{AROUND TOWN} Listings
✽✽ FREE Detours: Josie Long Tue 9 Aug, 2pm. Inspace, 1 Crichton
Street, 650 2750. Comedian Josie Long explores Ellie Harrison’s installation ‘A Brief History of Privatisation’ as part of arts organisation Trigger’s creative ‘Detours’ in Edinburgh Art Festival venues. See Hitlist and picture, page 87. FREE Meet the Badgers of Corstorphine Hill Wed 10 Aug, midnight. Corstorphine Hill, Queensferry Road Davidson’s Mains, 447 7145. Superstitious types call it the witching hour, but we call it the badgering hour. Explore the wonderful world of these nocturnal creatures in the company of a countryside ranger on Corstorphine Hill. Bring sturdy footwear, warm and dark- coloured (rustle free) clothes. Salsa Dance Night Wed 10 Aug, 6.45pm. £5 (students £4). Harry’s Bar, Randolph Place, 07734 435354. Evening salsa dance classes: one for beginners at 7pm and a further, intermediate class at 8pm. A free taster session is offered from 6.45pm–7pm if you’re not sure.
✽✽ Edinburgh Interactive Thu 11–Fri 12 Aug, 10.30am–4pm. All public programme events free. Radisson Blu Hotel, 80 High Street, edinburghinteractive.co.uk An unusual festival now in its ninth year, celebrating the diversity and inventiveness of video games and other interactive media in Scotland. As well as an industry conference with speakers and networking opportunities, there’s the chance for the public to play brand new games and attend screenings and expert-led seminars. See Hitlist. FREE Skeptics at the Observatory Thu 11 Aug, 6–7.30pm. Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, Blackford Hill, 668 8404. An evening of science and music with speakers from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and music from Sarah Angliss, a musician and engineer who performs as Spacedog, using a theremin, a saw, percussion, various other electronic kit, and even the odd robot helper. Booking essential. See Hitlist.
Exhibitions ✽✽ FREE World Press Photo Exhibition 2011 Sat 6–Sat 27
Aug, times vary. Mon–Fri 10am–5.30pm; Sat 11am–5.30pm. Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Road, 348 5200. The World Press Photo Award highlights the best press photography from around the world, see the shortlisted and winning entries here, depicting the past year on Earth in ways that will shock, enlighten and delight. See Hitlist. FREE Banned Books Until Sun 30 Oct. Mon–Fri 10am–8pm; Sat 10am–5pm; Sun 2–5pm. National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. Interesting exhibition from the National Library of Scotland looking at the history of book censorship, with examples ranging from early Scottish proclamations to Nabokov’s Lolita and even, somewhat surprisingly, the Harry Potter books. FREE Life After Iraq Until Mon 29 Aug, times vary. St John’s Church, Princes Street, 221 2273. Joint exhibition by award-winning photojournalist Angela Catlin and writer Billy Briggs, who travelled to Syria to document the plight of some of the millions of Iraqis now living there, having fled the conflict in their homeland.
Fairs & Markets Edinburgh Antique Fair Sat 6 & Sun 7 Aug, 10am–4.30pm. £5 Sat morning, otherwise £3. Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 335 6200. An excellent selection of antiques and vintage items. FREE The Bethany Grand Art & Book Sale Sat 6 Aug, 10am. Morningside United Church, 15 Chamberlain Road, 447 8724. Vast charity jumble sale featuring vintage/antique and contemporary artworks, prints, posters, art supplies and a large selection of books. FREE Morningside Makers Market Sat 6 Aug, 11am–4pm. Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, 447 7404.
88 THE LIST 4–11 Aug 2011
Boutique craft and design market.
✽✽ FREE An Edinburgh Zine & Small Press Fair Sun 7 Aug, noon–5pm. The Forest Café, 3 Bristo Place, 220 4538. Multimedia performance troupe Zorras takes over the Forest Café and turns it into a bookshop for the day, featuring rare and hand-made zines, chapbooks, books, CDs and other ephemera. The fun continues into the evening with readings and performances from writers.
Food & Drink Edinburgh Farmers’ Market Sat 6 Aug, 9am–2pm. Castle Terrace, 652 5940. Local quality produce. FREE The Food Market & Tinker Tailor Sat 6 Aug, 10am–2pm. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. A weekly local shop for Leithers in search of quality ethical goods including food, drink and household items, or some help giving a new lease of life to broken objects. FREE Berry Festival Sat 6 & Sun 7 Aug, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2909. Taste some berries and find out why they’re so good for you with a few family-friendly interactive activities. Food on Forth Mon 8 Aug, 7–10pm. £15. Forth Floor Brasserie, Harvey Nichols, 30–34 St Andrew Square, 524 8350. A showcase of seasonal food and drink, held in conjunction with Foodies magazine. On offer are masterclasses in seafood and cocktail preparation, summer recipes, a summer punch to sample and goody bags for all. Sport Malungos Capoeira Classes Fri 5 Aug, 6.30–8.30pm, Tollcross Community Centre, 117 Fountainbridge, 07850 942259; Nelson Hall Community Centre, 5 Spittalfield Crescent, 07850 942259, Mon 8 & Wed 10 Aug, 7–9pm. £4.50. Friendly classes, open to all, in the Brazilian cultural art form that mixes martial arts, dance and music. Suitable for all abilities and ages 10+.
Auld Reekie Roller Girls
EMC Tests 2011: Scotland v Ireland Sat 6 Aug, 2.15pm. £10 (£5). Murrayfield Stadium, Roseburn Street Murrayfield, 0844 335 3933. The last games for both home and away sides before heading to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup, so although it’s a friendly, competition will be stiff. FREE Joseph Pearce’s Jogging Club Tue 9 Aug, 7–8pm. Joseph Pearce’s, 23 Elm Row, 556 4140. Weekly running club following the very best kind of route: one with a bar at each end. Talks FREE Artist Talk: Ian Davenport Thu 4 Aug, 5–6pm. Edinburgh Printmakers, 23 Union Street, 557 2479. One of the artists involved in Edinburgh Printmakers’ festival exhibition talks about the work on show, as well as his artistic practice more generally. Artist’s Talk: Hiroshi Sugimoto Thu 4 Aug, 5–6pm. £5 (£4). National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto gives a rare talk about his own work. FREE Dürer and Italy Fri 5 Aug, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Dr James Lawson talks about Albrecht Dürer’s intellectual, cultural and spiritual quest for knowledge and mastery of his art. FREE Raiding the Icebox: Artists Working with Collections Sat 6 Aug, 2–4pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Arts consultant Bryony Bond leads a discussion on the ways contemporary artists engage with museum collections. The panel includes Ilana Halperin and artist Nick Evans. Charles Jencks Sun 7 Aug, 6.30pm. £15. Jupiter Artland, Bonnington House Steadings, Wilkieston, 01506 889900. Landform artist, architect and polymath Charles Jencks offers an insight into the concepts behind his unique landforms, to complement his gallery show and to celebrate the completion of the ‘Cells of Life’ at Jupiter Artland. He’s also reading
from newly launched book, The Universe and the Landscapes. The Views from the Looms: Tapestry Weaving at Dovecot Studios Mon 8 Aug, 10.30am. £8. Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South, 529 3963. In the run-up to the centenary of the building, weavers Naomi Robertson and Jonathan Cleaver give an insight into the history of Dovecot Studios. Includes a tour, coffee and cake. FREE Pioneer Moderns: The Camden Town Group Mon 8 Aug, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Crime writer Patricia Cornwell once identified painter Walter Sickert as the absolute stone- cold certain candidate for the real identity of Jack the Ripper – a peculiar accusation given that Sickert was apparently in France during at least four of the murders. It probably came from Sickert’s sardonic relish for urban squalor; Robert Upstone of the Fine Art Society discusses the artist and the Camden Town Group of proto- modernists to which he belonged. FREE Work of Many Hands: Tony Cragg’s Distributed Craftsmanship Tue 9 Aug, 12.45–1.30pm. National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Craft theorist and historian Glenn Adamson discusses the sculpture of Tony Cragg. Workshops Saturday Life Drawing Class: Morning and Afternoon Sessions Sat 6 Aug, 10.30am–12.30pm & 2–4pm. £12 (£10). National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Artist Graham Flack leads this drawing workshop; learn how others have portrayed the human figure, and then practise drawing from a life model. Materials are supplied: suitable for all levels of experience. Digital Print Workshop Wed 10 Aug, 10.30am–1pm. £35 (£30). Edinburgh Printmakers, 23 Union Street, 557 2479. Bring along some photographs to turn into prints using the software, resources and expert knowledge of Edinburgh Printmakers. Ages 14+.
If the constant cultural stimulation is all getting a bit fey, why not take a relaxing break as Edinburgh and Glasgow’s finest sk8r girls knock seven shades of stuffing out of each other? Towards the end of the month they’ll be doing it all over again, taking on the Stuttgart Valley Roller Girlz in the first ever European Fringe bout. Oh, and in case you thought it was all muscle and grunt, there will also be a charity bake sale at each event. Aw. arrg.co.uk ■ Meadowbank Stadium, 226 0000, (Auld Reekie Cannon Belles vs Glasgow Maiden Grrrders) 6 Aug (Twisted Thistles vs Stuttgart Valley Roller Girlz), 20 Aug, 2pm, £5.