frontlins
Gillian Wearing
Artist Gillian Wearing taps into people’s feelings. On video, Wearing records private thoughts and intimate revelations of anonymous individuals. Shortlisted for this year’s Turner Prize, Wearing’s work IS on show as part of a new exhibition, Tales From The City. It is the first show at Edinburgh’s Stills Gallery since its fl million Lottery and match-funding enlargement and refit. Tales takes a look at real-life 90s fantasies and adventures in the urban setting. Alongside Wearing is work by famed London artists Tracey Emin and Georgina Starr, and from Glasgow’s Roderick Buchanan and David Shrigley. (Susanna Beaumont)
Tales From The City is at Stills, Edinburgh Sun 5 Oct—Sat 22 Nov. See Art preview, page 83.
2 THE LIST 12-25 Sept 1997
Tom Baker
The actor who — armed with a broad-brimmed hat, an impossibly long scarf and a crumpled bag of jelly babies — saved the universe every week from Daleks, Cybermen and hordes of other low-budget alien lifeforms, Tom Baker was Dr Who. He was the fourth actor to play the Timelord, taking over from Jon Pertwee in 1974. Baker recorded 178 episodes, spanning seven years. In October, the actor will be travelling up and down Britain to promote his autobiography, Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? His memoirs are an entertaining account of an extraordinary life. For example, he trained to be a priest, served in the army, and was labouring on a London building site when he was offered the role of the Doctor. Baker’s prose is by turns eloquent, bawdy and full of surreal humour, while always remaining immensely readable. Highly recommended. (Scott Montgomery)
Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? is published by HarperCo/lins at f I 7. 99. Tom Baker appears at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Tue 7 Oct, and Waterstone’s, 755 Sauchieha/l Street, Glasgow on Wed 8 Oct.
Shehallion
'Nothing on this scale has ever before been mounted in Scotland or about Scotland,’ is the proud boast of Mike Rowland, producer of Shehallion. A timely extravaganza of music and dance, the show cost £1 million to mount and features 56 performers, including Hazel Ann Crawford (foreground) as Sciatach, Warrior Queen of Skye, plus members of the fearsome, Glasgow- based Wallace Clan as her bodyguards, twenty dancers, ten singers and five drummers. Directed by Glaswegian actor John Murtagh to a score by 25-year-old Scot Douglas Whyte, the piece explores Scotland's myths and legends in a frenzied post-devo celebration. ’Sheha/lion reflects the pride and passion of the Scottish nation and should not be missed,’ insists Rowland. Anyone wishing to dispute this should refer the matter to Ms Sciatach and her pals.
Shehallion is at the new Armadillo building of the SECC, Glasgow, Wed 8—Sat 26 Oct.