Gray’s School of Art Pre-Degree Show 2015: final year painting students exhibit a broad range of upcoming talent, cutting-edge practice and contemporary takes on traditional methods. Private view tonight, then 10am-6pm daily, Gallery 1, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 20th March 2015.
Tansy Lee-Moir, Eoin Cox and Catherine Lilley: Time Around Trees. Drawings, paintings, carvings and prints celebrating trees, wood and woodlands, from the powerful presence of a veteran tree to the intimate surfaces of trees and the plants and organisms that inhabit them. Private view tonight, then 10am-6pm daily, Gallery 2, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 22nd March 2015.
Rona MacLean and Aileen Grant: No Woman is an Island. Planned to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8th March, No Woman is an Island will include paintings and hand-made prints by Rona MacLean and Aileen Grant, both residents of St Margaret’s House and members of Edinburgh Printmakers. The work will feature Scottish landscapes, fishing huts, seascapes, allotments and natural forms. Private view tonight, then 10am-6pm daily, Gallery 3, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 22nd March 2015.
Word Power Books: Anne Schwan launches Convict Voices: Women, Class and Writing about Prison in 19th Century England. ‘A lively study of the development and transformation of voices of female offenders in 19th century England’. Anne Schwan analyses a range of colourful sources, including crime broadsides, reform literature, prisoners’ own writings about imprisonment and courtroom politics, and conventional literary texts such as Adam Bede and The Moonstone. Crossing class lines, gendre boundaries and gender roles in the effort to trace prisoners, authors and female communities (imagined or real), Schwan brings new insight to what it means to locate feminist (or protofeminist) details, arguments and politics. ‘A sophisticated approach to questions of gender, genre, and discourse in the representation of female convicts and their voices and viewpoints’. Sponsored by the Centre for Literature and Writing, Edinburgh Napier University. 6pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free, all welcome: donations also welcome!
Peeling A Glass Onion: a major solo exhibition of works by Norwegian visual artist and musician Magne Furuholmen: music, film, tapestry, printmaking and large-scale ceramic. 10.30am-5.30pm, Dovecot Studios, Infirmary Street. Ends 25th April 2015.
As I Was Young and Easy: Dylan Thomas – A Lyrical Celebration. Storyteller David Campbell and cellist Wendy Weatherby come together in this joyous evocation of their fellow Celtic poet’s life and wit. The programme connects Wales and Scotland in recalling Thomas’s memorable 1948 visit to Edinburgh and is fresh from a hugely successful performance in the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and can be booked online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.
Rhythms: a joint exhibition of painting and print – 2D and 3D works on canvas, wood and paper – by Soosan Danesh, Tracy White and Mary Walters, three recent Edinburgh College of Art graduates and Society of Scottish Artists members. In this exhibition the artists explore the rhythms of natural and urban environments, Soosan taking the urban surroundings of Edinburgh as her starting point, with Mary and Tracy being inspired by the wild places of Scotland and Iceland. Preview tonight at 6.30pm, then 12 noon-5pm (Thursday 7pm) daily until 15th March 2015, Patriothall Gallery, 1D Patriothall, off Hamilton Place, Stockbridge.
The Travelling Gallery: Design In Motion. The Travelling Gallery’s spring 2015 tour is a collaboration with the new V & A Dundee, taking exhibits, designers and the V & A Dundee team across the country, connecting communities with Scotland’s design heritage and raising awareness of the talent in Scotland’s present-day design industries, inspiring creativity along the way. The exhibition concept, brought to life by DJCAD-trained Gabrielle Underwood, will showcase seven innovative designers currently working with digital technology to push the boundaries of their discipline within games, product, jewellery, fashion, textiles and built heritage. 10am-5pm, Edinburgh Napier University, Colinton Campus, Colinton Road; please note access may be restricted at certain times owing to visiting groups. Also at same times on Friday 13th March at Edinburgh College, West Granton Road. For more information please contact The Travelling Gallery via City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, EH1 1DE, 0131 529 3930 or travellinggallery@edinburgh.gov.uk.
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh: Bursts, bangs and things that go bump in the night – transient astronomy, a talk by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell (University of Oxford). 8pm, Church Centre, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. All welcome: free admission.
Possibilities of the Object: Experiments in Modern and Contemporary Brazilian Art. A group exhibition curated by Paulo Venancio Filho, Possibilities of the Object examines the transitions that have occurred in the sphere of the object in Brazilian art since the 1950s, and the importance of these transitions in the establishment of the hugely influential experimental tradition in Brazilian contemporary art. ‘A celebration of some of the beautiful and artistically radical sculptures with which Brazilian artists have tried to redefine what an art object can actually be’. 11am-6pm, Monday to Saturday, 12 noon – 5pm Sundays, Fruitmarket Gallery, Market Street. Guest curator Paulo Venancio Filho will be in conversation with curator Professor Briony Fer (UCL) tonight 5-6pm: free tickets can be booked via eventbrite here.
Eilidh Muldoon: launch of a new exhibition of artwork by the Illustrator in Residence at Edinburgh College of Art. 8pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.
Storytime: come along and help roll out the Magic Story Rug. 10.30am today and every Friday, Piershill Library, Piershill Terrace.
Jackie Gardiner: A Coastal Tale. Abroath-based painter Gardiner’s distinctively painterly style has garnered her a loyal following and a reputation as one of Scotland’s finest land and seascape painters. Previews 6-8pm tonight and 12 noon-5.30pm tomorrow (Saturday), then 10.30am-6pm Tuesday to Friday, 10.30am-5.30pm Saturdays and 12 noon-6pm Sundays, Union Gallery, 45 Broughton Street. Ends 5th April 2015.
Media Education: Radio City. A media-training day for young people aged 12-24 years. Learn fantastic skills like audio recording, interviewing and more, with special guests from the industry and Media Education staff to help you make your first broadcast. 5-7pm, Media Education, 183 Dalry Road. For more information and to register contact Laura on 0131 313 8900 or email laura@mediaeducation.co.uk.
Edinburgh College of Art Friday Lecture Series: Hayley Newman. 11.30am – please contact ECA to check time and for details of venue.
Lunchtime Concert: Horn Trio. Pamela Turley (clarinet), Neil Mantle (horn) and Gillian Gray Mantle (piano) play Duvernoy Trio No 1 in C major and Tovey Trio in C minor, Op. 8. 1.10pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Free: no booking required.
Masters of Japanese Porcelain: in the late 19th century, new markets and technologies inspired innovation in the Japanese ceramic industry. The finest potters of this period achieved recognition as Imperial Household Artists. This small exhibition focuses on four such individuals. Their most prestigious creations were grand and impressive presentation pieces for the court, but they were also capable of small-scale works for humble enjoyment. 10am-5pm daily, Grand Gallery, Level One, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free.
Vive the (R)evolution: Poems in Translation. Gaelic poet Meg Bateman gives a bilingual reading of her poems in Gaelic and English. Meg has been bringing new qualities to Gaelic poetry since her first publications in the 1990s. Tonight she will both read her poems and discuss her views on languages seen as different media for creation. 7-8.30pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Admission £5 (members £3).
A Winter’s Oresteia. A chilling new adaptation by award-winning playwright James Beagon of an Ancient Greek classic; a chilling story of anger and revenge. For ages 14+: includes violence and some strong language. 7.30pm, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £8/£6 and can be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 560 1581.
Meet the Dogs Trust: an educational talk, a canine story and activities for 5-10 years olds. 1-2 pm, Gilmerton Library, 13 Newtoft Street. For more information call the Trust’s Education Officer on 07920 658 660 or email rachel.bliss@dogstrust.org.uk.
The Sutton Gallery: Eleanor Rees, Lila Matsumoto and Felix Bernstein. An exciting event bringing together two poets – Eleanor Rees and Lila Matsumoto – reading live in the gallery, together with performance and video artist, writer and cultural critic Felix Bernstein via a live video stream. There will also be an opportunity to see the gallery’s latest exhibition. 7pm, The Sutton Gallery, 18a Dundas Street. Free: no booking required. Free refreshments!
Italian Film Festival: curated by Allan Hunter and Richard Mowe, the 22nd Festival opens today. ‘An exciting and diverse line-up of contemporary and classic Italian cinema, including hilarious comedies, insightful dramas, seat-edge thrillers and classics from award-winning directors’. All films are subtitled in English. Today: I Can Quit Whenever I Want (15) ‘This wildly entertaining mixture of Breaking Bad and The Lavender Hill Mob proved the most successful Italian comedy of 2014′. 8.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets can be booked online via the website or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.
Ismael Teira: Argyle Project. Newly-arrived Spanish artist Ismael Teira will investigate the histories of Argyle House, an imposing building belonging to the Brutalist movement, which has recently been transformed into artists’ studios and workshops, and also houses the Interview Room 11 Gallery. Although the primary purpose of Argyle House has changed, there are traces of the previous occupants to be found; documentation, archives, illuminated signs….Curated by Antonio Cervera and Ana G Choucino. Preview 6-8pm tonight, then 2-7pm Wednesday to Friday, 11am-2pm Saturdays, Interview Room 11, Forest Centre Plus, 38 Castle Terrace. Ends 28th March 2015.
Photographs by Mhairi Law: launch of a new exhibition by the current Graduate Artist in Residence at Stills Centre for Photography. Mhairi’s recent work explores how people relate and respond to their home environments, with particular focus on rural communities. 7.30pm, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Steet. Refreshments provided.
