The Edinburgh Reporter February 2021

18 WHAT’S ON
19
CULTURE • LITERATURE • EVENTS • MUSIC • MUSEUMS • ONLINE LEARNING
Book Festival is not standing still
Turning a new page
Edinburgh International Book Festival leaves Charlotte Square
THINK OF the Book Festival and you will
undoubtedly think of Charlotte Square.
Well, not this year.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival
is moving to the Edinburgh College of Art
on Lauriston Place in August. The hope is
that depending on Covid-19 restrictions
at that point, the festival will be able to use
indoor and outdoor spaces for their talks
and readings.
The reason is simply economics. It costs far
too much for the charity to put up the tents in
Charlotte Square, and presumably to pay for
the grass repairs afterwards too.
This was one of the festivals which really
managed to carry on and have some presence
in 2020 with its studios in the city centre and
live sessions on YouTube which audiences
could watch again.
Rachel
Riley
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh
International Book Festival said: “While we are
now experiencing a full lockdown in Scotland
which is challenging for so many people on so
many levels, we very much hope that the
combination of this, together with the ongoing
vaccination programme, will bring the virus
under control by August. While 2020 proved
extremely challenging for the Book Festival it
also opened up some extraordinarily exciting
opportunities. Building on the success of our
online Book Festival we can now announce
that we will be entering into a new strategic
partnership with the University of Edinburgh
that will enable us to inhabit this innovative
space in 2021 with facilities to create events for
both digital and, if circumstances permit,
physical audiences.
“Covid-19 has created a huge tectonic shift
Amazing Amazon home learning aids
AMAZON HAVE some
very interesting online
learning resources for
parents and pupils to help
with learning at home.
These range from Amazon
Maths4ALl with hundreds
of free maths games, apps
and challenges on Alexa, a
maths lesson with
Countdown presenter
Rachel Riley, to fun ways
Edinburgh College of Art
in the way that live events, ourselves included,
can reach their audiences. With in-person
ticket sales impossible to forecast this August,
we simply can't justify incurring the costs of
the tents and infrastructure we'd normally put
into Charlotte Square Gardens. It is highly
probable that most events will take place
online, and the need for broadcast studios is
more likely than large venues for an audience.
“In the grassy courtyard of Edinburgh
College of Art we will, if rules allow, recreate
the elements of the Book Festival that our
audiences love – bookshops, cafes and open
spaces in which to come together safely
offering the ‘oasis of calm’ for which the Book
Festival is renowned. The College offers
excellent studio and theatre facilities for both
online broadcasting and potential events with
a socially distanced audience.”
to learn times tables on
Amazon Fire Tablets.
There is also some
coding for P1-P7 pupils
and for those aged 11 to
16 the Amazon Longitude
Explorer Prize asks for
ideas to help solve some
of the world’s biggest
issues.
There are English
lessons with stories on
Audible and PE with Lia
Lewis who is a British
freestyle footballer.
There’s also help for those
who want to meditate and
clear their minds. And
remember if you don’t
have a PC or a phone then
you can also use a PS4 or
an Xbox One console to
access home learning on
the web browser.
Port of Leith will
persevere for ever
LEITHERS PAST and present are being asked to
share their thoughts about the area as part of a new
lottery-funded project Leith For Ever.
This is an evolving online exhibition which will
feature 100 people, places, objects and events which
represent the independent spirit of Leith.
Launched on the centenary of Leith becoming part
of Edinburgh on 5 November 1920, it takes its title
from a protest banner which read: “Leith For Ever. We
protest against Amalgamation.”
Co-producer Barbara Kerr said: “It’s very much a
community project. We want people to make
suggestions of people, places, stories and facts that
make Leith what it is.
“Leith For Ever will celebrate what makes Leith
special. We want people to comment, make
suggestions and share online - and if any other
groups would like to participate we would love
to hear from them.”
The exhibition is the brainchild of a group of
Leith-based organisations, including Leith Civic Trust,
Yardheads Productions, Leith Festival and Cinetopia.
The idea of presenting One Hundred Days of Leith was
originally suggested by Leith-based Citizen Curator
Duncan Bremner.
SEPARATE COMMUNITY
Duncan Bremner said: “I guess Leith has always had a
different feeling from Edinburgh. In many ways
Edinburgh history is the great and good - the Castle,
the crown, the law - but Leith has always been a
working community so the history of Leith is more
about the social history, of everyday folk.
“The idea was partly inspired by the BBC series
‘A History of the World in 100 objects’. What would
Leith be in 100 things - particularly when you think not
just of objects but of people and places and stories?
“Leith is not just about its history, it is also about its
community and it has a fantastic mix of assets.
“It is a really broad mix and hopefully a project like
this will allow people to talk about the things they
love about Leith.”
Mary Moriarty, known as the Queen of Leith from
her days as a publican, is one of the people who will be
featured in the online exhibition. Mary said: “My
understanding of it is that Leithers have created for
themselves a little piece of land that they call heaven
- and I think the Leither in people does not leave
them. They take it with them to America, they take it
with them to Australia and they come back when they
can. The character of Leithers is stolid, hard working.
When they have their sights set on a goal they will be
working towards it – even if it is just making sure their
children have enough to eat and get to school on time.”
A year of events was originally planned to mark the
centenary of the amalgamation of eight districts into
Edinburgh - but most of the activity has had to take
place online.
www.leithforever.org
Here’s looking at you @chiefkirsty
KIRSTY BAIRD is a whirlwind of energy and has
so many strings to her bow that it quite takes your
breath away. She started the Sing in the City choir
around ten years ago which has now expanded to
incorporate 18 choirs with around 1,000 members.
With her partner Annette, as Hanley and the
Baird, Kirsty recorded Follow the Rainbows last
year which got to number three in the Scottish
chart. Until then she was not aware of the various
charts. But now, having started her own radio
station, Chief Radio, she found that the Scottish
chart had quietly been stopped. One of the
reasons Kirsty set up Chief Radio was to give air
time to those unsigned singers and bands who
made it onto the Scottish Singles chart. It was
built on downloads and physical sales only and
the chart existed since 1991.
Kirsty has now set up a petition to bring back
the Scottish chart.
www.change.org/savethescottishchart
Kirsty was awarded the British Empire Medal
(BEM) in the New Year Honours List for services to
singing, to mental health and to the community in
Edinburgh during the Covid-19 response.
Hanley and the Baird have a new single out
called Looking at You, Looking at Me.
Hansel and Gretel is sparkling anytime treat
SCOTTISH OPERA premieres
Humperdinck’s enchanting Hansel
and Gretel in the latest Scottish
Opera: On Screen, filmed at
Glasgow’s Theatre Royal. The
whole family can immerse
themselves in this modern
adaptation of the classic fairy tale
from Wednesday 10 February at
6pm, via the Scottish Opera
website. Before then, BBC Radio
Scotland will feature audio
excerpts from the performance as
part of Classics Unwrapped,
presented by Jamie MacDougall
on 7 February.
Sung in English, with staging by
Daisy Evans, this vivid and joyful
reimagining of Humperdinck’s
opera tells the heart-warming
story of two children and their
journey from an impoverished
home, into the mystery and
danger of the woods.
Brought to life by Daisy’s unique
staging, with a Christmas-crazed
witch and a shopping trolley full of
sugary sweets and garish goodies,
Hansel and Gretel seem a long
way from their simple family life.
Packed full of charm and
sparkle, this production is an ideal
anytime treat for children and
adults alike, sure to lift spirits and
transport audiences from behind
the screen to a world of hope
and wonder.
Although Hansel and Gretel is
an opera traditionally associated
with Christmas, Daisy’s new
production celebrates the opera’s
joy and hope, that are just as
powerful and relevant whatever
the season.
Let us entertain you
SUNDAY MORNINGS
From 7 February BBC Scotland’s news and
current affairs programming on Sunday
mornings will have a new look and sound
with the launch of The Sunday Show. The
multi-platform programme which will
feature agenda-setting interviews, news
and analysis, will be fronted by BBC
Scotland journalists Martin Geissler
and Fiona Stalker.
The show will air from 10am until
noon with Martin presenting the
first half-hour which will broadcast
simultaneously on BBC One Scotland
and on BBC Radio Scotland. From 10.30am
Fiona takes the helm for the remainder of
the show as it continues on BBC Radio
Scotland. Martin will also join Fiona in the
radio studio, contributing his analysis of
the interviews and the big political stories
as they develop during the morning.
SILENT FILMS
The 10th Hippodrome Silent Film Festival
takes place next month between 17-21
March. Although you will not be able to
enjoy the star studded ceiling at the
Hippodrome, the oldest purpose built
cinema in Scotland, you will be able to
watch the films online. The much
anticipated “The Woman Men Yearn
For”, starring Marlene Dietrich from the
2020 line-up, will feature with the
premiere of a new score by the Frame
Ensemble. The programme includes
international films, guests and musicians,
live Q&As, Silent Film Quiz, Silver Screen
Suppers Cook-along and more. Full
programme and tickets will be released on
16 February.
www.hippfest.co.uk
The Woman
Men Yearn For
A WHILE AT THE MUSEUM
While the museums and galleries are
closed you can’t visit - although there is a
lovely coffee horse box at Modern Two at
Belford which makes a walk through the
grounds there quite appealing.
There are still lots of ways of exploring
the collections at the National Museum of
Scotland. For example, there is a series of
drawing guides to teach you how to draw
a King Penguin. Artist Kayleigh McCallum
shows you how to, no matter what your
age. And on Google Arts & Culture you can
search through the museum’s Grand
Gallery the Roof Terrace, and the galleries
devoted to Exploring East Asia and
Ancient Egypt Rediscovered. As well as our
own museums, there are many other
museums and galleries from all over the
world to choose from.
artsandculture.google.com
SHOW GOES VIRTUAL
The Scottish Caravan, Motorhome &
Holiday Home Show will be a free virtual
event this year. From 27 to 28 February.
www.caravanshowscotland.com