Living Spaces is a public art project commissioned by Places for People Scotland to transform vandalism hotspots with photographers’ artwork.

The local initiative began with Places for People Scotland identifying sites of vandalism within residential communities, and exploring creative solutions to this ongoing problem for their Edinburgh customers. Working with local photographers, the project team consulted residents on which images should be installed via an anonymous vote. The images vary from moments of calm within the natural world, to colourful snapshots of interior and exterior life around the city. The artwork was installed across the city on World Photography Day - Monday 19 August 2024 - during the dynamism of Edinburgh’s ‘festival season’.

Living Spaces seeks to transform previously overlooked parts of the urban fabric, celebrate the permanent residents of Scotland’s capital city, and provide a platform for the local artists using photography to capture it. A smaller scale version of featured artwork was exhibited by AGITATE at 6 William Street in August 2024 to welcome international visitors and stake a claim in the city’s creative output year-round.