Milk and Honey? Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show. Original artwork and jewellery for sale, with all proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Support. The show launched in 2003 and has raised over £140,000 for the charity to date. Over 120 artists will exhibit, including Norman Ackroyd, Trina Bohan, Aileen Grant, Rona MacLean, Cat Outram, Sheena Fleming Phillips and Jack Vettriano, plus ten jewellers, including Angela Boag and Caroline Temple. 10am-7pm today, 10am-4pm on 28th, 29th and 30th August, Bonhams, 22 Queen Street. Free admission.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Writers at the Fringe: every Thursday throughout the Fringe, Blackwell’s invites a selection of Scottish performers to give a taste of their work. New and unpublished works of literary art stand alongside established novelists, with any and all genres free to be expressed, from poetry to cutting-edge drama, folk music, contemporary fiction and all that is found between. Tonight’s line-up is Michael Cannon, Malacky Tallock, Carol Fox, John Mackay and Andrew O’Hagan. 5.45pm for 6pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8229, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk, via eventbrite here or from the Fringe Box Office here.
St Mary’s Cathedral Lunchtime Recital: Oksana Mavrodii (soprano) and Anna Mavromatidi (piano). 1.10pm, St Mary’s Cathedral, Palmerston Place. Free.
The Chalmers Ensemble: the horn and string quartet returns to the gallery to play works by Mozart, Hoffmann and Rebay. 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.
Cameo Big Scream: screenings exclusively for parents and carers with babies under one year old. Membership of the Big Scream Club is free (ask at the Box Office) and lasts until your baby’s first birthday. Today’s film is Casablanca (U) starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. 10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets are at the usual matinee price (babies admitted free), and may be purchased in person, by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.
Escher: A Mathematician’s Eye View. Ian Stewart, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics (University of Warwick) looks in simple, non-technical terms and with many illustrations, at the relationship between Escher’s art and mathematics, and explores applications of these mathematical concepts to the real world. No specialist mathematical knowledge is required, just an interest in visual patterns. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Edinburgh Book Fringe: daily events – all of them free (donations appreciated) – for two weeks at Word Power Books, Edinburgh’s independent radical bookshop. Today: writer and academic Penny Johnson (Birzeit University, Ramallah) and Palestinian writer, lawyer and human rights activist Raja Shehadeh discuss their new book, Shifting Sands: The Unravelling of the Old Order in the Middle East, which brings together fifteen impassioned and informed voices to talk about a region with unlimited potential and yet which can feel ‘as though the world around me is on fire’. ‘This intelligent, reasoned perspective on life in the Middle East is a breath of fresh air’. 1.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. All welcome! No booking required, but arrive promptly as space is limited.
Meet the Glasshouse Staff: find out more about this stunning collection of plants from the people who care for them. Every month meet a different member of the indoor horticulture team, each with different specialist knowledge. 1-2pm, Glasshouses, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Free with Glasshouse entry (£5/£4, children under 5 and essential carers free).
Phill Jupitus Sketch Comic in Conversation: each Thursday evening during the festivals, Phill Jupitus will be in conversation with a special guest – a passionate, personal and irreverent look at art, a chat about what Phill has seen in the galleries this week, and possibly some sketching! The guests’ identities will be announced nearer the time. 7-8pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Edinburgh Art Festival – Spotlight Tours of Scottish Art: People, Places, Ideas. Guided tours of the City Art Centre’s Scottish Art collection, focusing on people, places and ideas. 11am or 3pm, (meet at reception) City Art Centre, 2 Market Street. No booking required, free – suggested donation £2. Also at same times on Saturday 29th August 2015.
Made in Prague: the New Czech Cinema UK Tour 2015. The biennial UK showcase of contemporary Czech cinema is back for the fifth time, with five titles capturing the country’s dramatic past and its influence on contemporary life and culture. Today’s film is Nowhere in Moravia (Dira u Hanusovic) (15), Miroslav Krobot’s humorous debut focusing on eccentric characters living an isolated life and looking for love. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be obtained from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 6382 or online: prices vary.
The Big West Fest: Together Enjoy Being Together. The latest play from the WHALES without a Cause drama group is set in the resort of Hailes Castle. It’s always been a popular spot for holidaymakers looking for cheap drink and fun times, but how will its new upmarket appearance go down with the regulars? And what is the shady manager Rupert up to? 7pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Also at same time on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th August, with an additional show at 2.30pm on Saturday 29th. This event is part of The Big West Fest, WHALE’s on-site festival offering a programme of free performances and activities from today until Saturday 29th August for anyone over the age of 16.
The Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival: the only event run both by and for the television industry, celebrating the creativity, diversity and inspirational talent in the field, and debating the major issues facing the industry. Today: (1) At 6pm, Hand of God – an Amazon Original Series. A psychological drama about a morally corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown and believes God is compelling him onto a path of vigilante justice. The screening will be followed by a Q & A session chaired by Andrew Collins, with series creator Ben Watkins, director Marc Forster and cast members Ron Perlman, Dana Delany and Alona Tal. (2) Doctor Who: The Magician’s Apprentice – a chance to see the opening episode of BBC1’s new series, written by Steven Moffat, produced by Peter Bennett and directed by Hettie Macdonald. The screening will be followed by a Q & A session with guests to be announced later. Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be obtained from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 6382 or online: prices vary.
Guilty As Sin: 9pm, The Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent.
JUST Festival: Moving Minds: A Community-Led Dialogue/Workshop. Gypsy/Travellers and MECOPP (Multi-Ethnic Carers of People Project) will lead this interactive workshop – a chance to dispel myths and promote dialogue. This seminar should be of relevance to all who are interested in looking at their own policies and practices with regard to minority groups, and especially to those who work with carers. 12.30pm, St John’s Church, Princes Street. Free but booking is essential and may be made by emailing donna@mecopp.org.uk. Read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article on the JUST Festival event Gypsy Travellers – Has Time Run Out? here.
