SCOTLAND’S BEST WEBSITES
Angharad McLaren’s work appears on Central Station
3 CENTRAL STATION CREATIVE SOCIAL NETWORK
thisiscentralstation.com
Launched in November 2009, Central Station is described by its (web) masters as a ‘hub of virtual studios’, allowing people involved in art, film and design to collaborate, make connections and share ideas. Funded by Channel 4’s 4ip fund and a grant from the old Scottish Arts Council, the site encourages users to embrace online technology to enhance their work and share it with new audiences. But this isn’t Bebo with a penchant for letterpress printing; it’s an easy-to-use one-stop-shop for the cream of the creative crop, with collections of arty resources, lists of events and opportunities and portfolio spaces for artists to showcase their skills to the wider creative world. Though it perhaps isn’t (yet) the constantly-used hub its creators wish it to become, it is a beautiful piece of webcraft that deserves to grow and grow. (Lauren Mayberry)
2 BELLA CALEDONIA CALEDONIAN BRAINSTORMING
bellacaledonia.org.uk
Do the name – and the header picture – seem familiar to you? You’re right: Kevin Williamson (the man behind Rebel Inc) and Mike Small (the man behind Product magazine) named their 2007-launched online magazine in honour of the charismatic revolutionary from Alasdair Gray’s novel Poor Things. It’s perhaps a measure of their influence that Gray himself gave them a new version of his
illustration for the site. What Williamson and Small have created is a forward-thinking, distinctly Scottish place for ideas. Although they’re pro-independence, the site has no party allegiance and toes no single line. Excellent articles by contributors including Gerry Hassan, novelist Ewan Morrison and journalist-turned-MSP Joan McAlpine, on everything from Greece to Iain Banks, make a great forum for intelligent debate. (KI)
20 THE LIST 21 Jul–4 Aug 2011