College creative festival gets underway
Edinburgh College’s annual Glow student creative festival launched on Friday, beginning two months of end-of-year shows covering the college’s creative curriculum, including music, theatre, dance, photography, art and design, sculpture, make-up artistry and computing. Continue reading Let’s Glow!
Stories told by members of Edinburgh’s LGBTQIA+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) takes centre stage in a new exhibition now open at the People’s Story Museum. Continue reading Proud City: People’s Story Museum reflects on LGBTQIA life
Lord Provost to open Made in Granton exhibition
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Council-owned property development and investment business The EDI Group (www.edigroup.co.uk) is to support support a new programme of arts initiatives based at Madelvic House in Granton (above).
The series of events organised by granton:hub@The Madelvic will officially launch this Saturday with the ‘Made in Granton’ exhibition, showcasing the history of the local area. Forth Neighbourhood Partnership is also supporting the exhibition.
Madelvic House will host a series of pop up events over the next six months organised by the granton:hub group. The focus of the initiative is to test out ideas in the community with the view to securing long term use of the building for a community arts hub.
If successful in receiving approval from EDI, the group propose to use the ground floor of the building to house a number of artists’ studios, café and a flexible space which will be used for events such as temporary exhibitions and workshops.
The programme launch and local history exhibition ‘Made in Granton’ is open to all and will take place on:
Saturday 24 October
11:00am to 2:30pm
at Madelvic House
More events to look forward to at Madelvic House include:
Denise Havard, Community Development Manager at EDI, said “We are pleased to support the granton:hub and its programme of arts initiatives and we look forward to receiving their business plan outlining their proposals for future use of the building. Ensuring that community initiatives are supported in the area where EDI are working is key for our wider regeneration plans.”
Demand for a community art space in Granton was identified at an open day in May where local residents put forward their ideas for using Madelvic House. The granton:hub is a group of largely local residents of Granton and surrounding areas with a vision to create a community-led initiative using space at Madelvic House.
Louise Knight, spokesperson for the granton:hub, said: “We are very grateful for EDI’s support with our programme of events at Madelvic House. We’re really pleased that EDI shares our vision for community initiatives which bring people together and offering locally based activities.”
Madelvic House is located on Granton Park Avenue in Granton and was originally built as the offices of the Madelvic Carriage Company. The Madelvic Carriage Company Limited was formed in Edinburgh in 1898 producing electric vehicles and built the first purpose built car factory in Britain. The red sandstone, two storey building is currently owned by Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd and managed as a multi-let office space.
EDI is working with adjoining landowners to deliver a number of major developents as part of its regeneration of Granton, including a new Collections Facility for National Galleries, retail and leisure opportunities along with residential.
If you’d like to get involved with the granton:hub group, or you’d like to find out more, contact Louise Knight: louiseesknight@gmail.com
William Gear exhibition opens this weekend
The story of a former Edinburgh College of Art student who became a highly-acclaimed abstract artist before slipping into obscurity will be remembered at a major retrospective exhibition arriving at the City Art Centre this Saturday.
Featuring around 120 works spanning his colourful career and coinciding with the centenary of his birth, William Gear 1915-1997: The painter that Britain forgot seeks to re-position William Gear in his rightful place as one of the most advanced British abstract painters of his generation.
Following a successful first run at the Towner Art Gallery this summer, the partnership exhibition between Eastbourne and Edinburgh will run alongside Jagged Generation: William Gear’s Contemporaries and Influences, an exhibition drawn from the City Art Centre’s collection which explores the artist’s links to Scotland.
Raised in Methil, a Fife mining community, Gear (self portait, above) studied at Edinburgh College of Art during the 1930s where he was taught by influential figures such as S.J. Peploe, John Maxwell and William Gillies.
He went on to train in Paris under the Cubist artist Fernand Léger before travelling widely during the Second World War, even becoming one of the ‘Monuments Men’ whose job it was to help save parts of Europe’s culture during and after the conflict.
After returning to Paris in 1947, Gear met the avant-garde artists of the CoBrA group and exhibited with them in Amsterdam and Paris in 1949. In the same year his work was shown in New York alongside paintings by Jackson Pollock. He eventually returned to live in the UK in 1950, and continued to exhibit both at home and internationally until his death in 1997.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “How and why William Gear fell into obscurity is quite remarkable. Gear was an artist who was born in Fife 100 years ago, trained in Edinburgh and then went on to create some of the most radical compositions of the 1950s. He was one of the greats of British abstract art and his career and his works tell a fascinating story. These exhibitions cement his place as a pioneer and he is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
William Gear 1915-1997: The painter that Britain forgot has been created in partnership with the Towner Art Gallery where Gear was curator from 1958 – 1964. It traces his prolific career, from his early pen and ink drawings and experiments in colour during the 1930s and 1940s, to his radical monochrome and block paintings of the 1950s and mature works created during the 1960s and beyond.
As one of the first British artists to present screenprints as works of fine art, the exhibition also presents Gear as a printmaker. This exhibition includes loans from The Estate of William Gear, the Royal Academy of Arts, London and The Redfern Gallery amongst many other lenders.
Jagged Generation: William Gear’s Contemporaries and Influences presents a selection of artworks from the City Art Centre’s own collection. This exhibition focuses on the vibrant circle of Scottish artists associated with Gear – his tutors, friends and contemporaries. It was at Edinburgh College of Art that Gear met like-minded fellow students including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Margaret Mellis and Alan Davie, who also made innovative contributions to the post-war art scene.
Gear spent most of his career outside Scotland, yet he retained many Scottish ties and friendships. Jagged Generation showcases Gear’s work within this wider Scottish context, shedding light on his personal and professional relationships, as well as his artistic development.
Find out more at the Council’s Museums and Galleries website
Photography in sharp focus at the Scottish Parliament
World-leading photojournalism takes centre stage at the Scottish Parliament this summer as two inspirational exhibitions are unveiled today.
The World Press Photo (WPP) Exhibition 2015 is an international contest for photojournalists and features 130 moving and thought provoking images taken during the course of 2014. Once again the Scottish Parliament is the only Parliament in the world to host the exhibition.
Michael Peto: Politics in Focus includes photographs by Michael Peto – the celebrated Hungarian-born photographer who witnessed some of the most historic moments of the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition includes a number of unseen photographs of some of the world’s most iconic figures. People who have shaped and changed the way we see the world including Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, Indira Ghandi and Jennie Lee.
Both exhibitions are free to visit and will be on display in the Scottish Parliament’s Main Hall and Burns Room (Committee Room 1) until Saturday 22 August.
The Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP said: “The photographs in these two exhibitions show photojournalism at its finest. The images may be split by decades but what they have in common is their quality and thought provoking nature. They capture moments of time and make us look at who we are and what we do in a different way.
“I am proud that the Scottish Parliament is once again home to remarkable photography exhibitions that offer the people of Scotland the chance to see these images in their Parliament.”
Award-winning actor Brian Cox, Rector at the University of Dundee and Patron of the Peto collection, added: “From humble beginnings Michael Peto grew into an incredible artist and photographer. With an intense interest in the variations of human form he had a talent for capturing his subjects in their natural environment.
“This collection is an extraordinary gift he has left us, so please learn, appreciate, enjoy.”
The Museum of Edinburgh, located on the Royal Mile in a series of 16th and 17th century houses, has unveiled two new interactive exhibits.
The City of Edinburgh Council owned and managed Museum has partnered with Edinburgh-based Insurgent Studios to bring the stories behind some of the city’s treasured artefacts to life.
Designed to faithfully recreate historical locations to provide an original addition to the city’s museum collection, the free-to-enter exhibits blend history and technology to enhance the overall enjoyment of a trip to the Museum.
Visitors can discover the life and times of Edinburgh-born WW1 British Commander Earl Haig, who created The Royal British Legion and raised funds for the welfare of ex-servicemen after the war. A second installation focuses on the Museum’s secret Courtyard which opens to the public for the first time in more than a decade.
The Courtyard has been landscaped with the help of local volunteers and community service workers, and a digital window onto the re-opened Courtyard will allow visitors to view life in the Canongate through the centuries.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Convener for Culture and Sport said: “With the exciting addition of these interactive exhibits and the pull of the popular Greyfriars Bobby collection, the Museum of Edinburgh is going to be a must-visit this summer.
“This digital trial is a first for the Council’s museums and galleries service and will be an exciting opportunity to discover how our cultural offering might be able to use new technology to shape our knowledge of the past. Appealing to visitors of all ages, the hands-on experience will allow anyone with an interest in Edinburgh’s history to physically connect with some of the Museum’s artefacts.”
Craig Hunter, Managing Director of Insurgent Studios, said: “The Council shares our enthusiasm to use the latest technology to enable the telling of old stories in new ways. We worked carefully to put the visitor at the centre of the experience, allowing them to ‘touch’ the objects we recreated in virtual form, to experience the installations at their own pace and in a variety of languages.
“The visitor is rewarded for engaging closely with the collection by the award of ‘achievements’ throughout the experience. Our approach to digital conservation allowed us to work with the team at the Council’s Museum of Edinburgh to showcase some items from the collections which would not otherwise be on display. We believe that these installations will appeal to everyone by literally putting history at their fingertips.”
Insurgent has also launched a microsite to detail the experience of creating the exhibits and using them.
The Museum of Edinburgh is open Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm and in August it is also open on Sundays 12 noon-5pm.
And it’s FREE!
Stuart Herd invites you to his 2015 solo exhibition at the Torrance Gallery, Dundas Steet, which runs to 20th June.
New exhibition celebrates the people behind 150 years of records
A new exhibition telling the 150 year old story of the men and women responsible for Scotland’s public records opens today (19 May) at the National Records of Scotland on Princes Street.
‘Recording Angels: Scottish Registrars since 1855’ uses previously unseen documents to tell the human story behind the millions of documents that record the lives of every person in Scotland.
In 1865, ten years after civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in Scotland, local registrars banded together to form the Association of Registrars of Scotland. The Association is believed to be the oldest society of registrars in Europe, if not the world.
For the past 150 years the Association has worked with the Registrar General for Scotland to help shape modern registration practice, and supported registrars in their work of accurately recording life events of people in Scotland.
The Scottish Government, local authorities and the NHS use the detailed information in order to plan and provide public services. The Registrar General for Scotland oversees the work of local registrars, and the rich archive of registers they create is searchable through the official family history website ScotlandsPeople.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs in the Scottish Government, said: “Thanks to the hard work of forward-thinking registrars, Scotland’s rich social history has been preserved and recorded for the ages. Their work underpins the delivery of vital services by the NHS in Scotland, by the Scottish Government and by local authorities, and has created a rich genealogical resource for everyone to use and enjoy.
“I’m delighted that the National Records of Scotland is marking over 150 years of co-operation between the Registrar General for Scotland and local registrars in delivering a service that directly benefits people in Scotland every day.”
Tim Ellis, Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said: “This year National Records of Scotland celebrates the milestone of 160 years since civil registration began in Scotland, and we congratulate the Association of Registrars of Scotland on their 150th anniversary. We work closely with local registrars and the Association to deliver vital services to the public. We are proud to be part of a unique and historic partnership that creates a resource that is used in many different ways for the public good.”
Shirley Dickie, the Secretary of the Association of Registrars of Scotland, said:“The Association of Registrars of Scotland is proud to be marking 150 years of public service. Our members not only have personal contact with people at important times of their lives, but for 150 years have helped deliver a very highly-regarded registration service, which underpins so many public services that benefit everybody in Scotland.”
The ‘Recording Angels: Scottish registrars since 1855’exhibition can be seen at the National Records of Scotland, General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, 19 May – 26 June, Monday to Friday, 9.00 – 4.30. Free admission.
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
