Snowdrop and Early Spring Walk: join a Garden Guide on a walk to discover the Garden’s wonderful collection of specialist snowdrops. You can also see other early flowering plants that herald the onset of spring. For ages 14+. 11am-12.30pm, John Hope Gateway Reception, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Also at same time on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th February. £5 per person, no advance booking required.
Creative Release: a multi-media exhibition of new works by SmART CRAFT from WHALE Arts Agency. Open preview 6-8pm tonight, then 11am-5pm Tuesday to Saturday, Gallery On The Corner, Northumberland Street. Until 28th February 2015.
Easel Sketching in the Gallery: led by artist Damian Callan, with a different subject every month and sometimes a model. All materials supplied. 2-4pm, Main Gallery Floor, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Mr Wuffles Crafty Friday: part of Mr Wuffles Week with Corstorphine Primary School. 2.30pm, Corstorphine Library, 12 Kirk Loan. Free and open to all.
Storytime: for ages 4+. 2pm, Blackhall Library, 56 Hillhouse Road. Free but please book on 0131 529 5595 or by calling in to the library in advance.
Son et Lumiere: enjoy two hours of sound and silence, light and darkness. Space and time to sit, to wander, to think, to be. 6-8pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. £3 on the door.
2015 Iranian Film Festival: a season of classic and contemporary films from Iran, including a number of Scottish premieres, shown as part of the Edinburgh Iranian Festival. Today: Kami’s Party (15) 6.10pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets can be booked online here or by calling the box office on 0131 228 2688. Prices vary: there are deals for purchasing multiple tickets for this season. The 2015 Iranian Film Festival is curated by Dr Nacim Pak-Shiraz and sponsored by The Sutton Gallery, Arts & Business Scotland, the School of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Edinburgh, and the Filmhouse.
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Hymnen Electronic Music. Stockhausen’s 1967 4-channel tape piece uses many different national anthems as base material with all manner of electronic transformations, re-interpretations and manipulations to create an epic and intense two-hour electronic and concrete work. With sound projection by Sean Williams. 7.15pm, Playfair Library, Old College, University of Edinburgh, South Bridge. (There will be a pre-concert talk at 7.15pm.) Free but booking required via eventbrite. Supported by the Leverhulme Trust.
Edinburgh Iranian Festival: Persian Music – Lecture, Performance and Workshop. Dr Parmis Mozafari is a research fellow at the Institute for Iranian Studies, University of St Andrews; she is a Santur player who has taught music in Iran and ethnomusicology and Persian music in the UK. Today she will give a historical overview of female musicians and dancers in Iran, followed by a short performance on Santur and an introductory workshop on traditional Iranian instruments, including an opportunity for participants to get hands-on experience. There will also be a drinks reception courtesy of The Sutton Gallery. 8-9pm, The Sutton Gallery, 18a Dundas Street. Free admission.
Poussin’s Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church: Poussin’s Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church is a group of complex paintings displayed as a self-sufficient installation within the Scottish National Gallery, and undoubtedly represents one of the outstanding masterpieces on show. Many viewers, however, find them austere, even somewhat forbidding, images. Art historian Andrew Paterson will give an introduction to the erudite but passionate world of Poussin’s art. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free: no booking required.
Lunchtime Concert: Kist of Musick – the 2015 Reid Memorial Concert. Hector Scott (violin) Alastair Hardie (violin) Tim Paxton (cello) and James Hardie (harpsichord) play 18th century Scottish instrumental music, including works by General Reid, James Oswald and the Earl of Kelly. 1.10pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Free and unticketed.
Pancake Weekend at Joseph Pearce’s! Stacks of them every day for three days, with more toppings than you can shake your golden syrup at! Children welcome every day till 5pm, Joseph Pearce’s, 23 Elm Row. For more information and to book a table, call 0131 556 4140.
Greenpeace Edinburgh – Make Love Not War! Go totally hippy and embrace the Greenpeace message at a 70s Disco for Valentine’s Day. Get your funky thread on – Greenpeace will paint your face with rainbows, flowers and hearts so that you can strut your funky moves with the polar bear. 8pm, The Counting House, West Nicolson Street. £5 per person on the door or in advance from eventbrite.
LGBT History Month: Dive Presents Broken: a Valentine’s ball complete with caged bar, visual art, performance, blood artistry and burlesque. Strictly for over 18s only: includes strobes, nudity and body art. ‘It’ll break your heart to miss it’. 9pm-3am, Small Animal Hospital, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £12/£10 and can be booked online here or by calling the box office on 0131 560 1581. For more about LGBT History Month read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article here.
Satellites Programme: Georgia Horgan. An exhibition developed from a research programme about the proliferation of the textile industry in Scotland and how this affected patterns of witch-hunting in the 17th century. The exhibition takes the form of a workroom containing writing, images and artefacts; the space will be used to house a series of events and screenings discussing how women, the body and labour are implicated in contemporary capitalism. Preview tonight 6-8pm, then 10am-4pm Tuesday to Sunday, Collective Gallery, 38 Calton Hill. Closes 19th April 2015.
Kalopsia and BeFab Be Creative present Printed & Co: a showcase exhibition evoking questions, answers, thoughts and discussions on the place of material within our history and even more importantly within our culture, and how we value its worth. Preview 6pm tonight, then 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday, 11am-5pm Sundays, Kalopsia, Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive. Kalopsia is a creative agency and textiles collective, now operating as a social enterprise.
Holocaust Memorial Day Concert: Artisan Trio plays Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time. Featuring Jean Johnson (clarinet), Aisling O’Dea (violin), Clea Friend (cello) and Ed Cohen (piano). 6-7pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George St. Free: donations welcome.
Portobello Open Door Silent Movie Weekend: tonight The Black Pirate with Douglas Fairbanks, tomorrow One Week and Seven Chances with Buster Keaton. The films will be accompanied by music from The Jane Gardner Trio. 7.30pm, The Wash House Community Centre, 3 Adelphi Grove. £6/£4: tickets are available from Popeye’s Sandwich Bar, 132 Portobello High Street, and advance booking is recommended. You are welcome to bring food and drink, and children can bring bean bags, but please note all under-12s must be accompanied by an adult.
