Play Bus

The Play Talk Read Bus is in Edinburgh this week: enjoyable learning and fun for pre-school children and their parents and carers. There are games and activities and a Bookbug session upstairs, all facilitated by friendly Play Leaders. Today the bus will be at Moredun Library, Moredun Park Road 10am-1pm and 2-4pm. It’s free and all are welcome.

Damian Callan Pop-Up Gallery: new drawings and paintings, framed and unframed work by the Edinburgh-based figurative artist and art teacher. Damian will give a demonstration of his drawing and painting techniques at 2pm daily, and his new book Paint Like Renoir will be available to purchase. There will also be a bargain box! 10am-6pm today, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May, with a private view 6-9pm tonight, The Art Club, Brandon Terrace (next to Coffee Angel), Canonmills. The exhibition will be available to view online here from 8th May.

Sikkim cover

Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom. Andrew Duff launches his new book about the tiny Buddhist kingdom that survived the British empire only to be annexed by India in 1975. The last king of Sikkim, Thondup Namgyal and his American wife, Hope Cooke, sought support for Sikkim’s independence, but as tensions between India and China spilled over into war in the Himalayas, the kingdom became a pawn in the Cold War in Asia in the 1960s and 70s. As the world’s major powers jostled for regional supremacy, Sikkim and its ruling family never stood a chance. Based on interviews and archive research, together with the re-tracing of a journey that the author’s grandfather made in 1922, this is ‘a thrilling, romantic and informative glimpse of a real-life Shangri-La’. 6.30pm, Looking Glass Books, 36 Simpson Loan, Quartermile. Free but please RSVP to events@birlinn.co.uk or call 0131 668 4371.

Running Under Bridges

Running Under Bridges: a new exhibition arising from an ongoing collaboration between Professor Raymond MacDonald (Head of Reid School of Music) and Josephine Ganter (Lecturer, Edinburgh College of Art). By co-authoring a series of original prints and musical compositions, they test the possibilities of images as conductors of sound and sound as a compositional tool for images. Raymond and Josephine’s process starts with hand drawn ‘grids’ and photographs, which then form the basis for the development of more intricate images that will later become graphic scores for musicians to perform – as well as being artworks in their own right. Opens tonight with a live performance, then 10am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, 12 noon-5pm Saturdays, Talbot Rice Gallery, Old College, South Bridge. Further live performances will take place throughout the exhibition; the next one will be on Saturday 16th May at 3pm. Exhibition ends 23rd May 2015.

bookbug 3Bookbug: for young children and their parents and carers. 10.30-11am, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North. Also at same time on Saturday 9th May 2015.

blackwell'sBlackwell’s Edinburgh and Mariscat Press Present Lindy Barbour Where You Start From and Eveline Pye Smoke that Thunders: the launch of two first collections of poems by new writers. Lindy Barbour was born in Orkney, grew up in Fife, now lives in rural Lanarkshire and teaches Counselling and Psychotherapy at Edinburgh University; Eveline Pye was born in Glasgow, worked in the Zambian copper industry, then taught statistics at Glasgow Caledonian University. Both writers have been encouraged by Liz Lochhead, who will introduce this event. 6.30-8pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERALGBT Women’s Wellbeing Group: an inclusive group offering the chance to meet other LGBT women in a relaxed environment. Chat, info and activities promoting health and wellbeing. The group is open to all LGBT women and also welcomes transgender people who identify primarily as women. Today: Goodness Gracious – a relaxed evening of health and nutrition tips and advice, including a Q & A session with a qualified nutritionist. 6-8.30pm – please contact Alison Wren at alison@lgbthealth.org.uk or on 0131 652 3283 for details of meeting place, and to be added to the group’s email list.

leith school of art header

Leith School of Art Open Days: visit the school to hear about its courses and see the students in action. Short presentations will be given by course leaders and there will be a chance to ask questions. Today’s presentation will be on Contemporary Art Practice (1.30pm) at the St James Campus, and both campuses will be open to visitors 10am-3pm. Leith School of Art, 25 North Junction Street. The School has independent status; its courses are structured around set projects and personal work, with a high staff: student ratio. If you would like to arrange a portfolio review with a tutor, please contact the school in advance on 0131 554 5761.

withered hand at summerhallNothing Ever Happens Here Presents Withered Hand + Woodpigeon + Eyes of Others. Withered Hand, aka Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter Dan Willson, released his second album New Gods (with contributors including Belle & Sebastian, Frightened Rabbit and The Vaselines) this year. Over 18s only. 8pm-1am, Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £10 and may be booked here.

interior of st bavo's church haarlem at ngsIn Focus: Interior of St Bavo’s Church, Haarlem, 1648, by Pieter Saenredam. Saenredam specialised in painstakingly detailed views of the interiors of Dutch churches – his painting of St Bavo’s Church is the grandest he ever produced. Art historian Andrew Paterson explores the sophistication of the picture’s construction, and asks what meanings this depiction of virtually empty, whitewashed sacred space may have held for its 17th century viewers. 12.45-1.15pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

alan chapman anomaliesAnomalies: abstract painter and printmaker Alan Chapman presents a new series of paintings, exploring disparate forms coming together and drifting apart. Private view tonight 7-8.30pm, then 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday, 11am-5pm Sundays, Gallery 2, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 24th May 2015.

genesis at st margaret's house

Genesis/Group Show: curated by Steven Hood, Genesis will tease out connections between the natural world, scientific theorems and art practice. Private view tonight 7-8.30pm, then 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday, 11am-5pm Sundays, Third Floor, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 24th May 2015.

James Kelman: A Lean Third (Tangerine Press). The renowned author launches his latest short story collection, which contains stories that were originally published in Lean Tales (1985), alongside the work of Alasdair Gray and Agnes Owens. The majority of the eighteen stories have been substantially revised by the author, and in a ten page afterword written specially for this edition, Kelman gives revealing insights into the background of many of the stories, his lifestyle at the time, and his writing methods. ‘A slim book with the literary weight of an anchor’ (Phil Miller, The Herald). James Kelman has long been regarded as one of the finest fiction writers in the world; he has won numerous awards – including the Booker Prize – and continues to be a huge influence on Scottish literature. 6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free; all welcome – donations also welcome!

eleanor symms blood linesWe(e) Object/Jewellery Designers: this exhibition will celebrate the diversity of the art form of small objects and jewellery, with a particular focus on concept, experimentation and materiality – a diverse and experimental showcase of small-scale mixed media works by UK-based contemporary artists and jewellers. Private view tonight 7-8.30pm, then 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday, 11am-5pm Sundays, Third Floor, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 24th May 2015.

the wee oneThe Wee One: writer/performer Philip Rainford’s first full length stage play focuses on an older couple, Marie and John, and their grown up son Danny, who persists in living with them. ‘A heartwarming and original story about the tragi-comic circumstances of their situation’. Director Alan Tomkins and a cast of five talented local performers have come on board to stage the play’s premiere performance in Edinburgh’s newest licensed studio theatre. 7.30pm (box office opens 7pm), DISCOVER 21, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Tickets cost £5 per person and may be purchased in advance from Brown Paper Tickets here (transaction fee applies), or on the night (sta). Also at same time on Saturday 9th May 2015.

simone weil conference poster

Simone Weil: A Visionary for our Time. A talk and forum about the life and thought of the French philosopher, mystic and political activist. The talk will be followed on Saturday 9th May by a conference about Weil. The facilitators of these events will be Dr Timothy Baker, Professor Zenon Bankowski, Elizabeth Drummond Young, Dr David Levy and Professor James Williams, and the Chair will be Brian Smith, former Scottish Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh. 7-9pm (registration 6.30-7pm), Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. Admission to the talk/forum only costs £5/£3 (concessions)/£1 (students). For more information please contact Neil Walker on 0131 331 4469 or at mesp2015@hotmail.com, These events form part of The Edinburgh International Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace Festival 2015.

moniaive folk festival posterMoniaive Folk Festival: here’s the first of this week’s chances to get away for a day – or even three! The Moniaive Folk Festival offers a rolling programme of performers at various venues, plus workshops, concerts, cabaret, a ceilidh, singarounds and (free) children’s events. Moniaive is in Dumfries and Galloway, 16 miles from Dumfries and ‘One of the coolest villages in Britain’ according to The Times. Tickets may be purchased for the whole weekend or individual events: more information, line-up and booking options may be found here. The festival ends on the evening of Sunday 10th May 2015.

ullapool book festivalUllapool Book Festival: …and here’s the second, though this one is definitely more of a weekend trip! This volunteer-run festival brings together writers from the local area, Scotland and further afield – this year’s line up includes John Glenday, Jen Hadfield, Val McDermid, Louise Welsh and Christopher Brookmyre. Ullapool Village Hall (a few sessions take place at another venue – see programme), Market Street, IV26 2XE. Tickets may be purchased online here or in person at Ullapool Bookshop, Quay Street and The Ceilidh Place Bookshop, West Argyle Street, all subject to availability. For more information please email info@ullapoolbookfestival.co.uk or call 07754 83 59 35. The festival continues on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th May 2015. ‘The Ullapool Book Festival is marked in my diary with a gold star’ (Louise Welsh, Honorary President).

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