Loïs Cordelia

‘Edinburgh was fundamental at a very formative period of my life, for my education, obviously, but also as the location of an intense spiritual journey and the beginning of my artistic career. It nurtured me in so many wonderful ways. It was so welcoming – that always took me by surprise, just how welcoming and open the people were.

I made a lot of lifelong friends in Edinburgh. One in particular, Sofia, was this whirlwind energy, very spontaneous and wild and free-spirited. At the time, I was very quiet and conscientiously devoted to my studies. She would blast in and drag me out and around Edinburgh, and suddenly I began to be opened up to what an incredible place it was. She would take me to little Turkish cafes with tiny mezzanines, and we would sit on cushions on the floor and talk for hours.

One of my favourite places in Edinburgh is Mr Wood’s Fossils. Sofia introduced me, obviously. She said, “You must come see this wonderful shop!” They had an intense array of rocks of fossils. One that really captured my imagination was this exquisitely beautiful ammonite which had been polished so you could see every intricate detail of the internal structure, this golden spiral of classical proportions, coiled up energy. I told Sofia about it afterwards, and she said, “Maybe it’s calling you back! You should go and get it!” and I did. I’ve still got it, to this day.’

Loïs Cordelia

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