The revolution doesn’t tell you “believe”! It tells you –“read”!

Fidel Castro

Aida Bahr, a leading figure in Cuban culture, is to speak on

Culture and the Cuban Revolution as a guest of the Faculty of Hispanic Studies at Edinburgh University.

Ms Bahr is a prize-winning writer of fiction, literary criticism and

screen writing, who hails from Cuba. She has been the director of the Oriente Publishing House, based in Santiago de Cuba, since 1998. A

member of the National Union of Writers and Artists, she is one of

the organisers of the Havana International Book Fair. She also

lectures on Caribbean and Latin American literature written by

women.

Hispanic Studies guest lecture

Friday 10th September

Faculty Room South,

David Hume Tower,

George Square, Edinburgh

6.30pm

The programme of courses and drop-in classes at Thomas Morton is now available and courses will go on sale on Saturday 4^th September from 10am. There’s something for everyone from ballet to hip-hop and classes for young dancers too. Classes commence week beginning Monday 27^th September.

There will be free taster classes on Thursday 23^th September (17.30-19.30) and Saturday 25^th September (11.00-13.00) will give potential dancers the chance to try out our classes and the venue. A grand launch party and ceilidh will kick things off in style on Friday 24^th September from 18.30.

Dance Base @ Thomas Morton Hall is located at:

Thomas Morton Hall

28 -30 Ferry Road

Edinburgh

EH6 4AE

t 0131 225 5525

e dance@dancebase.co.uk

w dancebase.co.uk

EDINBURGH PLAYS HOST TO SCOTLAND’S FIRST EVER

Global Commemoration of 9/11 attracts leading Scottish musical talent

With few able to articulate in words the horror of the 9/11 atrocities in New York, the world turned to music to express the inexpressible, and the September Concert phenomenon was born. This year, Scotland will, for the first time, join more than 200 countries in this global day of ‘music for peace’ with a special evening of music, free to the public at the capital’s Festival Theatre.

Headlined by acclaimed Scottish choirs, InChorus and the Lothian and Borders Police Choir (absolutely my, ahem, favourite choir in the world – the editor) the concert on Saturday September 11 at 7.30pm will also include exclusive performances by The Gospel Truth Choir; singer and songwriter, Fish; and Big Country’s Bruce Watson along with son, Jamie. The event – compered by Grant Stott – holds particular significance for the Lothian and Borders Police Choir ( did I mention I liked them?) due to the large number of police officers, fire-fighters, paramedics and other rescue services involved in the immediate and long term aftermath of the terrorist attacks. They have (with InChorus) been invited to represent Scotland at the same event in New York next year at the tenth anniversary commemorations at Ground Zero. Such a venture has led to ambitious ‘From Queen to Manhattan’ and ‘From 999 to 911’ fundraising campaigns to enable them to travel to the USA to sing.

Andrew Russel, Musical Director says: “It is an honour to be hosting Scotland’s first September Concert here in Edinburgh, representing as it does our country’s compassion for the lives lost in 9/11 and support for the incredible work of the emergency and volunteer services. We’re delighted that The Gospel Truth Choir, Fish and Bruce and Jamie Watson are giving their time and musicianship to this cause, and it will be a very poignant evening to remember.”

Both choirs will perform a ‘flash choir’ stunt in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile on Friday 27^th August at 8.15pm to raise awareness for The September Concert, transforming from Fringe crowd to choir within a few bars of music.

All September Concerts are free entry, and tickets are available now from the Festival Theatre box office on 0131 529 6000.

The Degree Show 2010

Saturday 21-Sunday 29 August 2010; Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm, Friday-Sunday 10am-5pm

Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place

EdinburghEH3 9DF

Admission Free
Tel: 0131 221 6000 / www.eca.ac.uk/

Degree Show Filmhouse Screenings

Film Directing: Tuesday 24 August, 8.30pm

Edinburgh Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 8BZ

Tel: 0131 228 2688

W: www.eca.ac.uk

Detail: Naebody sits in papa’s seat – Lewie Wickstead

Edinburgh College of Art is presenting an eclectic exhibition of work in its 2010 Postgraduate Degree Show opening on 21 August 2010, for one week. Forty-seven UK and international students graduates will exhibit innovative photography, cutting edge design, and creative endeavour with art that is inspired by the world around us. A strong theme through this year’s postgraduate work is that of the students’ reflections, research and interpretations of Scottish life, landscapes and culture. During their time at the College postgraduate students research their interests to develop work taking inspiration from their own experiences, current affairs, the visual and audio aspects of the world around them and even their experiences of coming to College.

Scale sized Edinburgh Police Box Museum

Tom Mason, MA Interior Design, from Maryland, USA, is fascinated by the many former police telephone boxes in Edinburgh and was struck by the architectural structure and potential of the space within the box were it much larger. His to-scale replica of a police box, entitled Lilliputian Museum Matrix is an example of the collection of miniature museums he envisages inhabiting Edinburgh’s police boxes. His inspiration for the museums is taken from the cabinets of curiosity of the classical era, with each police box housing a succinct collection of Scottish artifacts, ranging from Sir Walter Scott’s printing type, to the Lewis Chessmen. The box on display is divided into two halves inside: one half is solid and carved away with metal type settings suspended in the air and the other side is made out of negative space with wooden type settings. The duality and printing theme reflects Edinburgh’s old and new towns and Sir Walter Scott’s novel Waverley which itself contrasts the Scottish highlands and the lowlands.

Revive Chair to treat SAD

When coming to Scotland for the first time, Chuang, Meng-Jung, noticed how different the Scottish weather and light is to that of her native Taiwan as soon as she arrived to study an MA in Product Design and used this inspiration to research and develop a prototype ergonomic chair to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Meng-Jung would like to see her chair in doctors’ surgeries for communal use and in the home where it would be a beautiful piece of designer furniture inconspicuous of its function.

Scottish Collectors and their Collections

The work of American Suzanne Delaney, MA Photography, developed from portraiture into photographing strangers in their Scottish homes. Suzanne soon became interested in the way that people decorate their homes and the objects they choose to surround themselves with, particularly collectors and the meaning of the object pertaining to a specific person. Her striking portraits range from a nine-year-old boy with his Star Wars toy collection to a woman with various ceramic fish adorning her bathroom.

Glass inspired by the Scottish landscape

The work of Jeremy Doar, MA Glass, who won the 2009 Warmglass Newcomer’s prize, translates his desire for solitude and ephemeral beauty within the mountainous Scottish landscape. Inspired by the rugged scenery, ever-changing light, weather and seasonal shifts, his greatest influence has been the mist high in the hills. The surrounding features are rendered ambiguous, vibrating within the flowing cloud and confusing the senses. There is a feeling that one is in the middle of nowhere. Jeremy considers glass to be an ephemeral medium due to its inherent light refracting qualities and he exploits this in his beautiful work.

Music and the visual arts

Another theme running through the exhibition is that of music and sound represented in the visual arts. Lindsey Warner Fyfe, MA Painting, grew up in a family of musicians and using intuited compositions and colour choices, she has created a series of works on paper and canvas that investigate a range of traditions including theories of music, harmony and traditional work songs. She has also been influenced by Harris Tweed and American quilt production, travel, maps and topography, and the history of modern painting itself.  A musician herself, Lindsay participates in folk music sessions in and around Edinburgh.

Sound and the visual arts

Swasti Jhavar, MA Graphic Design has always been fascinated with sight and sound and how they collaborate to establish a better experience and this is reflected in her work with sound being seen and visuals heard. Swasti, being a person who visualises before acting, wondered whether she could work with both these elements and portray one using only the other. Her work portrays sound on print, through shapes, colours and layers.

Other interesting exhibits include Sian Phillips, MFA Sculpture, who likes to offer hints that nudge the viewer into creating a story about the objects left before them. In her piece In the balance [Materials: scales, wood, Formica, chalk, gloves], the battered box on the bottom is scratched and scarred as well as possessing two large holes either side. This could represent a journey such as cargo from a ship. The object suggests it has a history. The scales are balanced carefully but left, why? Are the gloves lost property? Sian creates a scene and the viewer sees remnants of an event or situation. The viewer is invited to be a detective to link the items together.

Julia Paton, MA Illustration, is the 2010/11 Artist In Residence here at the College and her illustrations have been used in greetings cards for Paperchase and others for many years; now her postgraduate study has been predominantly informed by the duality of roles as a mother and illustrator: Influencing her passion for the theoretical analysis and practical application of children’s picture books. Julia is currently involved with The Alnwick Gardens, Northumberland as the Organic Artist and her research investigations and observational drawings have been extensively documented through a selection of sketchbooks, most notably ‘An Illustrated Alphabet’. Julia is showing a selection of illustrations indicative of her explorations into sequential picture book imagery, utilising anthropomorphic characters based upon an autobiographical narrative.

Hang is the title of the collection by Katie Wood, MA Fashion. Her collection has developed from working within Fashion Visual Merchandising. The designs are concerned with how fashion garments are displayed for sale, and how much control a designer can have over the retail or gallery display of their designed product. Katie sees the garment hanger as playing a huge part in the display of a garment and how it is viewed, yet the waste of the garment hanger in the retail industry is huge. This has led Katie to think about the garment hanger as a multi-functional necklace accessory and the potential to consider the display accessory alongside the design of the garments.

Kirsty Sumerling, MA Jewellery has developed work from research into transient beauty and impermanence. Combining shards of decay with contemporary structure highlights the contrast between the indeterminate results of patina and the controlled process of workmanship. Intrigued by the effects of time and decay, especially places and objects that have fallen into a state of disrepair, Kirsty explores this condition in enamel playing with both control and unpredictability. Structures frame embedded patina and change within a surface, indicating that a transformation has occurred over a period of time. This collection focuses on the beauty of surface decay and the resulting work appears as a series of snapshots of surfaces frozen in time.

Visitors to Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Degree Show 2010 will have the opportunity to discover new designers, painters, animators, photographers, sculptors, illustrators, film-makers and jewellers in a creative and exciting exhibition environment. Images of exhibits are available to view online at: www.eca.ac.uk/degreeshow2010 The exhibition will take place in the Main Building and in Evolution House on West Port .

Back then I lived in Pitlochry and the last train was at 7.30pm, so I had to back myself to get off with a local girl in a nightclub (usually Bubbles in Leith) at very long odds, or sleep in the boiler room at Waverley station. The downside of the latter was that I emerged in the morning looking like Al Jolson, which, even then was a little un-politically correct. The upside was I was such a regular I used to get a morning call from the station staff. And once even coffee and croissants!

Best memory? A night on the batter with Johnny Vegas and, bizarrely, one half of the Everly Brothers – he had fallen out with his sibling. Best gag? Always Stephen Wright, I had to leave one of his shows after half an hour because I had a stitch and I couldn’t breathe: “Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn’t happen.” Tip for this year? Enda Walsh’s Penelope at the Traverse.

That beacon of bonhomie in Leith – Tapa: Barra y  Restaurante – has opened a new outpost on Hanover Street

First, let me tell you a story that tells you all you need to know about the dedication, commitment and by definition cussedness of head chef, though I feel sure she would prefer cook, Jian Wang. No, wait a minute let me tell you two. When she appeared on Gordon Ramsey’s F Word, it was recommended to her, by the gnarled one himself, that she go with the ubiquitous dumplings (remember them?) as her sole main dish, she chose, uniquely, to present three different dishes, her ambition was her undoing, and I for one applaud her for that. The second story, perhaps apocryphal, has her breast-feeding her infant child whilst dexterously working the wok in the nascent days of the original Chop Chop, true or false? Who cares…it’s a beautiful image. Nurture and succour, what more could you wish from a meal?

The new addition, not the child the restaurant, is sardined into the rack of identical glass units that abut Commercial Quay – hello International Starters, Bond No 9 and what does that say? Oh, The Kitchin. Inside all is practical and canteen like – give or take the spangley red table tops – then Roy King (Jian’s other half) breezes forward. “Alcoholic drink is free,” he pronounces, “We don’t have a licence.” (Spoiler alert: this state of affairs may have changed by the time you read this). He is a charmer is Roy, order taken, a crate of Tsingtao beer delivered table side, a little potted history, a few touches that can only be personal to you, all in the midst of the mayhem that attests to the resounding success of this new venture.

First up, peanuts and silverfish, a Chinese riff on the bar snack. Don’t worry it’s not those primordial little silverfish bugs that eat your books, these silverfish are closer to what the Basques call angulas or baby eels. Be warned, they are very moreish. Fried aubergine doesn’t look appealing, it comes to the table slathered in oil and soy, bible black and looking like a curse. Not so, it has that lovely, savoury, unami thing going on…or as Brillat-Savarin called it, a hundred years before science decreed we had a ‘new’ taste, osmazome. Aromatic tea eggs are wonderful they taste exactly like that waft of scent you get when you walk past a Chinese supermarket. Even a simple dish of fried string beans is elevated by the last minute addition of lemony Szechuan pepper.

We are, mercifully, seated on the other side of the large restaurant from a table of twenty food bloggers – cameras flash and moleskine notebooks snap open and shut. From time to time they remember to eat and seem appreciative. As are we, cumin lamb looks uninspiring but tastes wonderful. Studded with roasted cumin seeds, the depth of flavour is such that you wonder by what alchemy the kitchen has turned lamb into mutton. Crispy northern beef comes in what I would call a sweet ‘n’ sour sauce, except it bears little relation to the incendiary pink gloop beloved of takeaways everywhere. Miraculously the batter retains its crunch in a wonderfully sticky sauce. A clean tasting, almost raw, potato, coriander and, I would guess mirin, salad, acts as the perfect palate cleanser.

On a return visit, a scant hour ago, a beautiful 5 or 6-year-old girl is polishing tables with great concentration…this turns out to be the baby I mentioned earlier. Her name, she spells it out, is Sophia and now she is taking notes. “How is your food?” she asks, scribbling furiously as I answer. “The slow fried garlic cloves dusted with chilli and cumin are a delight, the redfish is cooked perfectly but I could have done without the gravy and the spicy beef is good if you avoid the whole chillis. So a gold star and two silver stars for your mum.” She looks at me thoughtfully. “My mum’s famous,” she says, before galloping off. To finish, sugar string apple, a proper sharing plate that leaves a delicious toffee and sesame seed brittle tarmacadamed to the plate. Let’s hope that Sophia hasn’t volunteered for dishwashing duties.

Score: 16/20

Chop Chop

78 Commercial St, Commercial Quay,
Edinburgh EH6 6LX

t. 0131 553 1818
w. www.chop-chop.co.uk

To kick off the celebrations, there will be a family fun day on Saturday 28 August when Emmerdale’s Lucy Pargeter – aka ‘Chastity Dingle’ – will get the party started signing autographs and having her picture taken – HOPEFULLY – with yours truly. From 10am ‘Chastity’ will be giving out £1 vouchers, which shoppers can exchange for get ready for this… a two litre bottle of milk!

The family fun day will offer shoppers plenty of ways to win Poundland goodies. Shoppers can take part in the ‘checkout challenge’ where £100 worth of Poundland vouchers will be given away throughout the day. The fun continues all day – it says here -with Poundland’s in-store DJ and ‘entertainer’ who will be giving away balloons and sweets and getting the crowds, ahem, excited!

Poundland sells an array of products at just £1. The range includes top brand essentials including Mr Muscle, Cadbury, Weight Watchers, Colgate and Kodak.

Poundland’s Trading Director, David Coxon, says:  “We are delighted to bring our unique proposition to Leith.”

So there you have it, an irresistible shopping experience…

Meryl joined the group from Twycross Zoo in October 2008 and with Kiko from wild stock, keepers were keen to try and get a new blood line into captive collections as well as a sibling for Diego. As Lorna Hughes, Head Keeper for Primates at Edinburgh Zoo said, keepers are delighted with the newest arrival: “After the sadness attached to Diego’s birth we are thrilled that this time around this youngster will have its mum to rear him and we’ll have less sleepless nights. For Diego, it is good for him to see the normal rearing process within the group environment and also for him to have a new playmate.”

Found in the Forests of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, the black howler monkey’s name comes from its loud territorial calls – the volume of which is increased thanks to an enlarged bone in the animal’s throat making a ‘howl’ audible from two miles away. For the first few months, mother and infant are inseparable and the infant remains firmly attached to mum. As the baby becomes bigger, the keeper who discovered the new arrival will then choose a name for him. Infants are born with their coats a buff colour like their mums. They remain this colour until they reach sexual maturity and males will then turn gradually black. It is likely that once the infant reaches this age he will then move on to a new animal collection where in turn he may start his own family.

Photo: RZSS