Tag: exhibition

Hidden Door to transform huge warehouse into exhibition space

HIDDEN Door have revealed plans to transform a disused warehouse into a vast exhibition and performance space as part of their 2021 arts festival in Granton this September.

The festival group is launching a crowdfunder to pay for use of the warehouse space. They explain:

This year’s five day festival is taking place outdoors, on land next to the Granton Gasworks, from 15 – 19 September. However, the open air venue isn’t suitable for visual art exhibitions, so we have now got the chance to make use of a nearby warehouse as well, if we can raise the necessary funds to make it happen.

The additional venue will double the footprint of the festival, allowing us to exhibit the work of recent art graduates whose degree shows were cancelled due to COVID-19. The graduates, proud parents and audience members alike will be able to immerse themselves in the exhibition experience whilst staying safe and covid-compliant.

To support the plans, we are set to launch a crowdfunder to raise £10,000, with supporters able to pick from a wide range of rewards including an immersive treasure hunt experience through the festival grounds, exclusive hand-printed T-shirts from Acorn Print Studio, VIP passes for the festival and limited edition prints by Hidden Door artists.​​

The visual artists will be chosen from Hidden Door’s Graduate Support Network, launched earlier this year to support recent graduates. These artists will be paid for their work through the proceeds raised from this year’s Crowdfunder. For many of them, it will be their first paid creative opportunity.

Hannah Stewart, Project Manager, said: “Graduates across Scotland have missed out on the opportunity to exhibit their work because of the onset of a global pandemic. This has greatly impacted their introduction to the industry and their subsequent livelihood.

“It goes without saying that the last 16 months have been challenging for everyone, especially the Arts and Culture sector. These artists are not only trying to establish themselves and their career, but to reinforce the importance and value of art and culture during these unprecedented times.

“As a festival that celebrates the artistic integrity of Scotland and the wider UK, it is Hidden Door’s duty to help alleviate these artists’ feelings of being devalued, discouraged and despairing.

“We at Hidden Door want to help give these emerging artists the exhibition they deserve. We also want to make sure Scotland doesn’t miss out on the fresh creativity and drive that enriches the country.

“We have the venue and we’ve found the talent; we just need the community’s support to make it happen!”

The crowdfunding campaign will be launched on Kickstarter soon. 

Subscribe to Hidden Door’s mailing list to be notified when it’s live!

Collective presents Mercury – a new exhibition by Becky Šik

Collective is delighted to present a new exhibition by Satellites Programme participant Becky Šik.

Central to the exhibition is Mercury, an experimental new moving image work. Structured rhythmically and associatively the new film interlaces an evocative, resonating soundtrack (made using homemade instruments and magnetic sound machines) with an array of high production source material.

This includes infrared night-time video of bats and 16mm footage documenting a teenager magnet-fishing in a canal; alongside a ‘cut-up’ narration juxtaposing stories of hobbyists and an amateur satellite tracker; and scientific and philosophic reflections on the nature of communication.

Concepts of ‘echo’ are central to this work, used as both metaphor and audio effect; as locating device and editing strategy. Mercury focuses on that which sits just beyond a human’s everyday perception, where invisible forces become tangible.

Bats use echolocation to navigate; solar winds interfere with radio communications; whirring magnets excite and resonate bass strings; a Theremin allows us to articulate music from magnetic fields.

The event opens this Saturday, admission free.

Find out more, including screening times and how to pre-book tickets on our website.


Satellites Programme is Collective’s development programme for emergent artists and producers based in Scotland.

Jock McFadyen: Lost Boat Party

SCOTLAND’S Dovecot Studios, in partnership with The Scottish Gallery, will mark the artist, Jock McFadyen’s 70th birthday year with an exhibition of recent paintings which describe the romance and grandeur of the Scottish landscape, alongside the urban dystopia for which the artist is known.

The exhibition runs from 11 June – 25 September 2021.

Christina Jansen, director of The Scottish Gallery, said: “McFadyen paints the exterior world with a cool detachment that carries an emotional punch, and Lost Boat Party perfectly describes his approach – floating through the landscape to find and show the strange enigmatic portion only seen when looking for something else.

“The painting, Lost Boat Party, is a monumental work, depicting a seaside funfair which appears to have detached itself from the land and is slowly drifting out to sea. The metaphor for the human condition is unavoidable, and many of the paintings in the exhibition describe the sea with all its implications of threat and indifference, as well as painterly possibility.”

Over 20 large paintings will feature in Lost Boat Party, highlighting McFadyen’s understanding of the sublime landscape tradition.

It is no accident that the artist was taught by a generation of abstract painters whose presence is felt in these paintings, describing the contemporary world; paintings such as Mallaig and Estuary Music are almost minimalist, and all the paintings – save for one which has a tiny figure, difficult to find at only half an inch tall – are void of human presence, instead inviting the viewer to inhabit the haunting and occasionally hostile panoramas of land and sea before them.

Over the last seven months, Dovecot has collaborated with McFadyen to make a new artwork inspired by his paintings.

The Mallaig Commission will be unveiled at the exhibition, along with documentation of the collaboration. In working with Dovecot, McFadyen joins a roster of Royal Academicians, including David Hockney, Graham Sutherland, Barbara Rae and Chris Ofili.

Naomi Robertson, Master Weaver at Dovecot Studios, explained: “Our initial aim was to explore the beauty in the paintings. We have experimented with how to amplify the complex undertones in Jock’s use of paint through the blending of yarn as well as the innate sensuality of the textile surface.

“The way in which the final work absorbs light emphasises a depth of colour that is just not possible with paint.”

The exhibition forms part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2021 programme and is the second in four UK exhibitions celebrating the artist’s impressive 45-year career.

Lost Boat Party follows Jock McFadyen goes to the Pictures at City Art Centre, Edinburgh and will be followed by exhibitions at the Royal Academy in London in early 2022 and a full retrospective at The Lowry in Manchester.

McFadyen’s career has included solo shows at the Imperial War Museum, Camden Art Centre, The National Gallery, Talbot Rice, and the Pier Arts Centre. In 1991, the artist designed sets and costumes for Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s last ballet The Judas Tree at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

McFadyen’s work is included in over 40 public collections, including the V&A, SNGMA, Government Art Collection and Tate, as well as corporate and private collections in the UK and abroad.

A monograph on the artist was published by Lund Humphries in 2001 and in 2019 a second monograph, written by Rowan Moore, was published by the Royal Academy. McFadyen was elected to the Royal Academy in 2012.

Dovecot Studios: The Lost Boat Party exhibition 11 June 2021 to 25 September 2021

Marine: Ian Hamilton Findlay exhibitions open at City Art Centre this Saturday

Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay
22 May – 3 October 2021 – Free admission, pre-booking essential

Edinburgh’s City Art Centre presents Marine, a two-floor exhibition of artworks by Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006).

Finlay was an internationally renowned Scottish artist and Britain’s most significant concrete poet of the 20th century. Opening on 22 May, this major exhibition focuses on the maritime theme in his work. It was a central element of Finlay’s art, and one to which he returned throughout his life.

Drawn from the artist’s estate and the City Art Centre’s collection, and including loans from the National Galleries of Scotland, Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay showcases artworks from across several decades, ranging from stone, wood and neon sculptures to tapestry.

The show also features prints, postcards and booklets from Finlay’s Wild Hawthorn Press, capturing Finlay’s interest in nautical themes across a variety of media.

On show, alongside Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay, will be photographs from the series Ian’s Fleet by Robin Gillanders, which the City Art Centre has recently acquired for its collection.

This sequence of seven black and white photographs capture a fleet of wooden model boats made by Finlay, floating on Lochan Eck, the pond at Little Sparta. Little Sparta is the garden at Stonypath, in the Pentland Hills, where Finlay lived and worked for 40 years and is now considered one of Scotland’s greatest 20th century artworks.

The show is accompanied by an exciting events programme and a catalogue with an insightful essay by Stephen Bann, CBE, Emeritus Professor of History of Art, and Senior Research Fellow at Bristol University.

Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay has been co-curated with Pia Maria Simig, Executor of the Estate of Ian Hamilton Finlay, and is presented as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2021 and Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21.

To coincide with the City Art Centre’s exhibition, the Scottish Poetry Library presents a small display of works by Finlay, drawn from its archive. From Sea to City: Ian Hamilton Finlay runs from 25 May to 9 October 2021.

City Art Centre Curator Maeve Toal said: “The marine theme was an early source of inspiration for Finlay and continued to be a recurring influence throughout his life. Indeed, boats proved to be an inexhaustible subject.

“Taking its title from the earliest work in the exhibition, Marine (1968), this show brings together artworks which span Finlay’s entire artistic output, stretching from the 1960s through to the 2000s.

Councillor Donald Wilson, Edinburgh’s Convener of Culture and Communities said: “We are delighted that the City Art Centre is able to showcase this extensive exhibition of works by Ian Hamilton Finlay.

“Finlay was one of the most versatile artists of his generation. With the assistance of collaborators, Finlay translated his ideas into artworks in a wide range of media. I am sure visitors will be inspired by this diverse body of work.

Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Edinburgh’s Vice Convener of Culture and Communities said: “We’re all very much looking forward to welcoming visitors back when we reopen this weekend and this is another fantastic exhibition to look forward to.

“Marine promises to be a fascinating exhibition and visitors can also enjoy the accompanying programme of events which includes special tours, family craft sessions and talks by Findlay’s collaborators.”

Little Sparta pictures: Andrew Lawson
 

Travelling Gallery launches Spring Tour – Shapes of Water

An exhibition of contemporary art responding to the themes evoked by Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters

Travelling Gallery has announced its Spring 2020 exhibition, Shapes of Water, which tours from 12 March to 19 June across Scotland.

Travelling Gallery, a key event supported by Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters, has invited three thought-provoking and exciting young artists to produce new work reflecting their individual perspectives to our relationship with coasts and waters.

The bus – which drives contemporary art to all corners of the country – will feature an exhibition of drawings, riso prints, audio and film work from the three artists when it takes to the road next month.

Its Spring 2020 tour will begin in Edinburgh on 12 March before visiting venues and a range of coastal communities the length and breadth of Scotland until June, including the Borders Art Fair, the Orkney Isles and Aberdeenshire.

Suzie Eggins works across drawing, printmaking and sculpture and uses her imagination as a microscope to examine the cells and structures of our natural environment to create beautiful geometric drawings and installations. For Shapes of Water, Eggins turns her attention to Scotland’s water and explores the idea that our thoughts and emotions can affect our environment.

Amy Gear is a mixed media artist based in Shetland and characteristically uses her Shetland dialect to outline her artistic practice, using local words to describe the coast and landscape. Her drawings and paintings go beyond the traditional ideals of a beautiful landscape and instead explore the connections between body and land.

For Shapes of Water, Amy departs from a piece of writing inspired by her Shetland Grandparents describing the comfort in witnessing steely storms and angry waves; knowing that the unrest will benefit the buoyant sea life. The resulting artwork is a playful and cherished tribute to family and the sea.

Rhona Mühlebach is a Swiss filmmaker based in Glasgow and her films capture the atmospheric Scottish landscape placing intriguing narratives into the natural environment. For Shapes of Water, Mühlebach is making a stylish crime thriller set in Galloway Forest Park and investigating Sudden Oak Death which can be transmitted by rainwater and carried via rivers and streams.

Claire Craig, Curator at the Travelling Gallery, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to commission new work by three exciting young artists, all based in Scotland.

“We can’t wait to go on tour and discuss their artwork with audiences across Scotland as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters.”

Convener of Culture and Communities at the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Donald Wilson, added: “Once again, the Travelling Gallery has devised a fascinating and varied exhibition which I’m sure will appeal across the country.

“As a Council we are committed to making art and culture as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. This is the ethos of the gallery itself and through supporting this mobile gallery, art is brought straight into the hearts of town centres. I hope everyone takes the opportunity to pay the spring exhibition a visit.”

Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Travelling Gallery works to make art more accessible by taking it directly into the heart of communities across Scotland.

“I’m pleased to see this special commission of three artists coming together to produce an exhibition celebrating Scotland’s natural beauty, and I hope it inspires both locals and visitors to join in with the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.”

Tour dates

Exhibition Launch – Thursday 12th March – Edinburgh

Friday 13th – Saturday 14th March – Borders Art Fair

Tuesday 17th March – Friday 20th March – Scottish Borders with Historic Environment Scotland

Saturday 21st March – Lochwinnoch Festival

Thursday 26th March – Stirling University

Tuesday 31st March – Saturday 4th April – North Lanarkshire

Tuesday 14th April – Thursday 16th April – East Renfrewshire

Tuesday 21st March – Saturday 25th March – Orkney

Wednesday 6th May – Saturday 9th May – Aberdeenshire

Tuesday 12th May – Friday 15th May – Renfrewshire

Saturday 23rd May – Sanquhar

Tuesday 26th May – Friday 29th May – North Ayrshire

Tuesday 16th June – Friday 19th June – South Ayrshire

Year of Coasts and Waters

Scotland’s Coasts and Waters will be showcased throughout 2020 and celebrated with a programme of activity designed to support the nation’s tourism and events sectors.  The year, led by VisitScotland will sustain and build upon the momentum of Scotland’s preceding Themed Years to spotlight, celebrate and promote opportunities to experience and enjoy Scotland’s unrivalled Coasts and Waters, encouraging responsible engagement and participation from the people of Scotland and our visitors.

A year-long programme of events, activities and ideas will shine a spotlight on the impact our waters have had on Scotland, from the formation of beautiful natural features to the creation of our national drink – whisky.

Join the conversation using #YCW2020

Travelling Gallery

Travelling Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in a bus, it is a national service with the exceptional ability to reach communities and people across Scotland. We recognise that art can change lives and we create fair conditions and remove barriers to allow access and engagement to audiences in their own familiar surroundings. The gallery space offers an open and welcoming environment for people of all ages, gender, ethnicity, background, and abilities to discover and enjoy contemporary art.

“If art is for everyone then surely Travelling Gallery is the best example of that.”
Andrew Menzies, driver/guide

Travelling Gallery is a much loved and respected visual arts organisation. 2018 marked its 40th anniversary and we take pride in the fact that Scotland is committed to taking art into its communities. Over the past forty years Travelling Gallery has brought innovative exhibitions to every local authority across Scotland reaching hundreds of thousands of visitors and school pupils. Travelling Gallery is a ‘not for profit’ organisation, regularly funded by Creative Scotland and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council.

To find out more please visit www.travellinggallery.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @travgallery ‏or Instagram @travellinggallery

Artist Biographies

Suzie Eggins lives and works in Edinburgh. She graduated from Moray School of Art in 2018. Recent exhibitions include SSA & VAS Open, Royal Scottish Academy; rock-paper-scissors, Circus Artspace, Inverness; Solo Show at Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh; RSA New Contemporaries, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh (all 2019); Print Exchange, Highland Print Studio, Inverness; Many Ways to Be an Ecologist, solo show at Moray Art Centre, Findhorn (all 2018). Residencies include Graduate Residency, Hospitalfield, Arbroath and Artist in Residence, Moray Art Centre (both 2018).

Amy Gear lives and works in Shetland. She graduated with an MA in Printmaking from the Royal College of Art in 2015. Recent solo exhibitions include CLIFF FACE, Shetland Museum; Pebble Problems, Market Gallery (both 2018). Recent group exhibitions include Mooth o da Cave, Look Again Festival, Aberdeen (2018); Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh (2017); Postgraduate Printmaking, Clifford Chance, London (2016).

Rhona Mühlebach lives and works in Glasgow. Recent exhibitions and screenings include Intermedia Gallery, CCA, Glasgow; The River, the Horse & the Woman, Alchemy Film & Arts, Hawick; Werkschau Thurgau, Kunstraum Kreuzlingen, Switzerland (all 2019); Swiss Art Awards, Kiefer Hablitzel, Art Basel, Switzerland; Bloomberg New Contemporaries, BALTIC, Gateshead; Annuale, Embassy, Edinburgh (all 2017). In 2019 she was commissioned by LUX Scotland and BBC Scotland for BBC’s Now & Next.

Council announces latest plans for Waterfront regeneration

The latest proposals to transform Edinburgh’s largest brownfield site at Granton Waterfront – this time into a new ‘coastal town’ – have been published.

With a rich history and heritage, this former industrial land is set to become one of Scotland’s leading sustainable developments, bringing new homes, business, culture, leisure, learning and employment opportunities.

The plans will be presented to the Council’s Policy and Sustainabiltiy Committee, which meets on Tuesday next week.

A new coastal city park linking Granton Harbour to Gypsy Brae will re-connect the city with its waterfront providing the opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy spectacular views across the Forth while experiencing enhanced leisure and outdoor activity. The plan is also set to deliver on exemplar urban design centred around climate resilience, leading the way in future sustainable development and growing the economy in an inclusive way.

The proposals will bring around 3,500 new homes of which at least 35% will be affordable, a school, medical centre, new cycling and walking routes and enhanced sustainable transport connections with the city, making a significant contribution to Edinburgh’s target to become a net zero carbon city by 2030. With an overall gross development value of around £1.3bn, the Council is committed to investing around £196m to accelerate the regeneration, attracting significant public and private sector funding to deliver the vision.

The Council’s housing association partners are currently delivering around 700 new homes for sale and rent within the Granton Waterfront area with commitment by key public sector partners National Museums Scotland, National Galleries of Scotland and Edinburgh College to work in collaboration to make this one of Edinburgh’s best places to live, work, learn and visit.

Following extensive consultation with the local community and other key stakeholders, a Development Framework for Granton Waterfront will be published by the Council today.can b

This sets out the vision, key principles and design guidance and will be considered by the Council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday, 26 February. When agreed it will be used as a guide for developers when making future planning applications to ensure placemaking stays at the heart of any future proposals.

The Framework supports the Council’s  draft City Mobility Plan as it proposes a vast network of new routes which promote walking and cycling over car use. Car parking has been reduced to a maximum of 25% or less for the area and there is a commitment to improve bus services and other forms of sustainable public transport which will include looking at the business case for a future phase of the tram. Cultural hubs and business start-up space are also part of the framework to create a diverse place for people to live, visit and work in.

An exhibition of the Framework opens today at Edinburgh College Granton Campus and runs until Friday 6 March. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions at the exhibition today from 4 -7pm.

Cllr Adam McVey, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We’ve made a commitment to become a net zero carbon city by 2030 and the regeneration of Granton offers the perfect opportunity to showcase how this can be delivered.

“We are committed to working with the local community and partners to create vibrant new neighbourhoods where people live and travel and grow the economy in an eco- friendly way.”

Cllr Cammy Day, Depute Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council and a Forth ward councillor, said: “The regeneration of Granton will create hundreds of new jobs linked to growth of new services, business, leisure and creative industries and will strengthen the retail and small businesses that already exist.

“Our public sector partners Edinburgh College, National Museums Scotland and National Galleries Scotland, who all have land or buildings within Granton Waterfront, are committed to working collaboratively to maximise the impact of combining our resources.

“I’d encourage everyone interested in this exciting new plan for the area to go along to Edinburgh College and have a look at the plans which will be on display for two weeks from the 20 February.”

Following committee approval, the Council will work with the Scottish Government and other key partners to develop the funding strategy. A programme of temporary uses for the site and early action projects in vacant buildings or land awaiting development will also be taken forward to encourage community empowerment and activity aimed at enhanced social and economic growth and health and wellbeing.

The Council will shortly be bringing forward plans for an initial phase of development at Western Villages ahead of the wider transformation. Proposals for the development of around 400 new homes for sale and rent in the area will be out for consultation in Spring 2020.

Progress on site so far

• Over 700 affordable homes recently completed or under development within Granton  Waterfront by our RSL partners, Polha, Link and Places for People
• Council support for Friends of Granton Castle and Walled Garden and Granton Hub in Madelvic House – projects aimed at supporting community enterprise and health and wellbeing
• Lease granted to Edinburg Wake Ltd on the quarry pond for leisure use as a wake boarding park – site due to be operational spring/summer 2020
• Council appointed contractor to restore Granton Station – work due to commence in Summer 2020 to create a new enterprise hub, with completion due in early 2021
• Council contributed £100,000 towards the lighting of the Granton gas holder and a launch event. Work is continuing to seek additional funding to complete the project
• Promotion of temporary uses for empty buildings as a valuable resource for the local community while the site is being permanently developed – possible uses include
Urban Wind Turbine Pilot
Beach Box Granton – shipping containers on the shoreline to provide affordable space for cafes and leisure
The Platform – market and events at the station building and surrounding open space
Lighting of the gas holder
Adventure playground – outdoor learning space for children in collaboration with Edinburgh College
Hoarding exhibitions – animate the hoardings while showcasing work of partners and local people or organisations
Forthside festival – use the open space at Gypsy Brae for a range of outdoor activities set against the backdrop of coastal views

Follow in our Footsteps: Fruitmarket Gallery’s Schools Programme exhibition

Augmented reality artwork, corrupted selfies, hidden content and an installation hanging from washing lines, a time-lapsed film projected onto the cast impressions of Edinburgh’s Old Town and sound experiments as a playable interface …

These are some of the artworks created by pupils from eight Edinburgh schools which will be on display at Custom Lane in Leith this weekend as part of The Fruitmarket Gallery’s Making Matters and SmART Thinking Schools’ Programmes.
Continue reading Follow in our Footsteps: Fruitmarket Gallery’s Schools Programme exhibition

Victoria Crowe exhibition attracts over 40,000 visitors

Last weekend marked the closing days of what has been the most popular exhibition at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre in recent years. Victoria Crowe – 50 Years in Painting, closed on Sunday having welcomed over 40,000 visitors, from Edinburgh, UK and further afield, young and old, life long admires of Crowe’s work and those who discovered it for the first time, to celebrate the life’s work of one of the UK’s finest artists. Continue reading Victoria Crowe exhibition attracts over 40,000 visitors