Tag: City Observatory

Collective: Gala Schedule Announced!

COLLECTIVE on CALTON HILL REVEAL BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION PROGRAMME

We are so excited to welcome you to our Collective Gala this Sunday 17 September, celebrating five years since opening the newly restored City Observatory as a centre for contemporary art.

Please see the full schedule for the day (above) to help you plan your visit. 

We have a special programme of activities running throughout the day, with free drop-in creative play sessions by Frieda Ford, makers’ stalls, introductions to our exhibitions, bookable tours of the site including Cooke telescope and Observatory House, and culminating in a newly commissioned performance by Zoë Gibson. 

Please note, Lisa Williams’ Black History walking tour has been postponed to October for Black History Month.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday! 

Collective: Join us for Doors Open Days

Collective is delighted to be taking part in Doors Open Days 2022, with a chance to visit both Observatory House and the McEwan Dome, which are not usually accessible to the public.

Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment. It offers free access to over a thousand venues across the country each September. The aim of Doors Open Days is to ensure that Scotland’s spaces and stories, new and old, are made accessible to people living and visiting the country.

Please note that due to the historic nature of the architecture, there is no step-free access to Observatory House or McEwan Dome. Other spaces within the City Observatory and the wider site are accessible to all.

Book your tour on 24 or 25 September here.

About Observatory House

Dating back to 1776, Observatory House represents the very first attempt to develop an astronomical observatory on Calton Hill. Recently restored by Collective and including newly commissioned artwork by four contemporary artists, Observatory House is now available to rent as a holiday let, with proceeds helping to support our year round work with artists and communities.

About McEwan Dome

The City Observatory, designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818, gained Royal status after King George IV’s 1822 visit to Edinburgh. The neoclassical building houses a number of historic telescopes: the Transit telescope on the ground floor, and the Cooke telescope within the McEwan Dome, which is not usually accessible to the public.

Coming up at Collective

Upcoming Exhibitions and Events on Calton Hill

1 June – 4 September

A Matter of Precedents by Annette Krauss opens on 1 June, as a research resource in the Library.

This collaborative long-term research project reflects on Collective’s move to the City Observatory and explores the site’s designation as a ‘common good asset’.

The project launches with two walking conversations on 1 & 2 June led by Annette Krauss and other artists and cultural thinkers, and will visit common good sites in Edinburgh.

18 June – 4 September

backwash, an exhibition of new work by Camara Taylor, opens in the Hillside on 18 June. The exhibition consists of new video and mixed-media work relating to the artist’s ongoing conversation with Scottish waterways and a collection of public papers spanning several centuries. Camara Taylor is a participant in Satellites, Collective’s development programme for emergent pracitioners based in Scotland.

25 June – 18 September

On 25 June The Beast by Ruth Ewan will open in the City Dome.

A new animation, presented alongside archival material, focuses on the Scottish/American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and his namesake Diplodocus carnegii. The exhibition explores intersecting ideas around power, exploitation, culture and the history of capitalism. The animation has been co-written with Marxist magician and professor of theatre studies Dr Ian Saville.

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