Gremlins and ghouls at Granton Campus

Granton Campus charity event’s not for the faint-hearted!

Gremlins, fantasy warriors and witches will descend on Edinburgh College’s Granton Campus tomorrow as the college’s imaginative make-up students put their talents on display at a showcase event.

Second-year students from the college’s HND Make-Up Artistry course will apply the skills they have learned to produce a variety of jaw-dropping looks on models for the Ministry of Make-Up event. The students will present a range of fashion make-up looks alongside more unusual character and special effects designs that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Following the show there will be a chance to see the models up close and speak to the students about the techniques they used and the inspirations for the looks.

Photography work from first-year HND and VTCT Fashion and Photographic Make-up students will also be on display.

Money raised through a raffle on the night will go towards the charity Look Good Feel Better, the international charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing and self-confidence of people undergoing treatment for cancer.

The Ministry of Make-Up event will take place on Tuesday 26 May at 7pm at the Apprentice Restaurant, Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE. Tickets are £7 and can be booked from Jakki.jeffery@edinburghcollege.ac.uk. The event is only suitable for over 16s.

Running order:

18.30 Doors open

19.00 Show starts

19.45 Raffle

20.00 Free viewing and interaction with students and models, and photocall

20.20 Show ends

20.30 Doors close

You’re in for a TReat at Granton Campus

Edinburgh College will open its larder and put on a feast for the city and surrounding communities at its second annual Treat food and drink festival on Thursday (28 May).

Treat is a celebration of the talents of the college’s hospitality students, who will show their skills and give guests the chance to sample their work. The festival also celebrates the fantastic food and drink produced in Edinburgh and the Lothians, with local companies coming to show their produce.

Treat will take place at the college’s Granton Campus on 28 May from 4-7pm, with a £5 entry fee. The festival will showcase the college’s students, curriculum and training restaurant facilities, demonstrating how it is developing the top chefs of tomorrow.

Students and lecturing staff will serve food and carry out live cookery demonstrations to show the range of food preparation skills that are taught at the college.

Students will be serving samples of delicious hot dishes for just £1 each, with one sample included in the entry price. There will also be kebabs and burgers prepared by butchery students, fresh smoothies, and confectionary on sale.

More than fifteen local suppliers will be tempting visitors with a range of delightful delicacies including African-inspired cuisine, olive oil and speciality products from Spain, nut- and gluten-free baking, and urban edible garden growing kits. There will even be gourmet dog treats on sale to keep furry friends’ tastebuds tingling!

The Granton Campus training restaurant, The Apprentice, will host a drinks zone, with free tasters of wine and premium Scottish cider.

The event will also be raising money for the college’s charity of the year, the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH). Representatives from the charity will be at treat to talk with visitors about their work caring for lost and abandoned dogs and cats. There will be a prize draw on the day to raise much-needed funds for the charity.

This is the second year of the treat festival, after last year’s successful event attracted more than 400 hungry people from around Edinburgh and the Lothians to fill their bellies with top-quality food.

Carol Fyfe, head of the Tourism & Hospitality Academy at Edinburgh College, said: “We are delighted to be bringing back treat, Edinburgh College’s food and drink festival, for a second year. The festival is a fantastic opportunity to focus on our talented cookery and hospitality students providing an insight into their exceptional talent and dedication to their craft.

“Treat also gives visiting food lovers the chance to pick up top tips from our lecturing staff, while giving those who may be considering studying a hospitality and professional cookery course at the college a taste of what to expect. We are also pleased to be supporting the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.”

Treat takes place at Edinburgh College Granton Campus, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE on Thursday 28 May at 4-7pm. Tickets £5 and are available on the door.

The festival is focused on celebrating and showcasing the college’s hardworking, skilled students, while promoting the curriculum, the college’s training restaurants and the college itself as a destination for success.

Students take Stardust to Romania

Edinburgh College acting students are stars in Romania

Edinburgh College acting students brought a sprinkling of stardust to Romania as they performed to a sell-out crowd at one of the country’s prestigious national theatres.

Twenty-one students from the HND Acting and Performance course travelled to Romania to perform a show and take part in workshops and theatre tours, and watch performances by their Romanian contemporaries.

The students were visiting the country to present their show We are Made of Stardust at the National Theatre in Târgu Mureș, where they played to a full house and received a five-minute standing ovation. The students previously performed this show at the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland in Granton.

We are Made of Stardust was originally developed in Romania by college lecturer Scott Johnston, who has been travelling to the country for 22 years. Scott worked with the first youth theatre based at the National Theatre Târgu Mureș to develop the show, before developing a new version with his Edinburgh College students.

He said: “This was a hugely exciting opportunity for our students to perform on a prestigious stage and share their experience with Romanian actors. The students organised a Scottish theme night, attended Romanian and Hungarian nights and saw five productions at the national theatre and other venues.”

To help his students put their own stamp on the production, Scott used a technique he developed called bookends devising. He said: “Simply put, this means that I have written and designed the beginning and end 10 minutes of the production. The cast along with me devise and write the piece in between. The show I will take to Romania has exactly the same beginning and ending as the one I made here at college.”

In 2010 the University of the Arts in Târgu Mureș awarded Scott the university medal for developing artistic and academic work at the university – the first Briton to be awarded this honour. Last year, supported by the college, he completed a Masters in Stage Directing at the University. He has worked throughout Romania and done workshops and directed plays in many of the major theatres. He has also directed international professional co-productions for Romanian and Scottish companies including Stellar Quines and Cumbernauld theatre.

Students from the college’s performing arts courses will be taking part in performances as part of the college’s Let’s Glow festival throughout May and June. Let’s Glow is a celebration of the college’s creative students, featuring performance and exhibitions covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, film, art animation, textiles and design. The full programme of events can be found at www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/letsglow

To find out more about performing arts courses at Edinburgh College, which include dance, musical theatre, acting, technical theatre, textiles and make-up courses visitwww.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/courses

Free haircuts at Granton Campus

Come on, chaps: get your barnets coiffured by college students!

Students from Edinburgh College barbering courses are offering free men’s haircuts at the Granton Campus Hair and Beauty Academy.

The Hair and Beauty department at the college is looking for clients to come along and get their hair cut and styled by the gents barbering classes at the training salon. For a limited time only these men’s haircuts and styling are free!

Frances Bain, curriculum manager for hair, beauty and complementary therapy, said: “Clients will not only be receiving a free haircut, they will be helping the students work towards their assessments and qualifications. This a vital part of these students’ studies, as they work in a salon environment to provide top-quality service and cuts to clients.”

Men’s haircut appointments are available on Tuesdays from 10-11am and 4.30-6.30pm, and Wednesday to Friday from 9-11am until 12 June. To book an appointment please call the Hair and Beauty reception on 0131 559 4050.

The barbering classes are just one of many hairdressing and beauty services available at Edinburgh College. A range of treatments are available at the Hair and Beauty Academies at Milton Road, Sighthill and Granton Campuses. Students offer the latest industry treatments and styles using Elemis, Dermalogica and Wella products.

For opening hours and the list of available treatments and prices visithttp://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/welcome/leisure/salons/training_academies.aspx

To find out more about Edinburgh College’s hair and beauty therapy courses, and the many more courses available over the college’s varied curriculum and four campuses, visit www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/courses

Cutting edge: demonstration is Out of this World!

Hair and beauty professionals blast off with sci-fi special at Edinburgh College!

Hair, beauty and make-up experts beamed into Edinburgh College to demonstrate their stellar make-over talents as they transformed a model into a science fiction star!

The Out of this World event gave hair and beauty lecturers from colleges across Scotland the chance to learn about the latest techniques from the cutting edge of special effects make-up, using a sci-fi theme to showcase them.

Representatives from Habia (Hair and Beauty Industry Authority) led the professional development session, hosted at the college in partnership with VTCT (Vocational Training Charitable Trust), the awarding organisation for the college’s further education hair and beauty qualifications.Out of this World was presented by Jennifer Lenard and Mark Izzard from the Habia Skills Team, who showed the colleges’ lecturers a range of skills using bald caps, prosthetics and a frame for hair to create an alien look on their model.

Frances Bain, curriculum manager for hair, beauty and complementary therapies at Edinburgh College, said: “It was incredible to see the creativity on show at this event. The techniques demonstrated by the experts from Habia were from the leading edge of the industry, and gave teaching staff from the college and across Scotland a prized insight into how to use these skills and pass them onto students. This event was part of the college’s continuing relationship with VTCT, our sole awarding organisation for our further education courses.”

Applications are open now for a range of hair, beauty and complementary therapy courses and make-up artistry courses starting in August at Edinburgh College. To find out more about these courses, and 900 other courses at the college, visit www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/courses

Appointments are available for a range of hair treatments and spa therapies at Edinburgh College’s training academy salons at Sighthill, Milton Road and Granton campuses. The academies offer the latest treatments using Elemis, Dermalogica and Wella products, with accessible prices which reflect the different levels of study and expertise of the students who work under the expert guidance of industry professionals.

Visit http://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/salons for more details.

For more information about VTCT visit www.vtct.org.uk

Electrifying talent on show in Let’s Glow festival

Let’s Glow festival shines a light on Edinburgh College’s creative talent

Edinburgh College’s dazzling creative students are about to light up the city with a two-month celebration of their luminous talents.

The Let’s Glow festival gives Edinburgh the chance to enjoy performances and exhibitions from college students covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, film, art, animation, textiles and design. The programme of events will showcase the skills and talents of the students, demonstrating the work they have undertaken at Edinburgh College over the last year.

Let’s Glow runs from 4 May to 22 June, with events taking place at venues across the city – including the college’s campuses, Summerhall, The King’s Theatre, The Traverse Theatre, The Edinburgh Filmhouse and The Queen’s Hall. Photography students are also taking their work to exhibit at Brick Lane in London.

The festival will feature students from all the college’s creative industries study programmes: Art and Design; Broadcast Media and Photography; Computing; Music and Sound Production; and Performing Arts.

The programme includes large-scale end-of-year shows by music, arts, photography, film and animation students; the PASS Cross Currents dance event choreographed by college staff and performed by students; an exhibition of make-up artistry; a graphic design exhibition; performances of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and contemporary Scottish play My Romantic History; the PASS Out showcase for final-year Acting and Performance students; a musical theatre revue; and the premier of an original musical about Scotland’s most revered and most controversial instrument – the bagpipes!

The festival launched last night with sneak peek performances at the city’s La Belle Angele.

Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “Following the success of the first Let’s Glow festival last year, we’re delighted to showcase the incredible talents of our current crop of students. The events at this year’s festival allow us to celebrate and share the remarkable work our students have been producing over the last year. We are constantly blown away by the quality of their work and the time, effort and dedication they put into its production.

“The diversity in the programme means there really is something for everyone on offer. So if you want to be inspired by the talents of our students, get along to one of our Let’s Glow events.”

The full programme of events – some of which are free – and details of where to buy tickets can be found at www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/letsglow.

Keep up to date with Let’s Glow events on Facebook and Twitter.

#letsglow15

Edinburgh College students to launch Let’s Glow festival

Edinburgh College invites you to join students and staff from our Creative Industries courses as they launch this year’s Let’s Glow festival!

The launch event takes place at La Belle Angele off Guthrie Street this Thursday evening at 6.30pm

Let’s Glow is a two-month celebration of the dazzling creative talents of Edinburgh College students, with a programme of performances and exhibitions around the city.

The launch event at La Belle Angele will feature performances by student musicians, actors and dancers.

The Let’s Glow festival will give Edinburgh the chance to enjoy performances and exhibitions from college students covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, film, art, animation, textiles and design. The programme of events will showcase the skills and talents of the students, demonstrating the work they have been undertaking at college over the last year.

Let’s Glow runs from 4 May to 22 June, with events taking place at venues across Edinburgh – including the college’s campuses and the likes of Summerhall and The Queen’s Hall.

www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/letsglow

#letsglow

Muirhouse Fun Day set for Saturday 2 May

Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre

Saturday 2 May 11am – 3m

Edinburgh College Events Management students are planning, organising and staging a community fun day at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre on Saturday 2 May.

Activities confirmed include bouncy castle, face painting, a treasure hunt, arts and carfs, raffle, cake and candy, photo booth, barbecue and carnival games!

Granton Campus student Jessica Beattie said: “We want to hold a Community Fun Day for people of all ages – we feel that by doing so we will manage to raise more money for the centre and it will be a chance to really bring the community together to celebrate in a fun, exciting way!”

All profits raised on the day will be donated to Muirhouse Millennium Centre, so go along – support the students, support your local community centre and have loads of fun too!

A cut above: Granton hosts Xposure heat

Edinburgh College hosted the Scottish regional heat of the Wella Xposure competition to find the UK’s top young hair stylists, with 20 students competing for a place in the final.

Students from colleges across Scotland came to Edinburgh College’s Hair and Beauty Academy for the competition, carrying out cut and colours on models using Wella products. Three expert judges from leading hairdressers watched the students work and, after the models took to the catwalk, selected their winners.

The judges were drawn from top Scottish salons – Jamie McDonald, from Cheynes Hairdressing, Khaliegh Sullivan from Patterson SA Hairdressing and Sammy Galloway from McIntyre’s Salons – chose five winners to go forward to the UK final.

The final will take place in Wella’s London studio in June, where a prize of £1,000 of Wella vouchers and a salon toolkit worth £500 will be won.

The students chosen to compete in the final (pictured above) were: Marisa Sonkur, Borders College; Laura Bowman, Fife College; Hayley Rollo, Fife College; Zoe Coull, Moray College UHI; Shannon Devenney, South Lanarkshire College.

Judge Jamie McDonald said: “The competition was really good. The standard of work is just awesome. It’s great to see the college supporting these kids and giving them a chance to be exposed to the bigger hairdressing world. Competitions like this let students see where they can actually go out in the world when they finish college.”

Jamie was also impressed by the Hair and Beauty Academy facilities on offer at the college’s Granton Campus, adding: “The college is phenomenal. Last time I was here two years ago I thought it was amazing, and the work the college has done in the salons since is really brilliant. Again, it gives the students the chance to see what it’s really like to work in a salon environment as opposed to the training room through the back and gives them a real experience of hairdressing.”

Edinburgh College students Debbie Sloey and Zara Brown (above) were among the 20 competitors, with Debbie (top) following up a recent gold medal at the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists’ annual UK-wide competition.

Frances Bain, curriculum manager for hair, beauty and complementary therapies at Edinburgh College, said: “Wella Xposure is a fiercely contested competition and we are very proud of Debbie and Zara getting through to the Scottish heats as this reflects the high standard of work they both produced.”

The college’s Hair & Beauty Academy at Granton is split into a beauty salon, spa and the college’s Wella Centre of Excellence salon, and includes Scotland’s first college ‘eco’ hair and beauty academy. The new academy is the first of its kind to provide a range of environmental features, including a ceramic fuel cell that uses hydrogen to convert gas to electricity and produce hot water as a by-product.

The academies are open to staff, students and the general public and offer a professional quality service for good-value prices.

Edinburgh College offers a wide range of hair, beauty and complementary therapy courses. Applications are currently invited for these courses and more than 900 other courses across the curriculum offered by Edinburgh College and starting in August on its four campuses. See www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for more information on how to apply.

Ana is the people’s choice!

Ana’s composition is a real draw!

An Edinburgh College illustration student has won the people’s choice award in a competition to design a children’s book cover for city publisher Floris Books.

The Kelpies Design & Illustration Prize 2015 challenged entrants to design a new book cover for Allan Campbell McLean’s classic cold war spy adventure The Hill of the Red Fox.

Edinburgh College HND Visual Communication: Illustration student Ana Elez Rodrigo (above) won the People’s Choice award, receiving more than 1,200 votes in an online poll, and received a £75 cash prize. Fellow illustration student David Lymburn was also shortlisted in the competition.

Lewis Copland, a communication design student at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen took the top prize, with professional designer Brad Newsman taking the highly commended prize.

The winners were announced at a ceremony at Leith’s creative business hub Creative Exchange, run by Edinburgh College and the City of Edinburgh Council.

Anna’s design was praised by the judges for her use of a strong colour palette and textured background to depict a red fox against a rugged highland landscape. David was commended for his bold use of composition, colour and typography.

Anna said: “For my design I got inspired by the landscape in Skye and the north of the Highlands. I played with the title of the book to make this kind-of mysterious and intriguing fox.”

As the novel is set in the fifties, Anna used stylish colours of the time along with wrinkled paper to add texture. She said she was “excited and really happy” to have done so well in the competition.

Leah McDowell, design and production manager at Floris Books, said: “The shortlisted designs of Anna Elez Rodrigo and David Lymburn display great talent for two people in such early stages of their careers. Their interpretations of the competition brief show a good understanding of what was asked of them as part of this pressured live project.

“Floris Books felt that the Creative Exchange was the perfect place to host the shortlist exhibition, not only because of the qualities it encourages and represents – creativity, innovation and collaboration – but also because the ground floor space acted as the perfect environment to show off our contemporary children’s book cover designs.”

Image Caption: Overall winner Lewis Copland (front left); Anna Elez Rodrigo (front right); Edinburgh College entrant David Lymburn (second from right, white shirt)

The 12 shortlisted designs will remain on display at Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street, Leith until 30 April (Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm).

Edinburgh College offers a wide range of design and illustration courses from introductory to HND level. Students work on exciting and challenging briefs to equip them with the technical and creative skills associated with their chosen professionalism, and are encouraged to enter competitions to hone their talents and expose their work to a wider audience. Applications are currently invited for these courses and more than 900 other courses across the curriculum offered by the college and starting in August on its four campuses.

See www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for more info on how to apply.