Edinburgh Printmakers Entrance Gates
The Edinburgh Printmakers Entrance Gates are a permanent public art commission created by artist Rachel Duckhouse for the newly redeveloped Castle Mills site, which reopened in 2019 as the organisation's expanded printmaking and studio facility. The project comprises three sets of bi-folding entrance gates, fabricated in galvanised, powder-coated steel.
Duckhouse's design is rooted in extensive research into the history of the North British Rubber Company, whose former factory once occupied the Castle Mills site. She explored archives containing printed materials from the 1920s–1970s, revealing industrial processes involving large rolling machinery. These cylindrical forms resonated strongly with traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques, including rollers used in intaglio, relief, and lithographic printing. This interplay between past industry and present creative practice informs the visual language of the gates.
The final artworks translate these themes into a flowing, repeat-pattern structure that echoes the movement and rhythm of both manufacturing and printmaking. Fabrication and installation were carried out by Sculpture & Design, ensuring the large-scale steel structures met the functional and aesthetic demands of the site. The commission was supported by The Ironmongers' Company and forms part of Edinburgh Printmakers' wider programme of permanent public realm artworks.
Duckhouse's design is rooted in extensive research into the history of the North British Rubber Company, whose former factory once occupied the Castle Mills site. She explored archives containing printed materials from the 1920s–1970s, revealing industrial processes involving large rolling machinery. These cylindrical forms resonated strongly with traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques, including rollers used in intaglio, relief, and lithographic printing. This interplay between past industry and present creative practice informs the visual language of the gates.
The final artworks translate these themes into a flowing, repeat-pattern structure that echoes the movement and rhythm of both manufacturing and printmaking. Fabrication and installation were carried out by Sculpture & Design, ensuring the large-scale steel structures met the functional and aesthetic demands of the site. The commission was supported by The Ironmongers' Company and forms part of Edinburgh Printmakers' wider programme of permanent public realm artworks.
