Tiny Tales: Cosy Stories. Cosy in with storyteller Claire Hewitt and hear tales from the land of ice and snow, and how the sun was rescued by a brave little hare. With songs and lullabies to make a sleepy bear even sleepier! For children aged 1-3 years. 10am or 11.30am (40 minute sessions), Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 per child (please remember also to book a free adult ticket) and are available online here or by calling SSC on 0131 556 9579.
Scottish Society of Architect Artists: Art4X. An exhibition and sale of art works organised jointly by the SSAA and the University of Edinburgh, in support of the University’s Patrick Wild Centre. The Centre’s mission is to understand the neuronal basis of, and test new therapies for, autism, fragile X syndrome and intellectual disabilities by fostering collaborations between world class basic science and clinical research at the University of Edinburgh. A selection of guest artists and Ligne et Couleur (Ligne et Couleur is the name of the SSAA’s counterpoint associations in other European countries) colleagues from France, Germany, Italy and Poland who have exhibited with SSAA over the last three decades have been invited to contribute works for the exhibition and auction as part of Art4X. Auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull will take bids for these very special items during tonight’s private view. Private view (by invitation only) tonight 6-9pm, then 10am-4pm Wednesday 21st, Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd January, 10am-12 noon Saturday 24th January, Sculpture Hall, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place.
Mac’s Munchkins: an hour of farm-themed storytelling, crafts, playgroup and songs. For children aged 2+. 10am or 3pm, Gorgie City Farm (meet at the red tractor), 51 Gorgie Road. £2 per child, payable on the day – no registration required.
I Love Hip Hop: for those who want to celebrate the hip hop classics – and just as importantly, the brand new! Live performances, guest DJs and more. 11pm-3am, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. £4 . The Bongo Club is owned by local arts charity Out of the Blue. ‘Putting the sounds of the underground and imaginative aspirations before the mighty dollar’.
Emerging Artists Series: Emma Versteeg and Maryam Sherhan. Discover new talent from a range of great young professional musicians at the start of their careers. Singer Emma Versteeg and pianist Maryam Sherhan present an atmospheric journey of song through Scotland, including Clare Liddell’s song cycle Five Orkney Scenes, William Sweeney’s Luminate: From the Islands (commissioned by Live Music Now Scotland! in 2013 and originally supported by Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing festival), and Robert Burns’ settings by Amy Beach. There will be an opportunity to meet the artists in the cafe bar at 11.45am, after the performance. 11am, Usher Hall, Lothian Road. Tickets £3, free for students and schools: book online, in person or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 1155. Presented by the Usher Hall in partnership with Live Music Now Scotland! Next week: Cherrygrove (traditional band).
Odeon Silver Cinema: if you are over 55, you can enjoy films for only £3, with tea or coffee beforehand, at the Odeon’s special screenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today: 11am – The Rewrite (12A), 2pm – What We Did On Our Holiday (12A). You can buy your tickets at the cinema (no extra charges), or online (50p booking fee + 21p transaction charge then apply). Odeon, 118 Lothian Road.
Digital Sentinel: Community News Cafe. digitalsentinel.net is the online community news site for Wester Hailes, now running a weekly community news cafe. Drop in for a cup of tea, chat about local stories and share local news, views, issues and events. 12 noon-1.30pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Free.
Luath Press Presents Lesley Riddoch: Wee White Blossom, a post-indyref, poppadum-sized version of Blossom, updating it with a new chapter on Scotland’s Year of Living Dangerously. Lesley Riddoch shares her thoughts on the Smith Commission, the departure of Gordon Brown, the return of Alex Salmond and the latest developments in land reform and local control, and considers the future of the SNP, the Radical Independence Campaign, Common Weal, Women for Independence and Scottish Labour in the aftermath of the referendum. ‘A plain-speaking, incisive call to restore equality and control to local communities and let Scotland flourish’. 6.30pm, New Empire Bingo Club, 50 Nicolson Street. Free tickets can be collected from Blackwell’s (South Bridge) front desk or reserved by calling 0131 622 8218 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.
Pauline Detective: Pauline, a talented and gorgeous woman working for a criminal investigation’s newspaper, is going through a midlife crisis. Her younger sister Jeanne takes her to a famous hotel in the Italian Riviera – where Pauline believes a crime has been committed and starts to play detective. Dir: Marc Fitoussi. The film is in French with English subtitles. 6-7.30pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Free: no booking required. Also showing at 1pm on Wednesday 21st January 2015.
Lunchtime Concert: New Zealand Chamber Soloists. Amalia Hall (violin), James Tennant (cello) and Katherine Austin (piano) play Beethoven Piano Trio in D Major Op.70 No.1 ‘Ghost’ and John Psathas Island Songs. 1.10pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Free.
Muslim Literary Representations of Britain 1780-present. Dr Clare Chambers, University of York, is an expert in contemporary South Asian literature written in English and literary representations of British Muslims. She is currently completing her second book, Representations of Muslims in Britain, a monograph tracing the development of artistic depictions of UK-based Muslims from the 18th century to the present day. This event is part of a series of seminars Representing Muslims in Scotland and the North East, and will include a short talk by the speaker, a conversation with PhD students Sybil Adam or Peter Cherry, and a Q & A session. 7.15pm, Project Room, University of Edinburgh, George Square. These seminars are funded by the University of Edinburgh Alwaleed Centre, and this evening’s talk is held in conjunction with the Department of English Literature, who are providing wine after the talk. The next seminar will be at 5pm on 3rd February 2015, with award-winning Aberdeen-based writer Leila Aboulela. For more information about the series, click here.
Behold the Light of Nature: Ruskin on Turner 1853. Paul O’Keeffe, actor and art historian, recreates John Ruskin’s moving account of the life, achievements and death of JMW Turner, now re-edited and expanded to incorporate more of the lecture, and including visual aids. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
