Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse 22 March – 22 September 2024
Reopening under its new name of The King’s Gallery, the art gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse relaunches its exhibition programme with Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, exploring life in 18th-century Britain through the fashions of the day.
It will be the 40th exhibition to be held in the Gallery since it opened in 2002 and the first in 18 months while the Gallery underwent essential maintenance works. A new scheme of £1 tickets, available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits, will launch with the opening of the exhibition.
Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians will bring together almost 100 works from the Royal Collection, including paintings, prints and drawings by artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, William Hogarth and their contemporaries.
At the heart of the exhibition will bea selection ofsurviving period clothing and accessories, alongside paintings showing comparable items. Together, these works will build up a layer-by-layer picture of what the Georgians wore – from the functional dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns suitable for court – between the accession of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830.
After a successful run in London, new additions have been made with distinctly Scottish links. These include two depictions of George IV by Fife-born artist Sir David Wilkie, painted to mark the first visit by a reigning monarch to Scotland in almost 200 years.
In the largest of these, the King stands proud in full Highland dress of Royal Stewart tartan, making a statement of unity with the monarch portrayed as heir to both the Hanoverians and the Jacobites following over a century of conflict. Also on display is a portrait by Louis Gabriel Blanchet of Bonnie Prince Charlie, showing the Jacobite leader as a defiant prince.
The 18th century was a period of discovery, with new inventions influencing fashion accessories. Imagery on fans – which could be revealed and concealed – gave women an opportunity to participate in topical conversations from which they might otherwise be excluded.
A French fan from 1783 depicts the second successful manned flight of a hot air balloon with a central vignette showing the balloon flying above Paris – to the delight of elegantly dressed crowds below.
Other accessories on display will include a miniature of Queen Charlotte, rings from her famed jewellery collection and jewel-encrusted snuffboxes.
From the introduction of military uniforms to the evolution of childrenswear and developments in haircare, and with notable loans from Historic Royal Palaces, the Fashion Museum Bath, The Bowes Museum, and The School of Historical Dress, this exhibition will explore what fashion can tell us about all areas of life in Georgian Britain.
As part of Royal Collection Trust’s charitable aim to ensure that as many people as possible can access and enjoy the Collection, the organisation is proud to launch a new scheme of £1 tickets for the exhibition, available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits.
In addition to £1 tickets, The King’s Gallery will continue to offer a range of concessionary rates, while visitors who purchase standard tickets directly from Royal Collection Trust can convert them into a 1-Year Pass, allowing free re-entry for 12 months.
Anna Reynolds, curator of Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians, said: ‘Clothing and historical fashion can tell us an enormous amount about life in the Georgian period.
“It was a time of rapid change, including particularly momentous events in Scotland with attempts to restore the Stuart line to the throne and George IV’s visit north of the border – the first by a reigning monarch in almost 200 years.
“We are delighted to be launching accessible tickets with the opening of this exhibition, allowing more people than ever to learn about this exciting period in our history.’
Catriona Faint will play the lead role of Katherine in the latest instalment in Rona Munro’s renowned James Plays, with the cast also featuring Sean Conor, Benjamin Osugo, and Alyth Ross.
Directed by Orla O’Loughlin, the new production will have its world premiere in Edinburgh before touring venues across Scotland, from the Highlands to the Borders, from April 2024
Creative team for the production will include Designer Becky Minto, Composer/Sound Designer Danny Krass, and Lighting Designer Derek Anderson.
A Raw Material and Capital Theatres co-production, James V: Katherine will continue Rona Munro’s celebrated James Plays theatrical series when it premieres next month.
Employing the same vivid historical storytelling of the previous instalments, set during the reigns of Scotland’s generations of Stewart kings.
James V: Katherine places a lesser-known female historical figure front and centre in the story, with an intimate and up-close performance with focussed, raw and beautiful storytelling, directed by Orla O’Loughlin (Enough of Him,What Girls Are Made Of, Mouthpiece).
Katherine Hamilton is nineteen. She‘s a respectable young married woman, but she also has a secret love she’s trying to forget. When her brother, Patrick, is executed for preaching ideas forbidden by the church, Katherine is also put on trial for her life. In a packed courtroom, watched by most of Edinburgh and the cynical, young King James V, Katherine fights for survival, using her intelligence and wit.
This play is based on real historical figures and is a dramatic interpretation of key events at the very start of the Scottish Reformation, events that did happen and did change Scotland forever. It is also a love story.
The role of Katherine will be played by Catriona Faint, whose recent stage credits have included the UK-wide tour of Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning and the award-winning Enough of Him, both with the National Theatre of Scotland. The production’s ensemble cast will also include Sean Conor (River City,Moorcroft), Benjamin Osugo (A Christmas Carol, The Bookies – Dundee Rep), and Alyth Ross who will make her professional stage debut in the production.
The production will be brought to life by a creative team including Designer Becky Minto, Composer / Sound Designer Danny Krass, and Lighting Designer Derek Anderson.
James V: Katherine will premiere in Capital Theatres’ The Studio in Edinburgh, before embarking on a tour of Scottish venues with stops in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Tobermory, Inverness, Dunoon, Dunkeld, St Andrews, Stirling, Peebles and Melrose.
The event is being held at Edinburgh Napier University next month
Helping brands to become more conscientious amid a complex ethical landscape will be the focus of a forum being held by Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) – which will coincide with a major business event coming to the city for the first time.
The series of discussions are being held in collaboration with international think tank the Medinge Group, which organises the 17th Global Brand Conference being in the capital during the same week.
The title of the event was inspired by Pat Barker’s 1991 historical novel Regeneration, which tells the experience of British army officers being treated for shell shock during World War I at Craiglockhart War Hospital, which is now ENU’s Craiglockhart Campus.
Speakers at the forum will include representatives from Medinge, drinks firm Edrington, finance giant Rabobank and environmental organisation Zero Waste Scotland – as well as leader of Dundee City Council John Alexander. Discussions will range from ethical brand leadership, to developing sustainable, long-term returns.
Researchers from ENU will be among the academics bringing research expertise to the event.
Nathalia Tjandra, Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School said: “We are very excited to host this interactive forum, at our Craiglockhart Campus.
“We hope it will facilitate meaningful debates and discussions with successful figures about the challenges and opportunities of leading with conscience.
“Conscientious leadership is needed to build a successful organisation and at the same time contribute to society and the planet.
“Every action taken by an organisation will have an impact on its stakeholders and society – the important question is how we balance competing stakeholder demands and deal with moral dilemmas.
“We hope that our event will inspire leaders across Scotland to lead with conscience, act responsibly and build a sustainable future for all.”
A health expert has issued a warning to people not to save unused antibiotics at home to take later at their own discretion – as this risks more harm than good.
As concerns over antibiotic resistant infections grow, an expert from Healthcare Improvement Scotland has urged people to avoid using antibiotics they may have saved up at home, as their overuse presents a serious threat to the future of healthcare.
Professor Andrew Seaton, Chair of the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG), part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “We know that many people have antibiotics at home which they or another family member have been previously prescribed and there can be a temptation, when feeling unwell, to use them.
“However, it’s quite likely, at times when chest and throat infections are common, that infection will be caused by one of the many circulating viruses rather than by an infection that requires an antibiotic.
“Antibiotics will not speed up recovery from a viral illness and they may cause unwanted effects including stomach upset. Critically, future infections may be more difficult to treat because overuse of antibiotics drives the development of antibiotic resistance.”
Using antibiotics that have been lying around the house for a while means they may also have expired. Once the expiration date of a medicine has passed there’s no guarantee that it will be either safe or effective.
A survey of 2000 people in 2022 found that one in three people said they had taken expired medicines and almost a third of these said they had taken medicines that were not meant for them.
The most common reason for an antibiotic prescription is for respiratory tract infections eg infections of the throat, ear or chest.
Professor Seaton, an infectious diseases consultant in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, explained: “Although we are making progress in getting across the importance of not overusing antibiotics, we know that the pandemic has had a significant impact on our healthcare system including the way in which people access healthcare advice.
“We think this has at least contributed to an increase in the use of antibiotics. Work is still needed to protect our population from the very real threat of antibiotic resistant infections and to help preserve our precious antibiotics for future generations as well as for those who need them most now.”
Professor Seaton has also highlighted the importance of safe disposal of unused medicines. He said: “Antibiotics don’t only act on germs inside of us, but also act on the many germs living in soil and water and we know that antibiotic resistance in the environment has important consequences for plant, animal and human health.
“It’s essential therefore that we avoid environmental contamination by not disposing of antibiotics in household waste for landfill or flush them down the toilet. Safe disposal of unused antibiotics will reduce the environmental impact and help protect our planet.”
Global analysis of more than 200 countries in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, estimated that infections due to antibiotic resistance are now a leading cause of death worldwide, higher even than HIV/AIDS or malaria.
More than one million deaths are estimated to occur annually as a direct result of antibiotic resistant infections due to common, previously treatable infections such as pneumonia and bloodstream infections.
In a bid to encourage people to safely dispose of unused antibiotics, pharmacies throughout Scotland are offering an ‘amnesty’ where people can return medicines to them to be safely disposed of.
Professor Seaton said: “For the majority of people who are feeling unwell with a cough, cold or sore throat, symptoms will settle with simple measures including rest, increasing fluid intake and careful use of pain killers like paracetamol.“
There is a useful check list which people can go through on the NHS 24 website to decide if further advice is needed Cough | NHS 24 .
Professor Seaton added: “For people with known serious underlying health conditions or for those where symptoms are not settling within a few days or are worsening it is advisable to take advice from NHS 24, their pharmacist or GP.”
Police Scotland investigations have resulted in 43 offenders being sentenced to a total of 272 years in prison since 1 April 2023.
The 43 perpetrators were convicted of a total of 364 domestic abuse offences following work by the service’s national Domestic Abuse Taskforce.
Their sentences included non-harassment orders (NHOs) totalling 1119 years, including 21 indefinite NHOs, while four abusers were given orders of lifelong restriction.
A total of 139 victims were identified.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sam Faulds, Head of Public Protection, Police Scotland, said: “These are significant outcomes for victims, the result of that first step taken to tell someone, an officer or a support worker, of the abuse they have suffered.
“Our Domestic Abuse Taskforce takes on the most complex, challenging and sensitive enquiries often involving multiple victims who have suffered years of abuse, whether physical, sexual, emotional and financial.
“We understand how difficult it can be for people to report abuse, to revisit a painful past. It is really important people understand that they are not alone, help is available.
“Society is changing. Domestic abuse in all its forms is now recognised and not ignored. Ultimately, we are working, with partners, to prevent domestic abuse, and to reduce the harm it causes.
“Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for Police Scotland. Every officer is trained to deal with domestic incidents, and to identify the full range of abuse that offenders use to control, coerce and instil fear in victims.
“If you are a victim of domestic abuse, or are concerned that someone you know is a victim, then please report to Police Scotland or through one of our partner agencies. We will take action and we will investigate.”
Officers in Scotland attend nearly 65,000 domestic abuse calls a year, a call every eight minutes on average. Around 42% of these will result in a crime being recorded.
‘a thousand words’ commissioned by Scottish Womens Aid and Zero Tolerance. Copyright Laura Dodsworth
Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Taskforce deals with the most complex domestic abuse investigations, often involving long term offending against multiple victims.
According to the latest quarterly performance data (quarter three, April to December 2023), 46,195 domestic incidents were reported to the police and 26,300 crimes were recorded.
Recorded domestic crimes are down 5.1% (1,399 crimes) compared to the same period last year, and down 8.7% (2,511 crimes) compared to the five-year mean.
Reports of domestic incidents had increased by 2.0% (892 incidents) compared to last year.
Of the crimes recorded, 1505 were recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, a 13.2% increase (175 crimes) on the previous year.
Requests to the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland (DSDAS) increased by 23.5% overall compared to the same period last year.
Creative Informatics events at Edinburgh Science Festival
Creative Informatics, the research and development programme established to bring together Edinburgh’s world-class creative industries and tech sector, has partnered with Edinburgh Science Festival to celebrate the end of its funded programme and showcase the brilliantly wide-ranging community that has been built.
Since 2018, Creative Informatics has supported individuals and organisations working in the creative industries in Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland to do inspiring things with data and digital technologies.
Events and activities inspired by the project come together in a festival programme packed with creative experiences, demonstrations, and debates at the National Museum of Scotland and Summerhall.
A new interactive exhibition ‘Unleashing the Power of Data’ runs throughout the two weeks of the festival at the National Museum of Scotland, and showcases some of the incredible artworks, objects, and innovations developed by Creative Informatics community. VR and AI tools combine with light, sound, and music across a series of immersive installations.
Exhibits include a VR obstacle course through digital landscapes traversing forests, valleys and cliffs from game designers Bear Hammer; a collaborative music making app that transforms phones into magic wands, allowing audiences to make music together in real time, created by Ray Interactive; an interactive light-box from artist Dominka Jackowska combining art, sound, and animation allowing users to manipulate sounds through drawing and movement; an AI-driven, Lego-powered DJ centre which allows visitors to create their own music using building-blocks, designed by Playable Technology; data-inspired art and sculpture from artists Rebecca Kaye, Mella Shaw, Caitlin Macdonald and Inge Panneels; and a digital exploration into Edinburgh’s fabled ‘lost’ Empire Palace Theatre.
Other events include ‘Creative AI for Creative Work’, a talk at the National Museum of Scotland exploring the burgeoning world of AI and its positive potential for use across the creative sectors, as Chair Frauke Zeller – Professor of Human-Computer Interaction and Creative Informatics at Napier University – is joined by creative professionals working with AI to enhance their projects – from developing playful innovations to creating new revenue streams for sound and audio production.
Lastly, experience why Scotland has a global reputation in the video game, film and TV industries at Let’s Play, a data-driven evening for adult audiences at Summerhall, part of the festival’s ‘Nights Out’ programme. This playful evening features interactive experiences, short talks from industry creatives and researchers, and AI-generated beats creating a live soundtrack to the event.
Festival-goers are invited to immerse themselves in a new world of data-driven inspiration and discover more about the programme behind the creative innovations.
Creative Informatics is led by director Melissa Terras, Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Edinburgh’s Design Informatics in Edinburgh College of Art, and since 2018, has supported creative professionals in Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland to develop new and innovative work by providing funding and development opportunities that explore how data can drive ground-breaking new products, business, and experiences.
Over the last five years the programme has engaged with almost 3000 businesses and individuals, with 683 benefitting from training and new skills programmes, and 136 SMEs supported to explore data-driven business opportunities.
This work has sustained 429 jobs and created 210 new products, services, and experiences, in turn generating over £7.5 million in further funding and investment. As the funded programme draws to a close, Creative Informatics now looks to the future and legacy support for the community created in the past five years.
Professor Melissa Terras, Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage at the University of Edinburgh:‘We’re really excited to be celebrating the achievements of the Creative Informatics programme at this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival.
“Our events have been specially curated to highlight some of the extraordinary work developed through our programme – from innovations in gaming and audio production to artistic creations that push the boundaries of how we think, feel and interact with the world around us.
“These events and exhibits showcase the incredible Creative Informatics community that has been built over the last five years, whose practice, products and networks will form a lasting and supportive legacy for creative professionals across Edinburgh and South East Scotland’.
Creative Informatics is a partnership across four organisations: the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, Codebase and Creative Edinburgh, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Department of Culture, Media & Sport, the Data Driven Innovation programme and the Scottish Funding Council.
Creative Informatics: Unleashing the Power of Data | Hawthornden Court, National Museum of Scotland | 30 March – 7 April
Explore some of the innovative products, new experiences and groundbreaking creative work that has been developed through funding and support from Edinburgh’s Creative Informatics programme.
As the innovation programme draws to a close, this interactive showcase celebrates the achievements of its creative community. Stop by to experience virtual reality worlds, discover new data-driven artworks and use building blocks to create your own music.
Exhibitors
Bear Hammer | Venture’s Gauntlet | Explore vast and stunning environments such as open highlands, caves, cliff edges and a castle; each jam-packed with its own unique puzzles and challenges.
Dominika Jackowska | Interactive Light Box | Interactive, fun, and playful electronic installation for an audience of all ages, combining drawing, sound, and animation.
Ray Interactive | IMP | IMP is a fun, interactive, collaborative music making app that transforms phones into magic wands, allowing you to make music with your friends. Simply scan the QR code and you get to control a layer of sound and create music together.
Tinderbox | Tinderbox Games Club Expo | Using different forms of technology to make games. Together we play, research and make games, as well as design our own artwork, audio & code needed for them.
Ice Cream at the Interval | Reimagining the Empire Palace | A combination of physical modelling and digital innovation to explore and reimagine Edinburgh’s ‘Lost’ Empire Palace Theatre
Yaldi Games | Wholesome Out and About | A factual life simulator that broadens your horizons. Learn about foraging, healthy cooking & creative crafts while playing and then recreate them in real life
Mahsa Nikoufar | Creative Gradient | Creative Gradient uses GIS geospatial data and Python programming to turn raw data into contemporary pixel art, communicating the use of data to different age groups in fun and colourful ways.
Kate Ives | To the Core | To the core is a tactile Jesmonite sculpture carved with geometric patterns that reflet data relating to the decline of native British species and explores what we can do to support biodiversity in our communities
Ailie Finlay | My Kind of Book | Creative ways to ensure that children with complex additional needs, including PMLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities) have books and sensory stories to enjoy
Playable Technology | Beat Blocks Live | A new app for iOS that enables you to build music in real-time with traditional children’s building blocks
Ploterre | Naturally Curious | Ploterre uses environmental data to create artwork from processes and discoveries within the natural world. Combining principles from the fields of mathematics and design, it describes data via colour and form, making it more accessible, and beautiful in the process.
Mella Shaw | Sounding Line | A short film showcasing how Mella created Sounding Line – a award-winning large-scale ceramic installation addressing the devastating effect of marine sonar on whales and other cetaceans.
Cloud Quilting | Reul-iùil – guiding star | A personalised quilt pattern creator that allows makers to embed meaning in these significant handmade decorative and functional objects through the use of data-driven design.
Caitlin Macdonald & Inge Panneels | Picture Your Poisons |Picture Your Poisons is an intimate portrait of a cancer treatment journey through the specific lens of one patient’s course of treatment.
Creative AI for Creative Work | National Museum of Scotland | Wednesday 10 April, 6pm
The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence is creating challenges for the creative industries around human creativity, originality, intellectual property, and ethics. However, AI has incredible potential as a tool for creative work – for experimentation or as part of an ideation process.
Hear from creative professionals working with AI to enhance their projects – from developing playful innovations to creating new revenue streams for sound and audio production. Chaired by Dr Frauke Zeller, Professor of Human Computer-Interaction and Creative Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University.
Let’s Play | Summerhall, Dissection Room | Friday 12 April, 7pm
Get your game face on and extend your reality as we explore how creative technologies and on-screen innovation are changing how we play and experience the world around us – and worlds we can only imagine.
Virtual production is one of the most exciting new technology areas and Scotland has a global reputation for game, film and TV production.
Join us for a playful evening with interactive experiences and short talks from industry creatives and researchers.
Try out some new creative tech or relax with a drink from the bar and some AI-generated beats.
Still plenty of treasure in the kist, and still plenty of time for you to get sowing! Drop in to get some free seeds you can try growing this year.
We look after the Seed Kist – a stash of seeds for the community, some saved from crops at the farm, and by other growers in north Edinburgh, and some spare commercial seed packets that people donated.
You don’t need to bring any seeds if you don’t have any – it’s a free share, and we want these seeds Drop in to the seed share to get some free seeds you can try growing this year. You don’t need to bring any seeds if you don’t have any – it’s a free share, and we want these seeds your hands.
We will be in the green portacabin, through the gate at the back of the Toby Carvery car park. It is level but rough ground, with a step up to the cabin. We can come out to meet you if the portacabin is not accessible – feel free to contact us ahead of time if you want to make an arrangement, or we can work it out on the day.
Work will soon begin on changes to help drivers navigate around Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ), including a new traffic layout on Morrison Street.
Lining work will start on 20 March as part of plans to make Morrison Street two-way to all traffic between the Morrison Link/Morrison Street junction and the Dewar Place/Morrison Street junction. This will provide a safe alternative route for non-compliant traffic while limiting congestion. The new layout will go live on 31 March, ahead of enforcement of the LEZ beginning on 1 June.
We’ll also be adding a right hand turn from Morrison Link to Morrison Street eastbound as well as changing signals and improving the pedestrian crossing at the junction of Morrison Street, Gardner’s Cresent and Dewar Place. This will include widening footways, removing guard railing and adding cycle parking and planters around Gardner’s Crescent.
Continuous pavements will be created at St David’s Place and St David’s Terrace on Morrison Street and traffic will no longer be able to turn left from Morrison Street westbound onto Gardner’s Crescent. This will allow more time for the green man, giving pedestrians travelling east and west higher priority.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1765755608660087015
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “By limiting the most polluting vehicles from the zone, the LEZ will play a central role in lowering harmful emissions in Edinburgh, which negatively affect our health and wellbeing.
“I’m pleased that compliance with the zone’s emissions standards has continued to rise over recent years, which will benefit all those living in and visiting the city. Our two-year grace period has helped people to prepare for and adapt to the changes coming into force on 1 June.
“The measures we’re currently putting in place will allow non-compliant vehicles to find an alternative route, while limiting congestion and road safety issues. However, as we approach the start of enforcement I hope to see compliance rates climbing even further, or people opting for cleaner, more sustainable modes of transport.”
Other changes to help give non-compliant vehicles a diversion route will be to allow traffic to turn right from Home Street to Brougham Street at the Tollcross junction, which will be in place from 27 March, and a new right turn filter from the Pleasance to Holyrood Road from 6 March.
At the end of 2023 entry signs were installed on the boundary of the LEZ to inform drivers they are driving within the zone and this spring Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which support enforcement, will be put in place.
A city centre LEZ was introduced in Edinburgh on 31 May 2022, along with LEZs in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, restricting the most polluting vehicles only and benefiting everyone’s health. In Edinburgh, a two-year grace period is in place, meaning no Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) charges will be issued during this time.
LEZ restrictions will apply to motor vehicles, except motorcycles and mopeds. Vehicles must meet the minimum emissions standards to drive within the zone, though national exemptions apply including for blue badge holders and emergency vehicles.
Edinburgh’s LEZ will issue PCNs, or fines, in line with Scottish regulations, from 1 June 2024. Full details on LEZ penalties are available online.
Join us at The LifeCare Centre, 2 Cheyne Street, for an afternoon of guilt free shopping on Saturday 6th of April between 2pm and 4pm at our Community Clothes Swap Event!
To register your interest call 0131 343 0940 or email:
Do you or your group use community transport in Edinburgh? Do you want to use community transport, but can’t get access? Are you struggling to get people to your group or activity?
Join us for an event where we’re bringing together the city’s top five community transport operators, City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Health & Social Care representatives to talk about how we move vulnerable and disabled people around the city.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and shape the future of community transport in Edinburgh!
