Tag: Out of the Blue Drill Hall

Unique and Inimitable: Out of the Blue is 30 years old!

Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust is celebrating 30 years of life in Edinburgh.

Springing from nowhere (hence the name!) into a small gallery space in the centre of Edinburgh in 1994, Out of the Blue now enlivens and animates six buildings in Edinburgh, including the A-listed Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Leith and the iconic Bongo Club in the city centre.

Since 1994, over two million people have come through our doors to work, create, exhibit, perform, eat, drink, dance, teach and learn. 

Our creative projects and valuable social initiatives benefit thousands of individuals, and many organisations and communities. Collectively, these ventures are making a significant contribution both to people’s quality of life and to the provision of opportunities in the creative industries for emerging and established artists. 

Why commemorate the 30-year milestone?

We worked hard to give birth and sustain our vision (some would say against all odds). Our creative ventures,  collaborations and achievements to date are worthy of attention. 

We also want to express our gratitude to those individuals and organisations who played a significant role in ‘making it happen’.

How are we commemorating?

On the 30th May 2024 associates from the world of arts and crafts, politics, education and press will gather at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall to sample performance, music and visual art which is representative of our 30-year history.

Throughout the rest of our 30th year, we will showcase 30 events illustrative of a history of many collaborative partnerships. 

Rob Hoon, Out of the Blue Chief Executive said: “Out of the Blue is unique and resists classification. Our buildings are not simply artists’ studios, or ‘creative hubs’. Our spaces reflect a model that has developed and been sustained over 30 years, hosting a hybrid of arts, participatory education, enterprise, creativity, and community development.

“There is cross-fertilisation between these areas which support individuals and collective initiatives. This in turn has economic, health and educational benefits for individuals and the local community.”

David Stevenson, Chair of Out of the Blue Board of Directors said: “In an increasingly challenging landscape for arts and cultural organisations, Out of the Blue is a 30 year-success story.

“A social enterprise, we have developed a sustainable business model with creative and cultural activity at its core. We are proud to be a part of the communities that make use of our spaces, and as we celebrate our anniversary we also celebrate the stories of every person who has passed through our doors to ‘do their thing ”

Ally Hill, Managing Director of The Bongo Club said: “The Bongo Club has been pushing the boundaries of the Edinburgh scene since 1996.

“Through the loyal support of the community (and the Council), it has now overcome threats to its existence on three occasions and its third incarnation occupies the cavernous, basement spaces below the Central Library, on Cowgate, since 2013. 

The Bongo Club continues to welcome world-class, international talent.

“With a street-wise, level-headed attitude and an international reputation, the Bongo currently operates primarily as a nightclub, albeit one that also hosts regular live events suited to its low ceilings and underground feel. 

“Many a rising star has played a live gig at the Bongo, with recent stand-outs including Self Esteem and Kae Tempest.”

Out of the Blue: 30 years as a Creative Development Organisation

Each Out of the Blue building has a creative purpose in its own right, but collectively they drive the growth of the Creative Industries in Edinburgh and Scotland by providing opportunities for employment, education and enterprise.

The buildings provide spaces for studios, workshops, classes, exhibitions, music practice, recording, performance, rehearsal, events, meetings, theatre, music, visual arts, architecture, designers, screen printers, social enterprises, jewellery makers, and more. 

As a local organisation that sprung up from grassroot, Out of the Blue has made a significant impact on the city of Edinburgh and the communities we work in, as well as contributing to Scotland’s Creative Industry infrastructure. 

Our mission to find and develop creative spaces, and to evolve as a sustained social enterprise with multiple branches, is something worth celebrating! 

Throughout our 30-year history we have seen many success stories from those using our spaces to bring their creative vision to life; including 

  • 1994: Creating a DIY arts organisation and a gallery space in a shop space in Blackfriars Street, Old Town Edinburgh
  • 1996:  Move to New Street followed by the creation of the Bongo Club 
  • 2000: Initiating and awarding ‘Tap Water Awards’ as a cheeky response to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Perrier Award 
  • 2003: The purchase and refurbishment of the (now A listed) Drill Hall in Leith – now filled with creative activity visited by over 100,000 people each year
  • 2003- present: Providing studio space for artists and organisations that are some of the most successful and vibrant in the city. Out of the Blue accommodates over 200 artists in studios including 50 organisations/SMEs and designers, film companies, events companies, painters, theatre companies, photographers, ceramicists, textile workers, printmakers and musicians
  • 2005: Initiated significant community based initiatives involving young people in a creative project to transform the local park. An outcome of those initiatives was the involvement of many participants in training and employment opportunities at the Out of the Blue Drill Cafe 
  • 2015 to present: Created Out of the Blueprint as a risograph print studio, based in the OOTB Drill Hall. RISO printing is a low-cost, eco-friendly print process, using only vegetable inks and 100% recycled paper, with a unique aesthetic.  
  • 2017 to present: Transformed Abbeymount Techbase into a centre of imagination and enterprise for 50 artists and hundreds of participants, as Abbeymount Studios for craft and design in the old school at the top of Easter Road. 

 In total Out of the Blue run:

– 5 public spaces for a combination of studios, performance, rehearsal, music, exhibition, projects, events, classes, workshops, markets, cafes and clubs. 

– 4  enterprises; The Bongo Club, The Out of the Blue Drill Hall cafe, Out of the Blueprint and Out of the Blue Abbeymount Studios for craft makers.

– The A listed Out of the Blue Drill Hall 

  • A studio base for over 100 artists
  • An arts venue for local, national and international artists and others to create, teach, learn manage and perform visited by a total of 100,000 members of the public per annum
  • A Market venue for artists and local traders 
  • The Drill Hall café, a resource for the local community and a training project for young people with 73,000 customers per annum

– The Bongo Club. Performance venue including live music, club, theatre, spoken word/poetry, film/video art, dance and comedy, practice and workshop facilities.

To find out more about Out of the Blue, please take a look at our dedicated webpage. 

Community Cinema screenings across the city

City Council supports Community Cinema Hubs Project

granton:hub is leased to announce details of the Local Cinema film programme taking place across community hubs in Edinburgh.

The Local Cinema film programme has been funded by the City of Edinburgh Council via the Creative Community Hubs Network, which brings together eight building-based hubs who are engaging with their local communities in creative ways across Edinburgh.

This is the first shared creative programme produced by the hubs network to date, in a pilot project entitled the Community Cinema Hubs Project that is hoped will be extended more widely across Edinburgh into the future.

Check this link for the full programme: https://www.whalearts.co.uk/community-cinema-hubs-project/

Please contact screening venues directly for more information and to reserve tickets for all other individual screenings.

granton:hub will be showing The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o198HdWc998)

on Thursday 30 November (7pm).

An eventbrite booking link will be made available later on in October. There will be limited spaces due to the capacity of the venue.

Community Event: How Are You, Leith?

Dear Friends, We invite you to join us for our upcoming event on Sunday 22nd of October.

Як Ти, Leith? (How are you, Leith?) is sponsored by £eith Chooses.

We would like to bring together the Ukrainian and Leith communities.

The programme will include:

📌 A selection of traditional Ukrainian art workshops for both children and adults

📌Traditional food and refreshments would also be offered during the event.

📌Some live performances by Ukrainian singers,

Edinburgh Ukrainian choir “Oberih”

Dance ensemble “Kvity Ukrainy”,

Ukrainian children choir “Harmony” and more

Please, come, bring your family and friends 🇺🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Edinburgh Community Food AGM

TUESDAY 10 OCTOBER 11.30am – 1.30pm

at OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL, DLAMENY STREET

You are invited to our 2023 AGM on Tuesday 10th October 🍓🍓

Where: Out of the Blue, Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh

When: 11.30am – 1.30pm

We’d be delighted if you can join us to hear all about what we’ve been up to over the past year. A light lunch will be provided at 12pm.

Please book a place here: https://edinburghcommunityfoodagm2023.eventbrite.co.uk

We hope to see you there!

Last chance to see Spartans Alternative School’s art exhibition

The FREE Create to Escape Exhibition is open at the Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street until TODAY – Friday 8th September!

Hurry – this excellent exhibition closes at 2pm!

PICTURES David Bishop/ArtSquat

Create to Escape: Spartans Alternative School art exhibition

The young people who attend Spartans Alternative School are excited to share with you their up and coming art exhibition CREATE TO ESCAPE

Where: Out Of The Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG

When: 5th – 8th September 2023

Exhibition and coffee shop

Open daily 10am-5pm Friday 10-2pm.

The collection of collaborative work by the Young people attending the Alternative School at Spartans Community Football Academy explores the interaction between art, mental health, social identity, and personal perception.

Through spray painting, film, sculpture, design, music, and photography, young people take art outside the curriculum to create space for escapism and well-being within their sometimes hectic and stressful days.

You will also get the chance to see CONCRETE JUNGLE, a film written and directed by the young people and filmed and edited by Rory Easton. This was a collaborative project with writer in residence, Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Chris Barkley.

Sales from the Exhibition will raise money for the charity Turn The Tables DJ, which offers workshops to improve mental health for those affected by homelessness

This exhibition has been possible with the support from ArtSquat, a charity that supports artists on low income to  showcase their work.

We are very excited to see you there!

Create to Escape Exhibition

Out of the Blue helps support Leith’s young people make the transition to high school

  • Now in it’s third year P.A.L.S! Summer scheme has helped support over 100 young people make the transition from primary to secondary school
  • A collaboration between three youth arts organisations based at the Drill Hall
  • P.A.L.S! returns to the Out of the Blue Drill Hall from Monday 24th to Friday 28th July

 Monday 24th to Friday 28th July sees the third P.A.L.S (Play and Learn Stuff!) Summer Scheme return to the Out of the Blue Drill Hall!

Started initially as a response to the pandemic, the scheme was designed to help young people get back outdoors, off their screens and enjoying new experiences within a safe and supportive environment. 

Specifically targetting children aged 11 – 13 in the Leith area, the free scheme provides a circuit breaker from technology, a chance to re-engage with others and participate in the arts.

Since its inception, the P.A.L.S Summer Scheme has helped over 100 children learn new skills and gain confidence prior to starting secondary school.

First established in 2021, it’s a collaboration between three youth arts organisations, all based in the Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Leith: Out of the Blueprint, Strange Town Youth Theatre and All or Nothing.

As in previous years, the three partner organisations will deliver a free activity based on their specialist art form.

The scheme has evolved since its inception and following feedback from parents and children. After taking part in the scheme many parents recognised increased confidence and resilience in their child in preparation for moving to high school.

Feedback from children (2021 & 2022)

“I learnt how to use the printer. I learnt how to be a better actor. I learnt how to be more creative and not hesitate to try new things! Thank you!”
“Was I nervous about coming along? Obviously! The three new things I learnt this week was how to get on a hoop, how to make new friends and how to get up high by spinning in a cocoon!”
“The best bit was doing things I haven’t done before”
Feedback from parents (2021 & 2022)

“We were so impressed by the whole experience (name) had. Thank you!”
“My husband and I were delighted (name) attended all week because she loved the activities and managed to chat to people she didn’t know. The experience helped increase (her) confidence and independence.”
“Please do something similar! It really built her confidence that she tried something new.”

Project Manager, Johnny Gailey, says: “We initially started the scheme as a way to support young folk who had missed out on transition activities that helped them make the step up to big school due to Covid.

“We’re very proud that it’s now part of our annual summer offer of activities for children in the area.  Whilst the pandemic is over, this generation continues to feel the long tail of Covid and it’s effects and we believe activities that support the development of their social skills and confidence will stand them in good stead as they progress to high school.” 

The P.A.L.S! Summer Scheme takes place at the Drill Hall from Monday 24th to Friday 28th July. Further details can be found on the Out of the Blue website.

Exciting new exhibition comes to the Drill Hall

Celebrating the work of resident artists and makers

  • Outside + In exhibition – Monday 15th to Saturday 20th May
  • Exciting FREE exhibition showcasing the work of Drill Hall residents
  • Featuring 14 artists and makers from paintings and illustration to jewellery. 

Out of the Blue Drill Hall is excited to host an exhibition showcasing the work of 14 of its resident artists and makers, from painters and illustrators to jewellery makers and printers. 

Organised by resident visual artist Felicity Inkpen, the exhibition, Outside + In, will run from Monday 15th to Saturday 20th May (10am to 5pm), with an opportunity to meet the artists on Wednesday 17th May from 5:30pm to 7:30pm..

The artists of the Drill Hall have collaboratively designed the exhibition, and are excited to invite the local community, family and friends to marvel at their creations.

With so many artists taking part, there really is something for everyone. Artists include abstract painter and surface pattern designer, Catherine Lazcano-Thornton. She is inspired by the love of colour and seasonal change, using acrylic paints and a combination of mixed media to create textures and marks.

Tom Duncan of Twin City Pictures will be showing his photography at the exhibition. He specialises in providing industry standard headshot and showreel material to actors, as well as creating marketing posters and social content for theatres.

The poster for the exhibition was designed by resident, and exhibition organiser, Felicity Inkpen. Practicing and exhibiting as an artist since 2012, she draws on her experience as a working research scientist to inform her contemporary works that attempt to explore and communicate all the strange ways in which the mind works.

Felicity comments: “Out of the Blue Drill Hall is such an important space within the creative community of Leith. The artists and makers within its walls work incredibly hard, and to be able to display their talents in this showcase is a joy.

“After a difficult few years, Leith feels like a very exciting place to be, creatively. I hope that anyone who is curious will come to see the exhibition, and to find out more about the creators in this space.” 

Details of the Outside + In exhibition, as well as a list of participating artists and makers can be found on the Drill Hall website.

Forest Bound art exhibition opens today at Out of the Blue Drill Hall

We would like to invite you to the opening of Forest Bound – adaptation, resilience and uncertainty, a Community Group Exhibition of artwork and more, created as part of Forest Bound, a public engagement project.

Please see the event details below. Everything in wonderful The Out of the Blue Drill Hall !

The project 🌱🌱🌱

Forest Bound is a project working to engage ethnic minority groups in Edinburgh with forest landscapes by using arts approaches grounded in environmental science. The project aims to create spaces so communities underrepresented in nature can engage with forest environments, while bringing attention to their experiences and values. We organised forest walks and a workshop session. Find out more about the activities by watching the short film produced by Written in Film.

Forest Bound is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and is a partnership between the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), artist Tamsin Grainger, and Written in Film.

The exhibition 🌱🌱🌱

This multi-media, multi-sensory and interactive exhibition includes collage, painting and drawing, film by Written in Film, sound, recipes, and an experience of the smell and touch of the Scots Pines and fungi found in the Autumn in Scotland.

The groups were interested in, and learning about, how we, as part of nature, share the ability to adapt, maintain resilience and manage uncertainty. Created by people who live in Edinburgh, including members of the Chinese, Syrian, and Polish communities, in this exhibition you will be surrounded by the infectious laughter that comes from walking together in such special places.

Evening opening event 🌱🌱🌱

The evening opening of the exhibition is on Thursday 16th of February 2023, 6pm – 8.30pm.

The venue is Out of the Blue Drill Hall (Main Hall) in Edinburgh (EH6 8RG). See how to get there here.

We encourage you to bring along others with you to the evening opening and share the invitation with your network.

Please note the exhibition is cost-free and will be open to all from Tuesday 14th of February 2023 until Saturday 18th of February 2023 (inclusive), so if you are unable to attend the evening opening you can visit during normal opening times these dates (10am – 5pm Tuesday-Friday, 10am – 3pm Saturday).