/
Image credit: Paul Andrews
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