Bee Asha, the spoken word artist and musician, has announced a new multi-art project which aims to grapple with themes of gentrification in Leith. Combining music, poetry, photography, filmmaking and live performances, What A Beautiful Place To Fall Over is both a celebration of Leith while shedding light on the complexity of gentrification for local businesses and communities in this famously diverse Edinburgh borough. 

Central to the project is a new live album featuring six tracks written in collaboration with Leith creatives. Each performance on the album will take place in locations that have become cornerstones of the area’s culture, with artists Night Caller, Queen Of Harps, Mike Allan, Lou McLean and Subie Coleman penning tracks alongside Asha. 

While the full roster of venues is yet to be confirmed, Leith Laundrette, Adeel Phone Repairs, Settlement Projects and Shore Deli have all signed up to take part. Each performance will be recorded live, filmed and released online, accompanied by a 20-minute short documentary that traces the story of each business and its owner. A lyric book illustrated by graphic designer Bernie Reid and local photographer Cameron Rennie will also help document the project. 

Discussing her reasoning behind the project, Asha said: ‘I couldn't ignore the rapid changes transforming the Leith I knew from my childhood. I realised that I wanted to document its story before it was too late.’

When we spoke with Bee Asha in 2024 about her album Gitika and the Spit It Out festival, she told us: ‘I still struggle with the financial side of things. Coming from a background where not everyone was included (because of a multitude of barriers, financial being one of them), we wanted people to feel welcome, to come along no matter.’ Read the full interview here. 

Main picture: Cameron Rennie