SPRING 2010 The official magazine of Edinburgh’s Festivals
Festivals magazine
the power of
imagination Science Imaginate &
in this issue:
curtain call
The curtain is raised on the hotly-anticipated theatre season
THE kids are cool Lots to do in Edinburgh this spring and the word of the day is family
spirit of the wild
The Science Festival presents a spectacular free exhibition by award-winning photographer Steve Bloom in St. Andrews Square this spring
Festivals ignite your inner curiosities
Festivals magazine
Premiere issue Spring 2010
contents
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Director’s Letter ................................................ 4 Festival highlights ............................................. 7 Pursuits .......................................................... 10 Edinburgh International Science Festival ............ 20 Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival .................. 24 Festival Moments .......................................... 28 The Lightbox .................................................. 36
Scotland’s Curtain Call The 2010 edition of the award-winning Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival features a bedrock of homegrown Scottish talent—and the kids can’t get enough.
Festivals magazine CONTACT US
We welcome all comments, questions, submissions and distribution enquiries. Please write to us at: info@edinburghfestivals.co.uk
festivals edinburgh
4 East Market St., Edinburgh, UK, EH8 8BG + (44) 0131 529 6763 www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk
PUBLISHER Lumsdon design
21/9 Dunedin St., Edinburgh, UK, EH7 4JG + (44) 0788 161 4734 www.chrislumsdon.com
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Neighbourhood Watch
The Spring has Sprung
When Edinburgh is illuminated by Festivals, the neighbourhoods shine brightest.
Exciting Festival news, perspective from the scientific world, inspirational family theatre and how best to tackle your summer Edinburgh Festivals experience.
CONTENTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
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Power of Imagination Edinburgh’s performing arts festival for children and young people has established itself as an indispensable part of the international theatre scene.
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A Family Affair
The Big Thinkers
A Scientific Approach
Festival Moments
Imagination lives in Edinburgh: expand your family’s Festival experience into a greater tour of the creative city centre.
Reality is reconsidered by a selection of the world’s best and brightest thinkers and speakers.
In Edinburgh, the best way to experience the International Science Festival is to roll up those sleeves and stir that grey matter for yourself.
A unique and intimate look at some quintessential Festival moments in Edinburgh.
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
DIRECTOR'S LETTER
romancing the festivals Letter from Festivals Edinburgh Director Faith Liddell
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elcome to the Festival City. Whilst the intoxicating diversity and sheer volume of festival activity seduces hundreds of thousands of art-lovers every August, Edinburgh is a year-round festival city. The joys of Spring are enhanced by two wonderful festivals of which the city is immensely proud. It’s an especially exciting time for families and young people. This magazine is your invitation to make the most of the Edinburgh International Science Festival (April 3-17), where tens of thousands enjoy the chemical, electronic and technological stimulations of the world’s first and Europe’s largest public celebration of science and technology. A pop-up 7-floor interactive Science Museum, breathtaking natural history photography and incredible talks and keynotes from the world’s best scientific minds and thinkers are just some of the treats in store. Shortly afterwards, in May, Edinburgh plays hosts to the UK’s largest performing arts Festival dedicated to children and young people, the Bank Of Scotland Imaginate Festival (May 10-16). It’s an inspiring time, as families enjoy theatre and performance exclusively created and selected for young people. For many, it’s a first introduction to live performance – and, we hope, an enjoyment of art, performance and storytelling that will last a lifetime. The stars of the show are not only on stage – the city itself plays a lead role in any Festival trip. The dramatic contours, the historic buildings and streets, its innovative new architecture, its awe-inspiring
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We’re proud to present to you the first edition of Edinburgh Festivals Magazine, featuring inspiration from across our beautiful, creative city and all the information you’ll need to explore the start of the 2010 Festival Season landscapes. Our Festivals inhabit the spectacular permanence of all these things, illuminates its beauty, expose new spaces and neighbourhoods, enhances its power, and literally transforms Scotland’s small but perfectly formed capital into the cultural capital of the world. And we invite you to be its delighted and indomitable explorers. Whether you choose to visit this Spring, or use this magazine to plan your trip to our world-famous Summer Festivals – we look forward to welcoming you to the Festival City. •
HIGHLIGHTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
what's the big idea? A new perspective on the world and inspirational family theatre bring the 2010 Festival season in with a bang
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SONIC DREAMS
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BANG GOES THE THEORY
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A SPIRIT OF THE WILD
Steve Bloom 12 March -16 May (8am-6pm) Spectacular, free outdoor exhibition of 60 giant photos of animals taken in their natural habitats by the award-winning wildlife photographer Steve Bloom. Marvel at the beautiful images and take a journey of discovery through the exhibition. Informative and entertaining, it’s an exhibition for all ages. A unique opportunity to see one of the world’s most beautiful collections of animal photographs. • St. Andrew Square • Free www.sciencefestival.co.uk
Roadshow 2010 8-10 April • Live shows hourly Following the massive success of Bang Goes The Theory in 2009, the Bang Roadshow team is back on the road to Edinburgh to give interested souls a chance to get hands-on with science. Again this year the Bang Roadshow presents a unique opportunity to see amazing live science shows, meet the Bang presenters and share Dr. Yan’s fascinating street science. • (12pm-5pm) The Mound • Free www.bbc.co.uk/bang
Art meets Science 3-17 April (10am-8pm) Relax in an extraordinary ‘sound lab’ and, as the visuals and soundscapes wrap around you, embark on a fantastic journey to the heart of natural worlds, foreign cities and fabulous performances. Based on a new, super-realistic 3D sound system called the iXDLab, the revolutionary multi-sensory experience will transport your conscious in an unparalleled way. Created by ARUP and the Glasgow School of Art. • St. Andrew Square • £2 www.sciencefestival.co.uk
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SEVEN WONDERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Science around the city 12 April (8.30pm) Watch a special screening of this spell-binding series and listen to Professor Brian Cox as he describes how the laws of nature, freed from earth-bound constraints, carve spectacular sights throughout the Solar System. Among his chosen seven wonders are fountains of ice that erupt thousands of kilometres into space, and mysterious lakes filled with a liquid unlike anything on our home planet. •
Sonic Dreams is a remarkable and groundbreaking fusion of science and art
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ONE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES
Church Hill 10-16 May (various showtimes) It takes great skill to create a show about such a serious subject and be so light, subtle and humorous without ever losing its meaning. Based on a true Japanese story about two friends trying to make sense of life and death, a young girl sets out to save her own life by making 1000 paper cranes. For all family audiences. • Church Hill Theatre www.imaginate.org.uk
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CINDERELLA
Master puppeteer 10-16 May (various showtimes) The classic fairy tale beautifully re-imagined in this highly visual award-winning show. The skillful puppeteer Shona Reppe’s gently goofy take on the classic fairytale is punctuated by inventive twists, including an absent stepfather in place of the evil stepmother, a jaunty jazz score and a handful of diverse puppets—all manipulated by Reppe. The Herald says “inventive brilliance and mischievous, witty touches abound in this one woman puppet production...” For all family audiences. • Scottish Storytelling Centre www.imaginate.org.uk
Filmhouse www.sciencefestival.co.uk
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PURSUITS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
city of neighbourhoods Illustration courtesy of Sanna Dyker
When Edinburgh is illuminated by Festivals, the neighbourhoods shine brightest
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s the vibrant and cosmopolitan Capital of Scotland, Edinburgh boasts a unique combination of bustling urban villages and year-round festivals that fill every corner. The city’s intimate neighbourhoods provide the kind of exhilarating experience that unfolds when art and culture meet, mix and innovate. In Edinburgh they’re full of imagination and know what it means to be truly creative. It shows in the diversity of its art, the embrace of all things green and the internationally renowned Festivals. As you walk through the city it feels small, yet every street, wynd and winding cobbled alleyway throws up new surprises from stunning vistas to hideaway shops, bars and cafes. Festival venues spill out onto the street as makeshift theatres, galleries and cinemas spring up alongside the city’s popular venues. It combines to create self-contained communities, each with its own distinct character and village-like feel. These ‘villages’ are well worth discovering for yourself and, while many of them are surprisingly close to the city centre, they are a world away from what you might expect from a Capital city. • Picture: Victoria St. as viewed from the east end of the Grassmarket.
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
PURSUITS
the spring has sprung Photos courtesy of Edinburgh’s Festivals and Peter Dibdin
The latest exciting news; perspective from the scientific world; inspirational family theatre and how best to plan your summer Edinburgh Festivals experience
All the fun of the fair
John and Ben Gribbin share their thoughts about the very first Edinburgh Science Festival as it happens for NEW SCIENTIST Magazine in 1989 Science may at last be penetrating into the consciousness of the great British public - and not just because of scare stories about London being 8 metres under water in a few years from now. In 1988, a modest, but significant, scientific book prize was established, alongside all the Booker-type awards that fiction writers have to share; this year, the great city of Edinburgh saw the light, and last month introduced a science festival as a counterpart to its famous festival of the arts. If you missed it, too bad: the festival Read the entire article online attracted less publicity at the NEW SCIENTIST than it deserved south click here >>> of the border. But the good news is that it is coming back for at least two more years, and almost certainly will become a permanent feature of the Scottish cultural heritage. The wonder is that nobody thought to do it before. However, it is appropriate that the idea should surface in Scotland, home of James Clerk Maxwell, and a country where education is still taken seriously. Education is, in fact, only part of the story. The thinking behind the festival is that science is a part of daily life, and ought to be celebrated in the same way that we celebrate good books or theatre. We wouldn’t want you to run away with the impression that it was all fun and games. There were plenty of serious talks, discussions and presentations on topics such as (you’ve guessed) the greenhouse effect and genetic engineering. But we visited Edinburgh for a long weekend simply to enjoy the science, and, while we studiously avoided anything too serious, we still found it impossible to cram in everything we wanted to see and do. • read the full article >>>
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Science Festival Selects: SEVEN DEADLY SINS What makes a sinner? Which sin do you indulge in most? Pride, greed, lust, sloth, envy, wrath or gluttony? Psychologist Richard Wiseman and neuroscientist Dean Mobbs look at the links between the ways we behave, the type of person we are and how our brain works. An evening of audience participation, surprises and unlikely experiments. 7pm • £10/£8 • The Jam House www.sciencefestival.co.uk
THE ROAD TO ROBOCUP What does it take to get a robot to ‘Bend it like Beckham’? Will we ever pit the ‘human’ World Cup winners against the ‘android’ Champions League winners? Dr Sethu Vijayakumar and colleagues explore the key challenges in creating an ‘Android FC’. See the robots in action, and pick a winner. 3-4 April (various showtimes) £6/£4 • INSPACE www.sciencefestival.co.uk
PURSUITS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
International Festival: The Americas
“Following the light of the sun, we left the old world” - Christopher Columbus As Europe explored remote horizons 300 years ago, the pioneers called their discoveries the New World. Now Scotland’s finest performers join artists and companies from California, New York, New England, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Holland and the UK to give the 2010 Festival a distinctive feel as it explores the modern-day cultures of the ‘New World’. Prepare yourself for an explosion of sound and colour in Edinburgh for an intoxicating three weeks in August. Choose from a wide variety of concerts performed by the very best international and home-grown singers and musicians; enjoy cutting-edge theatre from North, South and Central America and spectacular dance from the Pacific Rim; and delight in exciting opera from Australia and Central America. • For up-to-date news and full programme details, please visit www.eif.co.uk
Mobile Festivals
Introducing Festivals Magazine on Issuu.com Mobile for Android phones. Go to m.issuu.com on your phone’s browser to get started
Diamonds are forever 2010 marks the Diamond Jubilee Year of Edinburgh’s celebrated Royal Military Tattoo Against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, the world’s most spectacular Tattoo will host a celebration of talent from four continents including pipers, gymnasts, singers, dancers and an amazing motorcycle team. As always, the exciting programme will include its two most popular items: the music of the Massed Pipes and Drums and that of the Massed Military Bands.
Among the many bands taking part are those of the South African Irish Regiment, the South Australian Pipes and Drums and the prestigious Military Band of the Coldstream Guards. Show-stopping turns are expected from the United States as the Citadel Band from Charleston, South Carolina will present an inspiring musical display which has enlivened events across the globe. Whilst the Imps Motorcycle Display Team from London’s Docklands—celebrating their 40th anniversary—are set to provide a thrilling exhibition of motorcycle prowess performed at breathtaking speed. Antipodean attractions are also on parade in the form of a military contingent from New Zealand, an Army band renowned for their talent, diversity and humour. • This year’s Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place from 6-28 August. Mon—Fri: 9.00pm, Sat: 7.30pm and 10.30pm. www.edintattoo.co.uk
The Edinburgh Festivals have gone mobile. Now you can access your favourite Festival publications, magazines, guides and more everywhere you go. Enjoy the web’s best mobile reading experience and share it with your Festival-loving friends. Complete with groundbreaking EasyRead technology, you can finally enjoy reading about Edinburgh’s Festivals on any small screen device. •
Coming soon:
Festivals Magazine Mobile for iPhone and iPod Touch Get notified >>
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
PURSUITS
Scotland’s curtain call The 2010 edition of the award-winning Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival features a bedrock of homegrown Scottish talent—and the kids can’t get enough
How-to festival guides Designed to simplify the task of navigating Edinburgh’s Festivals, Festivals Magazine presents a suite of “howto” pocket-guides on each of the 12 Festivals to help you get the most from your visit No one likes to go it alone. To give you that warm, reassured feeling of having a local in tow, Festivals Magazine is rolling out a suite of 12 Festival guides. For each of the world-class Festivals that occur throughout the year, you’ll have access to a central source of all the logistical information you’ll need to find your way—including inspiration,
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ticketing info, venues, maps and previews of each 2010 Festival. Each guide includes venue locations, show highlights, box offices and all the relevant information you’ll need to successfully navigate Edinburgh. For the mobile-savvy Festival fanatics, the guides are also available on your phone. Pick your Festival, pack the guide and plunge headlong into the city. • Spring Festival guides are available soon. The Summer Festival guides are available this May. CLICK HERE to register for our newsletter and receive the guides to your inbox.
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The 2010 Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival is showing an unprecedented amount of support for contemporary arts culture created right here in Scotland. They have chosen a wonderfully eclectic and diverse programme of dance, children’s theatre, musical theatre, puppetry and work for young audiences that includes some of Scotland’s most highly respected and established theatre and dance companies as well as a number of Scotland’s most innovative independent artists. Frozen Charlotte Theatre Company is presenting “Sense” a compelling selection of five stories about teenagers led by their senses into extremely emotive scenarios where reality takes a turn for the extraordinary. The award-winning Catherine Wheels Theatre Company is presenting two shows. The first, “The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk” (middle) is a tall tale of a troublesome lad who’s reputation proceeds him and the second, “Martha,” (top) is a wonderful, humorous story about friendship, trust and a delightful goose. For 2010, Fife-based Shona Reppe Puppets is presenting its award-winning and highly-visual rendition of the classic “Cinderella” (bottom), complete with secret hatches, hidden drawers and a handbag full of magic. Each of these performances provide the opportunity to experience the world’s best theatre for young people and see for yourself what the future of Scottish theatre holds. •
PURSUITS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
Edinburgh’s Festivals
A look at the maths behind the story of Festival City. Get out your calculators
twelve
1947
The number of year-round festivals in Edinburgh, providing visitors with a continual calendar of world-beating arts, culture and events
The essential Festival experience The Edinburgh Festivals have been voted the number one tourist experience in the UK according to the expert readership of the venerable Rough Guide
THE ROUGH GUIDE LIST 1. The Edinburgh Festivals 2. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path 3. Punting on the Cam 4. Pint of Guinness in Dublin 5. Borrowdale in the Lake District
The Edinburgh Festivals have been voted the number one tourist experience in the UK according to readers of the Rough Guide, topping the list of 25 tourist attractions in the UK and Ireland— including surfing in Newquay, experiencing the Glastonbury Festival and hiking in Snowdonia. The decision appears in the British edition of a series of pocket-sized, magazine-style series of 25 International Rough Guides, produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the undisputed travel experts. Mark Ellingham, series editor and Rough Guides founder, said: “When we think of holidays, a lot of people immediately associate this with going abroad. But, believe it or not, you don’t actually have to jump on a plane to have an amazing time.” The Rough Guide said the Edinburgh Festival’s appeal lay in the range and volume of events and shows on offer to visitors of the city. From “risqué cabaret going on at one of the Fringe venues” to “shuffling up the Royal Mile to the nightly Military Tattoo.” And whilst the guide claims you’ll need “the stamina of an ox, the appetite of a hippo and the nocturnal characteristics of an owl” it describes Edinburgh’s appeal as: ”Over half-a-dozen separate festivals taking place simultaneously, some 1500 different shows a day, across 200 different venues. Not to mention the street acts, the buskers, the bizarrely dressed leafleters and the simple fascination to be had just watching it all swirl around you.” •
6. Durham Cathedral 7. Cycling in the New Forest 8. The Belfast Murals 9. Surfing in Newquay 10. The sea air of Tobermory 11. Hiking in Snowdonia 12. Haunted York 13. The Notting Hill Carnival 14. Skellig Michael 15. The Balti Triangle 16. Clubbing in London 17. Walking on Dartmoor 18. Walking the W. Highlands Way 19. Winning the prehistoric lottery (Newgrange Lottery, Co Meath) 20. Watching football at Old Trafford 21. Losing yourself in Connemara 22. Stroll from St Paul’s to Tate Modern 23. Holkham: the best beach in Britain 24. Walking the walls of Conwy Castle 25. Glastonbury
The year the International Festival was established following the Second World War with a vision to enliven and enrich the cultural life of Europe, Britain and Scotland
1,000 Approximate number of performances a day at the peak of the Festival period in August.
EIGHTY-THREE Edinburgh’s Hogmanay’s place in Dave Freeman’s “101 things to do before you die”
2,000,000
The amount of collective tickets sold by the summer Festivals, enough to sell out London’s Albert Hall or Sydney Opera House every night for a year
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
(top) Wright’s 2008 Turner Award-winning mural; (right) The Dean Gallery www.nationalgalleries.org
PURSUITS
Original work for the International Art Festival Internationally acclaimed Scottish artist Richard Wright will make new work and deliver it in one of Edinburgh’s most renowned spaces
The Edinburgh art Festival is once again innovating its diverse programme to attract new audiences to visual art in Scotland by engaging them with dynamic, original pieces in some of Edinburgh’s most reputable spaces. Glasgow-based painter Richard Wright will create a major new piece entitled The Stairways Project at the Dean Gallery to be be unveiled at the opening of the 2010 Edinburgh Art Festival. Richard Wright will make a major new painting on the fabric of Thomas Hamilton’s Dean Orphan Hospital (now the Dean Gallery) - part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. The Dean Gallery is one of Thomas Hamilton’s most important buildings and the stairwells, both outside and inside, are key features of his design. The installation comes as a result of funding by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festival Expo Fund, which continues to offer an unrivalled opportunity for emerging artists to create new work and show it on the international stage within the context of Edinburgh’s internationally renowned Festivals. •
The Great Railway Train Bazaar
Coming Soon: the new Edinburgh Trams project seeks to seamlessly connect the city from East to West—and open up the potential for more unique Festival experiences while visiting the city Learn more about the Edinburgh trams click here >>>
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Edinburgh is rebuilding its tram infrastructure and in doing so ushers in a new era of city and Festival access. Visitors will be able to enjoy a modern, fast and reliable link from the Airport, through the City Centre and on to Leith. This massive project gives huge potential to the future of the city, making it faster for visitors to get straight to the heart of the Festival, and also by connecting people to many more venues and accommodation options, from the Airport down to the waterfront. Edinburgh’s world-class public transport is a cornerstone of good environmental and energy stewardship, which means cleaner air, reduced congestion and a more enjoyable city. •
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Edinburgh’s vision is to be at the forefront of public transport innovation. This means embracing Scotland’s energy future by harnessing the country’s abundant wind and wave power. Edinburgh Trams is proud to be delivering one of the only forms of transport infrastructure that not only starts off clean, but becomes cleaner and ‘greener’ over its design lifetime as sources of energy innovate across Scotland.
220 events 35 venues‌ 1 fantastic festival
3-17 APRIL 2010 Online booking: www.sciencefestival.co.uk
Booking hotline: 0131 553 0322
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
ITINERARIES
Royal Botanic Garden
the kids are alright
See green and refresh your senses in one of the world’s finest Botanic Gardens located 20 minutes from Princes St. next to Inverleith Park. Stroll through over 70 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds that host performances, workshops and events for the International Science, Art and Fringe Festivals. www.rgbe.org.uk
National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland is a must visit attraction packed full of interesting collections that reveal the story of Scotland, its land, people and culture. The exhibitions include both ancient and contemporary pieces on offer for free. Thoughtful fun for both kids and adults, a definite highlight in Edinburgh. www.nms.ac.uk
Imagination lives in Edinburgh - expand your family’s Festival experience into a greater tour of the city centre. The spaces, places and energy fuel family-friendly adventures that span centuries of Scottish history and generations of creative ideas Photos courtesy of Edinburgh’s Festivals and the City of Edinburgh
Arthur’s Seat Climb an extinct volcano 822 ft. high. The easiest path up is to start on the eastern side at Dunsapie Loch. Walk along the Salisbury Crags to the summit. From the top, you can see for miles around, including the Firth of Forth. Don’t miss the swans and the ducks paddling around the loch.
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions
Edinburgh Castle Situated on top of an extinct volcano, majestic Edinburgh Castle is steeped in folklore. Take a tour and discover its secrets, enjoying spectacular views across the city. Make sure you see Scotland’s Crown Jewels, Mons Meg (giant cannon) and St Margaret’s Chapel the oldest building in Edinburgh. The Stone of Destiny – where the Scottish kings and queens were crowned, has been returned and is also on display in the castle. The Castle is also the home of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk
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Dynamic Earth
A short stroll from the Royal Mile, Dynamic Earth is a hugely popular attraction that tells the story of our planet’s past, present and future – children will love exploring exhibits like the Time Machine and Future Dome. A natural accompaniment to Science Festival or Imaginate Programs. www.dynamicearth.co.uk
Enter a world where seeing is definitely not believing: five floors of interactive, hands-on fun where you can swap noses and heads, walk through a tunnel of neverending stars and capture your own shadow on camera. Free rooftop telescopes in the tower, where you’ll find excellent panorama views of the city. www.camera-obscura.co.uk
Princes Street Gardens The moat for Edinburgh Castle was drained in the 17th century to make way for these gardens. Climb up the 200-foot Scott Monument to Sir Walter Scott for a stunning view of the city. Near the National Gallery of Scotland look for the floral clock, on the quarter hour a “cuckoo” appears.
Museum of Childhood Heaven for toddlers, deemed the “museum with the most toys” and also “the noisiest museum in the world.” The Museum of Childhood is a treasure of objects telling of childhood past and present. There are toys and games from many parts of the world ranging from dolls and teddy bears to train sets and tricycles. www.edinburgh.gov.uk
Holyrood Park The Park encompasses 650 acres, a natural wonder so close to the city. The palace - official residence of Queen Elizabeth while in Edinburgh - was founded by James IV in 1498 and was where Mary Queen of Scots secretary David Riccio was murdered.
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
SCIENCE FESTIVAL
the big thinkers Reality is reconsidered by a selection of the world’s best and brightest - indulge your mind on a vast array of topics, from ocean’s whales to the revolutionary rock guitar Photos courtesy of the Edinburgh International Science Festival
WHY DOES E=mc2? What is energy? What is mass? What has the speed of light got to do with them both? TV presenter Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw embark on an illuminating journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols behind Einstein’s most famous equation.
ROCK GUITAR IN 11 DIMENSIONS What causes the revolutionary, history-changing sound of rock guitar, and how does it help us to understand the nature of the stuff we’re made of? Famelab winner and guitar physicist Mark Lewney explains the physics of rock as he plays riffs from Vivaldi to AC/DC and shows how string vibrations might lie at the heart of the ‘Big Questions’ about the Universe.
MY TOP 5 BONKERS THINGS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE Author and cosmology consultant of the New Scientist, Marcus Chown, dips into his two recent books, Afterglow of Creation and We Need to Talk About Kelvin, to decode the messages from the beginning of time, carried to us in the hot ‘afterglow’ of the big bang fireball, and reveal what everyday things tell us about the Universe. 9 April • 8pm £8/£6 • Informatics Forum
PSYCHOLOGY OF COMEDY What makes great comedy? Can anyone be a stand-up or do you need ‘funny bones’? Why does a performer storm one night and die the next? Join our expert panel of comedians (including Robin Ince), writers and psychologist Richard Wiseman as they explore what makes people laugh, and discover if the art of comedy is beyond the reach of science. 11 April • 7pm
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£10/£8 • The Jam House
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£5/£3 • The Jam House3
£8/£6 • Informatics Forum
£7/£5 • Informatics Forum
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12 April • 3:30pm
11 April • 8pm
9 April • 6pm
he brainpower present in the Festival city this spring is a significant representation of the most forward thinker’s in science today. Popular approaches to traditional questions make Big Ideas, Edinburgh International Science Festival’s programme of debate and discussion as compelling and vast as ever. Join the foray of fantastic, controversial and entertaining international guests, world thinkers and award-winning writers in some of Edinburgh’s most inspirational venues.
HI ENERGY! Join TV science presenters Jim Al-Khalili, Brian Cox and Tara Shears as they travel from the moment the Universe was created, the Big Bang, to the present day, and give us their take on the hidden world of strange particles and forces that make up all we can see. They’ll also give us an insight into how the the massive particle accelerator at CERN will help us understand these worlds.
THERE IS GRANDEUR IN THIS VIEW OF LIFE It has become commonplace in some circles to accuse scientific explanations for life and the Universe of being reductionist and bleak, but Charles Darwin was in no doubt that evolution by natural selection was a theory of aweinspiring wonder and beauty. Richard Dawkins will demonstrate why this is so. 17 April • 7.30pm £8/£6 • George Square Theatre
The BLOODHOUND project An engineering adventure for the 21st century - to keep the World Land Speed Record for Britain, by testing if a car can travel 1000 miles an hour - and to inspire the scientists and engineers of the future. Former Tomorrow’s World Presenter Kate Bellingham brings us up to speed on the project. 17 April • 2.00pm £7/£5 • Informatics Forum
clockwise from left: Brian Cox, Richard Wiseman, Richard Dawkins, Kate Bellingham, Mark Lewney, Jim Al-Khalini & Marcus Chown
the
approach
scientific
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In Edinburgh, the best way to experience the International Science Festival is to roll up those sleeves and stir that grey matter for yourself
ho likes science? For years it seems that a healthy dose of the bigger questions were reserved for schools’ most gifted and talented students—but there’s a growing movement that supports the value of science for everyone. Science is moving from just being tolerated as a necessity because it makes our lives more comfortable, to a gripping and empowering collection of stories that unveil the possibilities of the natural world. Science is the study of the physical world through method, process, procedures and systems. If you can see, feel, hear, taste or smell something, science will investigate. And it will do so with absolute objectivity. But because scientists ask questions about how the world works and then set about to create seas of data, the excitement that science promises doesn’t always mean fun and adventure. It is a disciplined discipline that relies on endlessly inquiring minds and tireless detail.
In Edinburgh, the scientific souls are also sentimental, creating interest in the community by encouraging visitors to take part in one grand Science Fair Science is taken very seriously in Scotland’s Capital—it’s embrace is exemplified by Europe’s largest Science Festival—the city-wide expressions of scientific inquiry that result each April are seen to be enlightening, exciting, engaging and fun. It helps aid children in the types of scientific discoveries that brings great rewards as adults—learning physics and they will travel safer; chemistry and they will eat better; biology and they will live healthier and happier lives. This year, the Edinburgh International Science Festival knows no boundaries, with 26 venues across Edinburgh and beyond. The EISF has teamed up with BBC One for the return of the wildly successful Bang Goes The Theory Roadshow from 8-10 April, focusing on hands-on street science. The whole family can also enjoy the Festival’s true must-see event Sonic Dreams—a new, hyper realistic 3D sound system which presents a ground-breaking fusion of science and art. Relaxing in an extraordinary ‘sound lab,’ visitors are enveloped by both crisp visuals and clear
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soundscapes, enabling an auditory journey across the planet. Once again the City Art Centre is hosting seven floors of experiments, demonstrations and numerous opportunities to create and discover. Evening programmes are available for inquisitive adults to experience the festival with a glass of wine and without the buzz of students and children. It compliments nicely the extensive international guest thinkers and award-winning writers debates and discussions, with topics ranging from hot issues of today to predictions for tomorrow. The Science Festival is celebrating its 21st year and is rolling out the largest programme in its history to support International Year of Biodiversity. A spectacular outdoor exhibition in St. Andrews Square of 60 giant photographs of animals taken in their natural habitats by awardwinning photographer Steve Bloom accompanies packed programmes at the Edinburgh Zoo and the Royal Botanic Gardens focussed on exploration of the world of plant and animals. In Edinburgh, the scientific souls are also sentimental, preferring to create interest in the community by enabling visitors to experiment as if taking part in one grand Science Fair—only every entry is interactive and everyone wins the blue ribbon. • Book tickets for the Science Festival at www.sciencefestival.co.uk, call 0131 553 0322 or visit the Edinburgh Festival Fringe box office.
Above:
2010 is International Year of Biodiversity and the Science Festival is celebrating by presenting a spectacular exhibition of photography of animals in their natural habitats by the award-winning photographer Steve Bloom St. Andrew Square 12 March -16 May (8am-6pm)
Seven layer dip For two weeks in April, the Visual Art nexus in Edinburgh is transformed into a 7-floor playground of tactile science and unabashed curiosity
generation of LEGO MINDSTORM as well as “ER,” where there’s been an accident and you’ve got to scrub up for surgery and save some lives. A Day Pass gets you into the City Art Centre to explore as many events as you like. Pre-booking your Day Pass is strongly advised. Running daily from 3 to 17 April (not 11 April) between 9.30am and 4.30pm. www.sciencefestival.co.uk
During last year’s Science Festival, the City Art Centre was sold out every day. In response to the high demand for this family-focused science-themed experience in the heart of Edinburgh is seven floors of fantastic fun. The kids aren’t the only ones with inquiring minds: look out for our adult evenings where grown-ups can try some of the activities and enjoy a glass of wine. Popular favourites include calling upon your inner archeologist at “Digging Up A Dinosaur,“ “LEGO Robosports,” which feature the latest NXT
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power of
imagination
Edinburgh’s Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival has established itself as an indispensable part of the international theatre scene for children and young people
O
ver seven days in six venues across Edinburgh, the deeplydevoted performers at this year’s Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival will be presenting one of the world’s most dynamic festivals of theatre for young children. It is a rare offering of award-winning productions from all over the world, each with aims on igniting children’s imaginations and broadening intellects while entertaining them in an enduring way that lasts beyond the final curtain
Celebrating its 21st birthday, Scotland’s international children’s theatre festival has always offered young audiences in Edinburgh and on tour, a thrilling selection of theatre from around the world. The Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival provides a rich performing arts programme to entertain and inspire audiences, from the very young to teenagers and beyond. Companies such as Cie étantdonné from France and Frozen Charlotte Theatre Company of Scotland are creating sensory experiences that playfully ritualize the way kids see the world – Chit-Chat is a highly amusing, highly-choreographed dance lesson in anatomy in which different parts of the body reveal their characteristics and Sense delves into five stories about teenagers led by their senses into intensified and extraordinary perspectives on everyday scenarios. Germany sends to Edinburgh two of its most reputable troupes to cater to an even a www.imaginate.org.uk yournger audience with the same extraordinary synergy between the audience and the work. HELIOS Theater presents Woodbeat, featuring a percussionist and a puppeteer’s tour through the surprisingly fascinating sights and sounds of wood, while florschütz & döhnert use pictures, words and movement to explore falling and flying, lightness and heaviness in a beautifully poetic form of physical theatre. The performances are deeply engaging, reactions are honest and the opportunities for learning are real. The Festival has been part of a movement which has helped lift the indigenous theatre scene to world-class levels of . To celebrate this achievement this year’s programme is led by an impressive range of work from Scotland. From interactive funky fun with We Dance, Wee Groove
The Festival has been part of a movement which has helped lift the indigenous theatre scene to worldclass levels
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From top: Cie étantdonné (France) presents Chit-Chat; Studio ORKA (Belgium) presents Mister Porcelain; Ensemble Theater Mummpitz (Germany) presents The Terrific Adventures of Brave Joan Woodsword.
for 0-4 year olds, through the return of award winning classics from Shona Reppe with Cinderella and Catherine Wheels with Martha, all the way to Sense for teenagers by new company Frozen Charlotte, the Festival is rightly proud that the home-grown work on offer shares an equally high profile stage with productions from overseas. The international programme is similarly respected. Great dance has always had its place at the Festival and in the hearts of its audience. This year the Festival welcomes Madcap from the Netherlands and Chit chat from France; productions of style, wit and grace which show that young audiences are not only comfortable with the more abstract art forms, but embrace them more readily than adults. Ultimately, the Festival is a success because it does not take its audience for granted. It recognises audience members as complete, rounded individuals whatever age they are. As one director said: ‘an eight year old child is an eight year old child, not a quarter of a 32 year old, so make sure that the work we create is actually for them, and reflects their hopes, desires, worries and dreams.’ The 2010 Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival takes place from May 10-16 www.imaginate.org.uk
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festival moments Photography courtesy of Peter Dibdin and the City of Edinburgh
“Fill your life with as many moments and experiences of joy and passion as you humanly can. Start with one experience and build on it” - Marcia Wieder
Victoria Street A classic Edinburgh lane linking the Grassmarket to the city centre, wonderful reprieve can be found on the selection of sun-swept patios perched high above the cobblestones •
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MOMENTS
The Royal Mile The emotional heart of the Festivals in the centre of Edinburgh, the High Street is host to an unpredictable blend of impromptu performance, attention-grabbing gimmickry and spectacular human energy •
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Princes Street Gardens The Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens is a popular mainstage for Jazz & Blues, International and Hogmanay performances and celebrations •
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The Castle An intimate musical moment of mateship and glory against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle during the otherwise raucous and deeply patriotic Edinburgh Military Tattoo •
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Remember that time you were sitting in the Pleasance Courtyard when those three jazz musicians serenaded you while the go-go girls danced with your little brother? Remember all those great pictures you took? Remember when you sent them in to Festivals Magazine and they were seen by hundreds of thousands of Festival-goers? That was amazing.• photos@edinburghfestivals.co.uk