After the War….. an exhibition featuring the work of Garvald artists on paper, glass and clay, inspired by post-war popular culture. Open preview tonight 6-8pm, then 11am-5pm Tuesday to Saturday, The Gallery on the Corner, Northumberland Street. Ends 28th March 2015. Garvald Edinburgh is a Scottish charity offering creative opportunities and support for people with learning difficulties. It is inspired by the ideas of Rudolph Steiner, and has been operating in Edinburgh since 1969. The Gallery on the Corner is a commercial gallery and studio providing a platform to exhibit and sell artwork produced by artists who have a physical or mental health condition; it was the first social firm developed by Autism Ventures Scotland.
Easel Sketching in the Gallery: March. Led by artist Damian Callan; a different subject every month, sometimes with a model. All materials supplied. 2-4pm, Main Gallery Floor, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free: no booking required.
Comic Relief Bake Sale: cakes, chocolate, biscuits, tea and coffee on sale to help to raise funds for Comic Relief: 10.30am, South Neighbourhood Office and Library, 40 Captain’s Road. All welcome!
Potential Energy: The Politics of Energy in Scotland. Launch of the latest publication by The Post Collective, which looks at issues including fracking, renewables, climate change, fuel poverty and the media. ‘There are few issues so urgent as the future of energy production, and few that divide opinion even among progressives. Potential Energy looks to address these issues head-on’. The launch will feature lively debate and discussion about the future of Scottish energy, an exhibition by photographer Keith Brame, and the first chance to buy a copy of the book. 7-10pm, Area C Coffee House, 239-241 Leith Walk. All welcome: BYOB.
Storytime: come along and help roll out the Magic Story Rug. 10.30am today and every Friday, Piershill Library, Piershill Terrace.
St Giles’ Son et Lumiere: 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.
The Travelling Gallery: Design In Motion. The Travelling Gallery’s spring 2015 tour is a collaboration with the new V & A Dundee, taking exhibits, designers and the V & A Dundee team across the country, connecting communities with Scotland’s design heritage and raising awareness of the talent in Scotland’s present-day design industries, inspiring creativity along the way. The exhibition concept, brought to life by DJCAD-trained Gabrielle Underwood, will showcase seven innovative designers currently working with digital technology to push the boundaries of their discipline within games, product, jewellery, fashion, textiles and built heritage. 10am-5pm, Edinburgh College, West Granton Road ; please note access may be restricted at certain times owing to visiting groups. For more information please contact The Travelling Gallery via City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, EH1 1DE, 0131 529 3930 or travellinggallery@edinburgh.gov.uk.
Edinburgh College of Art Friday Lecture Series: Egill Saebjornsson. 11.30am – please contact ECA to check time and for details of venue.
Benji the PlayTalkRead bus will be at Oxgangs Library today! Songs, stories and play sessions for young children and their parents and carers. 10am-1pm and 2-4pm, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North. Free.
Italian Film Festival: curated by Allan Hunter and Richard Mowe, the 22nd Festival continues today. ‘An exciting and diverse line-up of contemporary and classic Italian cinema, including hilarious comedies, insightful dramas, seat-edge thrillers and classics from award-winning directors’. All films are subtitled in English, Today: Greenery Will Bloom Again (12A) ‘Ermanno Olmi brings an intensely personal perspective to the horrors of the First World War…….Beautifully photographed, the film offers simple, eloquent testimony that “war is an ugly beast that travels around the world and never ceases” ‘. 8.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets can be booked online via the website or by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.
Comic Relief Crafts with Buzz Lightyear and Upsy Daisy! A special crafts session. 2pm, South Neighbourhood Office and Library, 40 Captain’s Road.
Lunchtime Concert: Simon Coverdale and Margaret Wakeford (piano duet) play Hindemith Sonata (1938), Debussy Petite Suite and Schubert Theme and 8 Variations on Herold’s ‘Marie’. 1.10pm, Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square. Free: no booking required.
Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company Presents The Merchant of Venice: it is the summer of 1939 and Britain is travelling headlong towards one of the most devastating and transformative periods of its history. Oblivious to the oncoming storm, the London elite sit smoking their cigars and enjoying the fruits of their inheritance. 7.30pm today and Saturday 14th March (with 2.30pm matinee on Saturday 14th), Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place. Tickets cost £10/£8/£6 and can be purchased online here.
Balerno Village Screen: Marvellous (12): Neil Baldwin (Toby Jones), born just after the war, is considered to have learning difficulties but has an appetite for life. Encouraged by his mother Mary, he joins a circus, moves to Keele University, gets to manage its unofficial football team, and talks his way into becoming the kit man and mascot of Stoke City. For Neil there are no boundaries: his interest in religion leads to him becoming a lay preacher, whilst he presents himself at the House of Commons for tea with his MP Tony Benn, and at Cambridge, where he strikes up a friendship with Prince Andrew. With his indomitable attitude overcoming early set-backs and the death of his beloved mother, life for Neil is – marvellous. 7.30-9pm, St Joseph’s Hall, Main Street, Balerno, Advance booking is preferred to enable BVS to manage numbers: tickets are available from Balerno Post Office and The Mill Cafe in the St Joseph’s Centre, or via eventbrite here. Balerno Village Screen is a community cinema funded by donations. Tickets for all films are free.
Rhythm & Shoes: Edinburgh-based Irish dance group Absolutely Legless present their show Rhythm and Shoes to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. ‘An evening full of traditional music, song and dance which guarantees to get your toes tapping and your hands clapping’. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and can be booked online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.
Pochemu? A photographic exploration of the Ukrainian conflict by Monika Holkova. Edinburgh College BA in Professional Photography graduate Holkova spent a period of time documenting the conflict in Ukraine; based in Donetsk, she worked with NGOs photographing the impact of the conflict on the people of the region. (Pochemu? means ‘why?’). Open private view tonight, 6.30-8.30pm, otherwise 9am-5.30pm Monday to Thursday, 9am-4.30pm Fridays, Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street. Ends 27th March 2015. Free admission.
The Portobello Comedy Night: live stand up comedy with Michael Redmond, Paul McDaniel and Iain Poliock, hosted by Steven Davidson. 8.30pm, Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello. Tickets cost £10 and can be purchased from the Dalriada, via Brown Paper tickets here (booking fee applies) or on the door, subject to availability.
