Tag: Chambers Street

Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine exhibition

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
25 January – 27 April 2025
Free admission

An exhibition telling the story of the global effort to develop a COVID-19 vaccine will open at the National Museum of Scotland in January.

Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine explores the scientific principles and adaptation of innovative research behind this extraordinary endeavour. It looks at the UK-wide, behind-the-scenes work that accompanied the vaccines’ rapid development, production, transport and delivery and examines the sheer logistical challenges behind the worldwide rollout.

Revealing the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators collaborating around the globe to find solutions and save lives, the exhibition will show how these people have shaped the world we live in today. 

Showcasing more than 100 objects and stories that were collected during the peak of the pandemic, it features artworks, interactives, and personal objects examining everything from the virus itself to the work done behind the scenes by volunteers and researchers to make huge innovations possible.

Highlights include the vial of the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered worldwide, notebooks used by June Almeida, the Scottish scientist who discovered coronavirus in 1966 and artworks interpreting the story of the pandemic by artists including Luke Jerram, Angela Palmer and Junko Mori.

New content created for the exhibition’s Scottish run will explore some of the uniquely Scottish experiences of the pandemic.

Sophie Goggins, Senior Curator of Biomedical Science at National Museums Scotland said: “The development and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in record time is one of the greatest collaborative human achievements in recent memory.

“This exhibition tells the story of just how this extraordinary feat came to be; from the scientific breakthroughs which led to the creation of the vaccine to the countless individuals who helped to roll it out around the globe.”

Injecting Hope is presented by the Science Museum Group (SMG). It comes to the National Museum of Scotland as part of a national and international tour following its inaugural run at the Science Museum in London.

It forms part of a project with the National Council of Science Museums in India and the Guangdong Science Center in China, which, alongside the Science Museum, opened exhibitions in November 2022.

Injecting Hope builds on the work SMG has undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its COVID-19 collecting project, hosting NHS vaccination centres within its museums and public engagement events and materials.  

The Injecting Hope project, including the international tour and UK national tour, has been generously supported by Wellcome. The Huo Family Foundation is kindly supporting the national tour of the exhibition.

Scotland’s nuclear secrets revealed in new exhibition

Cold War Scotland

13 July 2024 to 26 January 2025

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

Admission: Free 

nms.ac.uk/ColdWarScotland 

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland explores Scotland’s critical position on the frontline of the Cold War. Cold War Scotland (13 Jul 2024 – 26 Jan 2025), features dozens of objects on display for the first time, including secret intelligence training documents and a map of central Scotland marked to highlight targets under threat of nuclear attack.

Scotland’s unique geography and topography provided a useful base for NATO military preparations and research during the Cold War, a 40-year nuclear stand-off between the USA and the Soviet Union following the end of the Second World War. Opening this Saturday, 13 June, the exhibition tells the stories of the Scots at the centre of this global conflict.

For the first time visitors will see an Ordnance Survey map of Scotland hand-painted to highlight areas that were expected to be affected in the event of a nuclear attack, particularly major cities, military bases and dockyards.

Created in the 1980s, it is colour coded to indicate the point of explosion and scale of the impact across the central belt and beyond. Atomic power brought jobs and investment to some of the country’s most remote areas, but as global tensions mounted this threat of attack or nuclear disaster became part of everyday life. Cold War Scotland explores both the visible and invisible legacies of the war in Scotland.

The impact of the war still lingers in Scottish politics, culture and memory. Scots played an active role in the global conflict as soldiers, for example, within intelligence services and as part of voluntary civil defences.

2HX4YA3 Britain’s Women Learn Atom Defence — Wearing anti-gas boots and headphones, Pamela Preston of the KVS probes and area with a Geiger monitor for supposed deadly radioactivity. A three-girl team drawn from the Red cross, the Women’s voluntary service and the red cross took part in a demonstration of atomic defence techniques at Winchester. England, Feb 18, The display was given by naval personnel from the Atomic defense school, HMS Phoenix, and was organized by the Hampshire civil defense corps. August 01, 1952. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

The exhibition also draws on Scotland’s rich history of Cold War-era protest and activism. Firsthand accounts include a young mother who decorated her daughter’s pram with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) badges.

A rattle made from an old laundry detergent bottle emblazoned with the CND logo was given to them during the Peace Marches of the early 1980s and is on display in the exhibition.

The exhibition also reveals the physical remains of the Cold War; the ruined bases, forgotten bunkers and decommissioned nuclear power stations still evident across the Scottish landscape.

This infrastructure became part of the fabric of local communities, none more so than the US-controlled listening and monitoring station at RAF Edzell in Angus, now commemorated with its own bespoke tartan.

Dr Meredith Greiling, Principal Curator of Technology at National Museums Scotland, said: “From nuclear submarines to lively peace protests and observation stations perpetually monitoring for devastating attack, the Cold War permeated every aspect of life in Scotland for decades.

“This conflict is so often remembered on a global scale, but this thought-provoking exhibition will offer a Scottish perspective of the period, allowing Scots from all walks of life to tell their remarkable stories for the first time.”

Further highlights of the exhibition include artwork from Glasgow’s 1951 Exhibition of Industrial Power and a toy nuclear power station, operated by steam and hot to the touch when played with.

Both these examples highlight the spirit of optimism, progress and modernity associated with atomic energy in postwar Britain. In contrast, a Geiger counter used by farmers in East Ayrshire to test for radiation in sheep following the Chernobyl Disaster illustrates the enduring but unseen impact of the Cold War on Scotland’s landscape.

The exhibition will be supported by a book and programme of events including curator tours and talks. Cold War Scotland is an output of Materialising the Cold War, a collaborative research project between National Museums Scotland and the University of Stirling.

The project explores how the Cold War heritage is represented and how museums can adapt to tell this story in future. Materialising the Cold War is funded by a major grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Cold War Scotland is part of Edinburgh Art Festival, taking place between 9 – 25 August 2024.

Cold War Scotland is part of Edinburgh Art Festival, taking place between 9-25 August 2024. 

edinburghartfestival.com 

@edartfest   
#EdArtFest 

World’s largest interactive video game exhibition opens this weekend

GAME ON

29 June to 3 November 2024

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

Tickets are available to book at nms.ac.uk/GameOn

The world’s largest interactive exhibition of the culture and history of video games opens at the National Museum of Scotland this weekend. Game On brings together over 100 playable games spanning 50 years. It features iconic characters from Space Invaders to Mario and highlights Scotland’s role as a pioneer and world leader in video game development.

Game On presents Scotland as home to some of the most innovative and influential game makers, including Rockstar Games, creators of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series.

Objects from the developer’s archive will be displayed for the first time, including limited edition merchandise and a ‘Key to Liberty City’, awarded to players who completed 100% of Grand Theft Auto IV within one week of the game’s release in 2008. Only 500 were ever made.

“Scotland has played an instrumental part in the evolution of video games as a medium,” said Jennifer Kolbe, Head of Publishing at Rockstar Games. “We’re excited to help the National Museum of Scotland reveal more about the nation’s contributions to this thriving aspect of modern culture.”

The exhibition reveals the story of Scottish gaming, from its roots in Dundee in the 1980s with the manufacture of the ZX Spectrum computer to emerging talent such as Sad Owl Studios, whose game Viewfinder was awarded Best British Game at the Bafta Game Awards 2024. Visitors will also discover the important role Scottish studio, 4J studios played in making Minecraft a global phenomenon.

Game On is curated and toured by Barbican Immersive. The exhibition examines the creative and technological advances that have established gaming as a new art form.

Patrick Moran, Game On Associate Curator, said: ““The gaming world has had an undeniable social, cultural, and technological impact. Games transcend the boundaries between art and technology, becoming part of popular culture.

“Game On presents the opportunity to not only see the evolution of video games and how they have changed over time but also to immerse yourself inside gaming worlds with over 100 playable games.

“The show features the largest playable collection in the world, including original arcades, hand-held consoles, and key games, including Pac-Man, Super Mario, Tetris, Sonic the Hedgehog, Just Dance and FIFA.

“The exhibition also explores new advances in the gaming world. Highly interactive, groundbreaking and popular, Game On is engaging for hardcore gamers and visitors new to gaming. Crucially, the show is suitable for players of all ages.”

The National Museum of Scotland was the exhibition’s very first touring venue in 2002, and Game On has since been visited by over 5 million people of all ages in 25 cities around the world.

Dr Geoff Belknap, Keeper of Science and Technology at National Museums Scotland, said: “It’s great to welcome Game On back to the National Museum of Scotland. As someone in charge of Scotland’s national science and technology collections, it’s exciting to explore the country’s incredible contribution to gaming, past and present.

“I’m delighted to bring Scottish independent games to a new audience, including The Longest Walk, a pioneering project exploring the experience of living with mental health issues and Highland Song, a beautiful adventure through the Scottish landscape. The exhibition has been continually updated at each new touring venue since the early 2000s and so we look forward to bringing the story of video gaming right up to date here in Scotland, where the industry today is so vibrant.”

Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman of 4J Studios, said: ““Scotland is driving innovation in the games industry. The National Museum of Scotland’s new exhibition, Game On, is a fantastic showcase of this pioneering sector and its significant cultural contributions.

“We’re proud that 4J Studio’s achievements are displayed alongside some of Scotland’s most innovative developers, to inspire the next generation of creators and ensure that Scotland continues to punch above its weight on the world stage.”

The exhibition is organised in thematic sections, exploring hardware formats such as handheld to home consoles to arcade machines, as well as wider cultural aspects such as the links between music, film and gaming.

A programme of public events will support the exhibition, including a Museum Late, relaxed viewings for those with sensory needs and family-focused activities to inspire videogaming’s next generation of creators.

Hamza Yassin attends opening of Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in Edinburgh

Wildlife Photographer of the Year – 20 January to 6 May 2024 

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street 

Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin yesterday attended an event to mark the opening of the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland.

The exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, features exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.

Using photography’s unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet.   

Hamza Yassin said: “I was delighted to be among the first people in Scotland to view this thought-provoking exhibition.

“As a wildlife cameraman and photographer myself, it was great to see such a variety of incredible images and to appreciate the skill, knowledge of nature and ingenuity that must have gone into capturing them.

“Photography like this can really inspire us all to think about the beauty and fragility of our natural world, as well as the things we can do to protect it.” 

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years.

Launched in 1965, today the competition receives entries from countries all over the world, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year’s award-winning images will embark on an international tour that will allow them to be seen by well over a million people.   

This year’s competition attracted 49,957 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries. Over the course of a week at the Natural History Museum in London, entries were judged anonymously on their creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.  

French underwater photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 for The golden horseshoe, an otherworldly image of a tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by a trio of golden trevallies. Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 was awarded to 17-year-old Carmel Bechler from Israel for his Owls’ roadhouse, a dynamic frame of barn owls in an abandoned roadside building.  

Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: “These images taken together tell a powerful story, balancing the wonder and beauty of the natural world with its fragility and vulnerability to climate change and biodiversity loss.

“It is perhaps less well understood how the work of in-house natural sciences teams and external researchers on collections such as ours at National Museums Scotland and those at the Natural History Museum contributes hugely to global understanding of human impact on the environment. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition when it opens this weekend.” 

Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum said: “We are facing urgent biodiversity and climate crises, and photography is a powerful catalyst for change.

“The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reveals some of nature’s most wondrous sights whilst offering hope and achievable actions visitors can take to help protect the natural world.” 

Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran said: “What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviours and species to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world. We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.” 

The exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and will be supported by a range of public events and activities.  

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is truly stunning and inspiring, helping us discover untold stories of species from around the world.

“Our players have raised more than £3.3 million for National Museums Scotland and I’m delighted their support makes exhibitions like this accessible to everyone, allowing more people to learn about our natural world”. 

Witness appeal following Chambers Street assault

POLICE in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a serious assault. The incident happened in Chambers Street around 9pm last night (Saturday, 19 August, 2023).

A 23-year-old man suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.

Officers are working to identify two males as part of the ongoing investigation.

The first male is described as being aged between 16 and 17 years old, 5ft 5ins tall, with buzz cut style, dark hair. He was wearing a black and grey tracksuit jumper and grey tracksuit bottoms.

The second male is described as white, between 17 and 18 years old, 5ft 7ins tall, with short blonde/ginger beard and dirty blonde curly hair. He was wearing a football top.

Detective Sergeant Steven Gray, of Gayfield CID, said: “Our enquiries into this incident are ongoing and I would urge anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information about those involved to get in touch.

“Anyone who can help is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 3799 of 19 August, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Uniquely Scottish Silver

Uniquely Scottish Silver  
5 August 2023 to 26 May 2024 
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

#UniquelyScottishSilver 

A new display at the National Museum of Scotland, Uniquely Scottish Silver (5 August 2023 to 26 May 2024), will showcase a range of objects highlighting Scottish designs and provide an insight into how people used them.  

The display will bring together five distinctively Scottish designs: mazers, quaichs, thistle cups, ovoid urns and heart brooches. While some of these objects survive in plentiful numbers, others are amongst the earliest and rarest survivals within the Scottish silver smiths’ craft. 

 Lyndsay McGill, Curator of Renaissance and Early Modern Scottish History said:  “During the Renaissance and Early Modern period (about 1450-1750) Scottish craftsmen designed and produced a wealth of silver artefacts.

“While most designs were influenced by contemporary British and European fashions, the country’s silversmiths also created a number of forms unique to Scotland, and that’s what the display is about.

“These items were owned and used by people from many walks of life. Some objects were sentimental and held meaning, while others signified the latest styles.” 

Highlights of the display include thistle cups which were a relatively short-lived phenomenon from the 1680s to 1720s, but a distinctively Scottish one, with their inverted bell-shape and prominent lobes to the bottom half of the cup giving the impression of a thistle head.

These designs reveal that Scottish silversmiths were innovative in their work and that they added their own twist to create a remarkable Scottish form of silverware. 

The display includes pieces from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, some of which are instantly recognizable as Scottish including quaichs and heart brooches, as well as rarer items such as thistle cups and mazers – only nine Scottish mazers are known to survive. 

Also on display will be a futuristic looking ovoid urn, which, thanks to some detective work by researchers, is now believed to have been used for serving coffee rather than tea, as had previously been thought.  

Of the 43 items in the display, Lyndsay says that a particular favourite is a quaich made by William Scott in Aberdeen around 1681:  “It’s a tiny quaich that fits in the palm of your hand and is engraved with parrots and flowers.

“Scott presumably took inspiration from pattern books or books on the natural world. It’s a wonderful example of his delicate craftsmanship and creativity – it’s quite beautiful and I look forward to visitors getting the rare chance to see it.”  

Uniquely Scottish Silver runs from 5 August 2023 until 26 May 2024. Admission is free.  

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder opens this weekend

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder 
9 Dec 2022 – 1 May 2023 
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh  

nms.ac.uk/doctorwho 
#DoctorWhoWoW 

The Scottish premiere of the exhibition Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder opens at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh this weekend. In celebration of the television show’s Scottish connections, a suit worn by David Tennant to play the Fourteenth Doctor in special episodes airing next year, will also go on display in the museum. 

This ground-breaking new exhibition, which runs from 9 December 2022 to 1 May 2023, explores the science behind the global hit television series Doctor Who and gives fans a chance to experience the Doctor’s adventures from a scientific perspective.  

Produced by leading experiential design experts Sarner International under license from BBC Studios, the exhibition invites fans of all ages to explore the role science has played in the world’s longest running action-adventure show. The eight zones set within this educational exhibition cover a diverse selection of exciting scientific topics while drawing in content from across the full canon of Doctor Who.   

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder offers a thrilling exploration of science for both established fans of the TV show and newcomers alike. Actor, director and author Mark Gatiss – writer of several episodes of Doctor Who – narrates the exhibition, guiding this journey through space and time. 

Mark Gatiss said: “So many people who have gone on to work in science have had their interest piqued by watching Doctor Who, and one of the amazing things about the show is i2ts ability to make us wonder. I’m thrilled to be part of the exhibition and I do hope as many curiously minded people as possible take the opportunity to visit at the National Museum of Scotland.”  

A range of hands-on immersive experiences and interactive features take visitors on a journey through Cosmic Curiosities, a TARDIS Tech room and the science behind time travel asking whether it really is possible. In the Monster Vault, visitors also come face to face with the Doctor’s most famous foes including Cybermen, Weeping Angels and Daleks.

Alison Cromarty, Head of Exhibitions & Design at National Museums Scotland, said:  “We are tremendously excited that the premier of this exhibition opens at the National Museum of Scotland this weekend.

“From the wonder of the science fiction of the TV show to our present-day understanding of the big scientific topics it touches on, there is something for everyone.”  

Ed Cookson, Projects Director, Sarner International: “For almost 60 years Doctor Who has been exploring mind-bending scientific developments. The iconic characters, monsters, stories, and settings of the television series provide a perfect guide through the wondrous worlds of space, time and science.”

Doctor Who has strong Scottish connections. To date three Scots have played the role of The Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant and Peter Capaldi (the Seventh, Tenth and Fourteenth, and Twelfth Doctors respectively) with a fourth, Ncuti Gatwa, recently announced as the new Doctor. 

A suit worn by David Tenant in a series of special episodes airing next year will be displayed alongside companion Catherine Tate’s costume by the entrance to the exhibition. Other notable Scottish cast members have included Companions Karen Gillan and Neve McIntosh as well as Michelle Gomez as Missy (The Master), with Alan Cumming having also appeared recently as King James VI & I. Another Scot, Steven Moffat, was showrunner from 2008 to 2017. 

The show has featured several other Scottish icons. The Loch Ness Monster appears in 1975’s Terror of the Zygons with Tom Baker, while the Picts featured along with the 9th Legion of the Roman army in 2017’s The Eaters of Light (which starred Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez). Other episodes set in Scotland include 2006’s Tooth and Claw, set in the Highlands and Under the Lake/Before the Flood (2015), set in Caithness.  

The National Museum of Scotland is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery in mounting the exhibition.  

The exhibition is proving to be hotly anticipated with tickets for the opening weekend already sold out.  Pre-booking is recommended, tickets are available from www.nms.ac.uk/doctorwho

National Museums Scotland Members free.  

Book in advance to save, general admission: Adult £12-16.50, Over 60s £11-15.50, Student, Unemployed, Disabled, Young Scot £10-14.50, Child 5–15 £8-12.50, Under 5s Free  

10% off family bookings*  

Discounts available for groups of 10 or more  

 *10% off when you buy up to three Child 5–15 ticket alongside up to any two Adult, Over 60s, Student, Unemployed, Disabled, Young Scot tickets, with a maximum of five tickets in total. Cannot be used in conjunction with National Museums Scotland Member tickets or any other discount or promotional offer. 

Bernat Klein: Design in Colour opens this weekend

5 November 2022 to 23 April 2023 
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh 
Admission: Free 

nms.ac.uk/designincolour 
#BernatKlein 

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland explores the life and career of one of the 20th century’s leading forces in Modernist design, in the centenary year of his birth.

Bernat Klein: Design in Colour celebrates the work of the Serbian-born textile designer Bernat Klein (1922 – 2014) who settled in the Scottish Borders after the Second World War.

The exhibition examines his creative process and varied career; from supplying innovative couture fabrics to some of Europe’s top fashion houses to his strong influence on architecture and interior design in the UK and Scandinavia.

Opening on 5 November, it marks the centenary of Klein’s birth and is part of a series of cultural events developed by the Bernat Klein Foundation to celebrate the designer in 2022. It charts his 60-year career as a textile designer, artist, educator, and colour consultant.

National Museums Scotland acquired his archive in 2010. This internationally significant collection of around 4,000 objects ranges from fabrics and garments to design development material.

Highlights from the collection are on display in the exhibition – including couture fashion, interior designs, textiles and original artworks – alongside newly acquired pieces which contextualise Klein’s work and recognise his legacy. Made possible with Art Fund support through the New Collecting Awards, these acquisitions include creations by fellow textile designers Ascher Ltd and Tibor Reich.

Bernat Klein was born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in 1922, to an Orthodox Jewish family who ran a wholesale textile business. He attended the Bezalel School of Art & Craft in Jerusalem in the 1940s, where his exposure to Bauhaus ideas and the modernist architecture of Israel had a profound influence on him.

He escaped the rise of Naziism across Europe, going on to study textile technology at Leeds University before settling in the historic textile centre of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, establishing his design and manufacturing business, Colourcraft in 1952.

Part of a new wave of designers re-invigorating British industry and contributing to economic regeneration in the post-war period, he is best known for his highly original fashion textiles, with their rich textures and exuberant colour palette.  A significant career breakthrough came when Coco Chanel selected one of his mohair tweed fabrics for her spring/summer 1963 collection.

His couture cloths quickly came to dominate international catwalks throughout the 1960s, with designers such as Balenciaga, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Hardy Amies all featuring his work.

The company established offices in London and Paris and sold fabrics to the American womenswear market. Klein also designed ready-to-wear fashion and textiles for home dressmakers.

He had a lifelong passion for colour and worked as a colour consultant and industrial designer for various national and international firms. In 1966 he set up a design consultancy company, collaborating with progressive interior firms in Britain and Scandinavia.

He was an accomplished painter and found inspiration in the landscape surrounding his Borders home, High Sunderland. Klein commissioned the architect Peter Wormersly to design the building, which is recognised today as one of Scotland’s finest modernist homes.

Lisa Mason, Assistant Curator of Modern & Contemporary Design at National Museums Scotland said: “Bernat Klein was a key figure in Modernist design, and one of the 20th century’s most celebrated textile designers.

“His archive is remarkably broad and rich, and this stylish exhibition will display some of its highlights, examining his exceptional contribution to the design world and his ongoing legacy and influence.

“The Scottish Borders were his home and inspiration for six decades, and the exhibition will also explore the story of the relationship between his work, the landscape and the local textile industry.”

Ferryhill children put their Thinking Caps on

Exhibition now on display at the Museum of Edinburgh

The Put Your Thinking Cap On Exhibition, a collaboration between youth Samba band Pulse of the Place and Ferryhill Primary School, is now on display at the Museum of Edinburgh.

Inspired by the drumming sessions hosted by Rohan Seilman at Ferryhill Primary School and spurned on by an invitation to perform in a music video for the Edinburgh Festival Carnival, the exhibition shows portraits of students wearing their ‘thinking caps’ that were used at the Pulse of the Place performance. 

The headgear was designed and fashioned by students with guidance and oversight from teacher and art specialist Dr Anke-Beate Stahl. The materials used were papier mâché, paper, wire, straws, pipe cleaners, pompoms, and glue. This provided an opportunity for pupils to express themselves creatively and experiment with different designs.

Many more pupils performed for Pulse of the Place than those whose portraits are displayed at the exhibition and their contribution should also be recognised. The portraits were shot in the school dining hall with this being the first experience of its kind for many students.

Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener said: This exhibition represents an important addition to our collection of community-led displays and showcases the innovation and talent of our young people here in Edinburgh.

“I am sure this exhibition will be well-received by visitors to the Museum of Edinburgh. I would like to thank the pupils and teachers of Ferryhill Primary School and Pulse of the Place for undertaking this dynamic project, Councillor for Inverleith Ward, Hal Osler for her brokering and championing of this exhibition and to Museums & Galleries colleagues for their ongoing hard work.

Dr Anke-Beate Stahl, art specialist and teacher at Ferryhill Primary School said: “This exhibition highlights the creativity that our pupils can demonstrate when given the extra time, space, and specialist support.

“Connecting music and visual arts with the bonus of a public display is a great learning experience for the children.”

Inverleith councillor Hal Osler said: “I am so unbelievably proud of the pupils of @Ferryhill_PS who are presently appearing in an exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh. Thanks to all involved – the exhibition looks fantastic and it’s well worth a view”

The exhibition runs until February 26, 2023 and is located in the community display area of the Museum of Edinburgh on the ground floor. 

Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life opens this weekend

Opening this weekend, a major new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland will look at the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.

Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life (2 July to 30 October 2022) will examine the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection of human bodies. It looks at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study and offers insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.

In 1828, William Burke and William and Margaret Hare killed 16 people in the impoverished Edinburgh district of West Port and sold the bodies to an anatomist for dissection.

The exhibition examines the circumstances that gave rise to the murders and asks why they took place in Edinburgh. It unpicks the relationship between science and deprivation and looks at the public reaction to the crimes and the anatomical practices responsible for them.

Covering 500 years of medical exploration, Anatomy opens with early examples of anatomical art, including sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Collection.

These introduce the search for understanding about the human body and anatomy’s place in the development of medical knowledge across Europe.

Visitors to the exhibition, which is sponsored by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers, will find out more about the role anatomy played in the Enlightenment.

In the 18th century, Edinburgh developed into the leading centre for medical teaching in the UK, and the demand for bodies to dissect and study vastly outstripped legitimate supply. The acquisition of bodies was intertwined with poverty and crime, with grave-robbing – stealing unprotected bodies for dissection – becoming a common practice.

On display will be a ‘mort safe’; a heavy iron box placed over a coffin to deter would-be body snatchers. Other notable objects in the exhibition include a full-body anatomical model by pioneering model maker Louis Auzoux, ground-breaking casts of body parts and William Burke’s skeleton and written confession.

The exhibition closes by highlighting the changing practices and attitudes around body provision in the century and a half since the Burke and Hare murders, bringing the story right up to date. It looks at the modern approach to body donation at universities in Scotland and contrasts the ethics, practices and beliefs today with those of two centuries ago.

Dr Tacye Phillipson, Senior Curator of Modern Science at National Museums Scotland said: “Anatomical knowledge is crucial to medicine, and Edinburgh was a key centre for medical teaching and the development of modern medicine. However, this work relied on the dissection of bodies, the sourcing of which was often controversial and distressing.

“Anatomists could only get the quantity of bodies they wanted through dehumanising the dead and financing a murky industry. Murder was a particularly shocking consequence of this, with people killed for the sale price of their bodies. This fascinating exhibition explores the relationship between society, poverty, ethics and science at that time, and exposes the human cost of early medical advancement.”

Admission: Adults: £10, over-60s £8.50, concessions £7.50. Free entry for National Museums Scotland members and under 16s.