First published by Bella Caledonia, 11 July 2014 It’s a truism that, down the centuries, Scotland’s greatest export has been its people. Indeed, a strong element of the current Year of Homecoming—allied with the hosting of the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow—is attracting visitors from the wider Scottish Diaspora, which is estimated to be between […]
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Dealing with the Deluge
Computers have long played an important role in astronomy. It’s just that, back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the word was originally applied to people rather than machines—specifically to the men and women who, during daylight hours, carried out repetitive calculations and measurements derived from some of the earliest photographic surveys […]
The David Leddy Three Minute Interview
Described as a “theatrical maverick” with “a propensity for fearless experiment” by the Financial Times, writer-director David Leddy returns to Edinburgh with two productions, one of which could be on a smartphone or tablet computer near you… “Both pieces stand by themselves, but also act as counterpoints to each other. Horizontal Collaboration is a live show performed […]
Trek Britain
“The longest journey has to begin with a single step. So now, as man makes his first hesitant leap to another planet – even though it’s just Earth’s nearest neighbour–he can legitimately start thinking about voyaging farther out towards whatever other populated worlds may exits.” That is how British viewers – or at least those […]
A Commonwealth of Inequalities
The thousands of athletes, support staff and sports fans who travel to Glasgow this summer for the 20th Commonwealth Games—aka Glasgow 2014—will find something potentially controversial in the heart of the city’s fashionable Merchant City district: a Pride House. Pride Houses have been a feature of notable international sporting events since the Vancouver Winter Olympics […]
Absolutely Queer
Colin MacInnes is nowhere as well known as he ought to be. Perhaps the author–born a century ago this August–would be a more familiar name if Julian Temple’s 1986 musical film adaptation of his 1959 novel Absolute Beginners hadn’t bombed at the box office. Then again, perhaps not: according to US writer Devin McKinney, MacInnes […]
Claire Cunningham Interview
Choreographer and performer Claire Cunningham tells Paul F Cockburn how her new work melds movement and words to discuss religious attitudes to disability. Most artists are reluctant to suggest where they get their ideas from, but Claire Cunningham is quite clear about the initial ‘spark’ of inspiration for Guide Gods. “I was in Cambodia last […]
