Tales from the Gallery buried for future generations to discover

15 December 2016

Fibre optic lights, photos and an Aberdeen Forever tartan neck tie were just some of the things buried in a time capsule at Aberdeen Art Gallery today (December 15).

Aberdeen City Council Leader Councillor Jenny Laing and Aberdeen Lord Provost George Adam buried the collection of items for future generations of Aberdonians to find.

The objects were selected by Aberdeen Art Gallery staff, each to represent one month of 2015, the year the £30m Inspiring Art and Music redevelopment of the Art Gallery, Cowdray Hall and the Remembrance Hall began on site.

A plaque will also be put in place to mark the building’s transformation once the construction is completed.

Aberdeen City Council Leader Councillor Jenny Laing said: “This time capsule has been interred to mark the most significant change to Aberdeen’s cultural scene since the Art Gallery opened in 1885.

“We hope that through these items, future generations will appreciate the commitment made by the Council, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and all those who have donated to create a lasting cultural legacy for the city.

“There is still time to donate to the transformation – remember it’s your gallery.”

Included in the capsule - which was buried under the stairwell – were a whole range of items including pictures from the popular closing events at the Art Gallery in 2015 and of Gallery staff, a piece of plasterwork taken from the wall of the old Gallery Shop, fundraising campaign publicity materials and an Art Gallery mug which was given to all staff to mark the closure and the decant of thousands of treasures from the Art Gallery in preparation for the start of building work.

The items were wrapped in archival material and stored in a secure container so that it will be safely preserved for posterity.

Aberdeen Lord Provost George Adam said: “It is an honour to mark such a fantastic redevelopment project which will be proudly able to display our city’s incredible collection of artwork.

“The project sends out a strong message that Aberdeen values its cultural capital as much as it does its economic wealth and is using modern ways of bringing new audiences and visitors into the world of art and music.

“I’m sure by the time these items are discovered, the true value of the Inspiring Art and Music redevelopment will be already be deeply appreciated by future generations of Aberdeen.”