GLASGOW UFE listings
GLASGOW LIFE LISTINGS continued
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
Art Gallery a Museum. Kelvingrove Argyle Street, Glasgow, 287 2699. Mon—Thu & Sat lOam-Spm; Fri & Sun 11am-5pm. Free. This fine example of late Victorian architecture houses a permanent collection of work by such names as Rembrandt, Botticelli, Whistler and Cadell, plus numerous historical artefacts and animal displays. See Glasgow Art listings page 84 for temporary exhibitions.
Burrell Collection
2060 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow, 287 2550. Mon-Thu & Sat 10am—5pm; Fri & Sun 11am-5pm. Free. Sir William Burrell’s world famous collection of beautiful art objects from around the globe, housed in a specially designed, award-winning building.
Fossil Grove
Victoria Park, Glasgow, 287 2000. Daily noon-5pm. Free. Glasgow’s oldest tourist attraction, designated as a site of special scientific interest by Scottish Natural Heritage, provides interpretative displays and the opportunity to examine geological specimens dating from 350 million years ago.
Gruesome Glasgow
Meet at Tourist Information Centre, George Square, Glasgow, 772 0022. £5 (£4); children £3. Daily 7pm. Witness tales of torture and terror on the streets of Glasgow as an expert guide takes you on a tour of the city’s cruel past. Also
runnin is the ‘Ghosts And Ghouls’ tour (daily m).
Hunterian Museum
University Avenue, Glasgow, 330 4221. Mon-Sat 9.30am—5pm. Free. Dating from 1807, the Hunterian is Scotland’s oldest public museum — it lost its artworks in 1980 with the opening of the purpose-built art gallery in the grounds, but it is still home to a collection of the university’s treasures.
Museum Of Transport
Kelvin Hall, 1 Bumhouse Road, Glasgow, 287 2720. Mon-Thu & Sat lOam—Spm; Fri & Sun 11am—5pm. Free. A museum crammed with buses, trams, fire engines, ships and other paraphernalia, devoted to the history of transport. Permanent exhibitions include a large mural by David McFarlane, an interactive sculpture by Stephen Healy, and Victims Of Transport by Justin Caner. Also showing: Urban Transport: The Future and Designing Women. See
EDINBURGH LIFE
Glasgow Art listings page 84 for temporary exhibitions.
People's Palace 8: Winter Garden Glasgow Green, Glasgow, 554 0223. Mon-Thu & Sat lOam-Spm; Fri & Sun llam-Spm. Glasgow’s best-loved institution underwent a major facelift to celebrate its centenary year, resulting in new thematic displays featuring Visions Of The City and Crime And Punishment. See Glasgow Art listings page 84 for temporary exhibitions.
Scotland Street School Museum Museum Of Education, 225 Scotland Street, Glasgow, 287 0500. Mon-Thu & Sat lOam—Spm; Fri & Sun 11am—5pm. Free. Designed in 1904 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and now home to archive material on education in Scotland from 1872 onwards. Reconstructed classrooms give a flavour of Victorian, Edwardian, World War II and 1960s school days. See Glasgow Art listings page 84 for temporary exhibitions.
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life And Art
2 Castle Street, Glasgow, 553 2557. Mon-Thu & Sat 10am—5pm; Fri & Sun 11am-5pm. Free. A museum of world faiths, featuring a Zen garden, priceless art works from the world’s six major religions, Dali’s Christ 0] Saint John Of The Cross and the story of religion in Scotland through words and pictures. See Glasgow Art listings page 84 for temporary exhibitions.
Main photo caption:
Festival Fun in Easterhousa What kind of festival is it? It’s the East End Festival, part of Glasgow 1999 City of Architecture and Design. Does that mean it will be all about buildings? Far from it. It will take a humorous look at the role of designers and image-makers and much more besides. Like what? Well there’ll be fun and frolics with Mischief la Bas, music from Radio Clyde, a cafe and lots of kids’ activities. And it all wraps up at 4pm? Not quite, if you’ve got any energy left there will be some lighting surprises at dusk, and then you can catch the outdoor film. An outdoor film in Easterhouse'l Absolutely, at 7.30pm there will be an outdoor double-bill screening of old Glasgow footage followed by that
rennial favourite, Grease.
ellhouse Festival Day Sat 23 Oct, 11am—4pm. Free. Wellhouse Central, Wellhouse Crescent, Easterhouse. 287 7191.
MR 8: MRS GREAT BRITAIN Sat 23 Oct. £10. SECC. Finnieston Quay. 287 7777. Meet the missus - body building pros pump, crunch and strut their stuff in a bid for glory.
92 THEUST 21 Oct-4 Nov 1999
Scottish International Storytelling Festival
When was the last time you sat down and let someone transport you to another place and time purely with the sound of their voice? If you were sitting cross-legged on a classroom floor or trying to avoid bedtime with 'one more book' then maybe it's time you took a fresh look at the ancient art of storytelling. Now in its tenth year, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival has been hugely instrumental in keeping the tradition not just alive but flourishing. The enormous cultural diversity of the festival has meant that images of Arran jumpers, long beards and rocking chairs are a thing of the past.
As festival director Joanna Bremner says, 'Tales range from traditional Gaelic stories passed down from father to son over 600 years, to storytellers in the stand-up tradition telling humorous contemporary anecdotes.’ That said. the intimacy of the art is important and the idea of people gathered round a fire on a cold winters night is still relevant.
"I’ he storytellers prefer an intimate surrounding, where there's plenty of eye contact and no division between storyteller and audience' says Bremner. 'They paint a picture and hypnotise you into their stories.’ The informality of the occasion continues after the event, when the storytellers can often be found in the pub next door, happy to discuss the origin of their tales or hear some of yours.
Taking the many influences and uses of ‘light’ as its theme, this year’s festival features 36 storytellers from as far and wide as Norway, California, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Orkney and Skye, and incorporates the festivals of Hallowe'en. Diwali, Celtic New Year and Chanukah. And although many of the, events can be enjoyed by children and families, Bremner is at pains to point out that it‘s definitely not just kids' stuff:
‘The storytellers are very adaptable, selecting and adjusting the tales to suit their audience. People take a story and make it their own - an old traveller might tell a story in a very different way to a young storyteller'.
And it's that adaptability that keeps the tradition alive, allowing modern references to creep into three hundred year old stories: 'T here are no books and no prompts. the storytellers relate the tales from memory and although the basic narrative remains the same, the story is evolving all the time.’ (Kelly Apter)
I The Scottish International Storytelling Festival runs from Fri 29 Oct-Fri 12 Nov at the Netherbow Arts Centre and various venues throughout East and Mid/othian and Fife. See listings for details.