AGENDA
Milican
It has emerged from Glasgow‘s Centre for Contemporary Arts that Nikki Milican’s position as director of performance is by no means secure. Director Jo Beddoe. who took over the running of the Sauchiehall Street arts complex after the collapse of the Third Eye Centre. has decided to ‘redefine‘ the job of Performance Director and. subject to the board's approval. will publicly advertise it when Miliean‘s contract comes up for renewal in July. Milican would be eligible to apply for the new post. but if she did. she would have to accept financial constraints that would take a considerable toll on the ambitiousness of her programmes. Now that Steve Slater has moved to Paisley Arts Centre and Andrew Naim has been appointed Arts Officer at the Scottish Arts Council. Milican is the sole remaining programmer from the Third Eye team. Installed by the SAC to keep the CCA in good financial order. Jo Beddoe is understood to be offering little encouragement to Milican whose programmes such as New Moves (the sell-out annual festival of emerging European dance) and last year’s Young Spain can involve heavy
l !
\f __ _. _> Nell Bartlett: CCA visits? 3 investment with little guarantee of
‘ short-term return. The long-term
‘ benefit is. however. immeasurable. as
' fans of DV8. Neil Bartlett. Man Act and many others will tell you. Such performers did much of their pioneering work under the auspices of
no more
audiences far bigger than the CCA can accommodate.
Should Milican be forced to leave the CCA. the danger is that she will also
leave Scotland. taking with her the : National Review of Live Art and the rare expertise required to make Glasgow the natural home of innovative theatre and dance. it is to be hoped that the arts authorities in Glasgow will retain her talents by providing space for Milican to work. be that inside or outside the CCA. (Mark Fisher)
Ball in the Court
Television presenter Johnny Ball is the new Rector of Glasgow University, taking over from line and Cry singer and outspoken nationalist Pat Kane. When it came to thinking of a number, Ball’s 1,806 votes were well ahead of his closest contenders, barrister Helena Kennedy (843) and poet and playwright Liz lochhead (841).
The 54-year-old’s campaign was undoubtedly helped by the eleventh hour withdrawal from the election of TV’s Taggart, actor Mark McManus. McManos announced his decision from his hospital bed in Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where be Is currently
undergoing tests. Taking his doctor’s advice to ‘take things easy for a bit’, McManus said he did not consider it
which will require a high degree of commitment. ‘
Ball is unlikely to step into the confrontational footsteps of his predecessor, whose time in office was peppered with several headline-
? grabbing incidents, including walking
5 out of an honorary degree ceremony
, for former Conservative MP George
E Younger. Claiming to be ‘totally
j apolitical’, the new rector went on to
2 describe his post as ‘the main
; communication link between the ‘ i students and the council and, if that is 3 missing, then the university cannot
i really function as it should’. (Patricia
i Wilson)
_ Science for all
From beneath the earth to the furthest reaches of outer space. from the digital chips of the latest computers to the workings of the human body — no other event embraces the scientific spectrum like the Edinburgh Science Festival. Between the 10—24 April. the Festival — now in its fifth year and in the capable hands of new Director and Chief Executive Bruce Durie — will bring the conundrums of science and technology closer to the general public by means of a larger than ever range of hands-on
4 The List 12 —25 March l993
cxmoroons. lectures. seminars and workshops.
As a taster for the Festival itself. members of the public can enjoy a family evening at Heriot Watt University‘s Riccarton (‘ampus on Wednesday 34 March from 5—9pm as part of a three—day Science ()lympiad for schools. The evening event consists
Lothian schools project work. a range of workshops. a chance to try out firewalking and a lively talk on the history of technology from ancient Egypt to the modern day by Professor Heinl. Wolff. Further information on this and the Science Festival itself is available on ()31 557 4296.
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of an interactive exhibition. a display of
; Knife laws to % tighten
A new bill, which should come into force this summer, will bring Scots law
; on carrying knives into line with . England and Wales, allowing courts to confiscate weapons after conviction
and fine anyone carrying a blade without good reason up to £1 ,fKKi. The
‘ Carrying of Knives etc (Scotland) Bill,
presented in the Commons by Conservative MP for Ayr, Phil Gallie, has been promised cross-party support. Implements used in connection with work, items of
national dress and folded pocket knives with blades less than three i inches long will be exempt.
the Centre and have grown to command 5
Meanwhile the first stage of
Strathclyde Police’s Operation Blade 2 has come to an end, with 4,569
fair 'to continue running for a position
l weapons surrendered during the
month-long amnesty period. Strathclyde Police are now concentrating on the second phase, which involves increased stopping and searching of men in the 18 to 35 age group who are suspected of carrying knives, particularly in areas where there have been a number of attacks.
around ELMO. (Alan Morrison)
Strathclyde’s Chief Constable leslle Sharp has reassured the public that this move will not bring about harassment of young people in the region. ‘Ko one will be stopped at random,’ he said. ‘People will be stopped on a reasonable suspicion. This is a difficult area for the police, but reasonable suspicion arises from the hour, the behaviour and the place.’ Other Scottish forces are not considering a similar amnesty period at the moment. Chief Inspector Bryan lowrle of Lothlan and Borders Police said: ‘looking at the television, the Strathclyde amnesty seems to have collected a lot of kitchen utensils which anyone could get their hands on.’ Chief Constable Sharp, however, is convinced that Operation Blade will have a long term effect by discouraging young people from carrying knives as a matter of course. In Edinburgh, the family and friends of art student Paul Sheldon, who was stabbed to death near Bruntsfleld last month, have established a fund to offer a reward to anyone supplying information which leads to an arrest and conviction. The victim’s older brother John hoped the money would ‘prompt anyone with information that they have been holding back to come forward’. The sum is thought to be
H
H
llni lab tests condemned
The renewed collaboration between Glasgow University‘s Department of Neuropathology and the University of Pennsylvania's Head Injury Clinical Research Centre. first reported in The List last October. continues to attract the condemnation of animal welfare groups. Edinburgh-based Advocates for Animals has headed a six-month-long protest. which has seen demonstrations in front of the university gates. several public meetings and on-going correspondance with the university‘s principal. Sir William Fraser. The Principal‘s claim that Glasgow is not involved with the mini-pig aspect of the research - which examines the effect of impact injuries on the brains of live animals — and only handles rats and guinea pigs does not excuse the university in the eyes of the campaigners.
‘The overall programme involves four projects which are all inextricably linked.‘ argues Stan Blackley. Advocates for Animals‘ Campaigns Officer. ‘If they‘re involved in one. they‘re involved in them all. What's
happening is that we‘ve got ambiguity of wording. and we're skirting around the fact that we would like to know that Glasgow University is not involved. that members of their staff are not involved — even as individuals — and that their buildings are not involved. The research grant proposal form actually states that all microscopy work will be carried out at Glasgow University. and this has to go ahead because this is the way they got the funding. We want the Principal to tell us: ifGlasgow University isn't involved with the mini-pigs. who is‘."
Advocates for Animals is also concerned over the way that the work is said to be carried out under Home Office guidelines relating to the Scientific Procedures Act (1986). ‘We’d like Glasgow University to tell us how many visits they‘ve had from the Home Office inspectoraie to make sure that their husbandry and procedures are being carried out within this Act.‘ continues Blackley. ‘We reckon that. because the guinea pig work was licensed in the States. it wouldn't be licensed here. We reckon that it goes against the spirit of the 1986 Act and that. had they applied in the UK to do the work on guinea pigs — the removal of the eyes and the stretching of the optic nerves — they wouldn't have been licensed.’
A public meeting in Glasgow's Central Hotel. held on Thursday 1 1 March at 7.30pm. hopes to launch a Glasgow Support Group for Advocates for Animals. which will be able to carry on the campaign at grass roots level. as well as tackle all aspects of animal protection in the Glasgow area. Further details are available from Advocates for Animals. ll) Queensferry Street. Edinburgh EH2 4PG (03] 225 6039).
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