Storytelling: Stories in the Stars. Join storyteller and musician Marion Kenny in the Gallery’s Great Hall as she shares legends of the starry constellations, accompanying her stories with her heavenly harp and ethereal flute. Hear the Greek legend of Andromeda and Perseus, be beguiled with American First Nation legends of the great and little bears and listen to star-studded myths from around the globe. For ages 4-12. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. No booking required: free and unticketed.
Active Archaeology: join the Holyrood Park Rangers at this family day and discover what life was like in the Iron Age – meet people from the past and try out skills from the period. Join a druid for walks into the past where you’ll meet many colourful characters, and have a look at some artefacts uncovered within Holyrood. 11am-3pm, Holyrood Park Education Centre, 1 Queen’s Drive, EH8 8HG. This free event is part of SAHF – the Scottish Archaeology and Heritage Festival, organised by Archaeology Scotland, an educational charity seeking to inspire the discovery, exploration and enjoyment of Scotland’s past. For more information please email hs.rangers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or call 0131 652 8150.
Cameo Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today’s film is L’Eclisse (PG) (in Italian with English subtitles): a 1962 Cannes Special Jury Prize winner, L’Eclisse (The Eclipse) is the conclusion of Michelangleo Antonioni’s informal trilogy on modern malaise (preceded by L’Aventura and La Notte); it tells the story of a young woman who leaves one lover only to drift into a relationship with another, an arrogant young stockbroker. But as the film progresses, her emptiness becomes more obvious, echoed in the Roman architecture that dominates so much of the film, and she finally decides on a life of solitude rather than marriage or a failing relationship. Rich in bold symbolism, L’Eclisse paints a picture of how modern industrial society can obliterate the emotions between men and women. 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online here.
Lauriston Castle: Beautiful Bird Boxes. Mike Durnan shows you how to use found natural objects from the grounds of Lauriston, paint and other materials to transform your own wooden bird box into a very special home for your feathered friends. 10.30am-12.30pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. Tickets cost £4 per person and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here. Please note that these workshops are intended for families working together: at least one paying adult must accompany your child, and no child should be booked into a workshop alone.
Doors Open Day: Filmhouse. A free Incredible Inventions Arts and Crafts event to tie in with the Filmhouse Junior screening of Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder – families of all ages are invited to drop in. 9.30-11am (for Filmhouse Junior screening see below); Incredible Inventions Arts and Crafts can be booked in advance – but you can also just come along.
Beyond The Veil: Stories of the Prophets. Beyond the Veil is an Edinburgh-based Muslim Women’s Group aiming to promote a better understanding of Islam on a basic level, and believing that it is through integration and partnership that understanding on a reciprocal basis can be achieved. Since the group’s establishment in Spring 2006 it has been involved in many projects and with partners from across the City and beyond. The group’s next storytelling event will be about Prophet Ibrahim (AS) (part two) and is suitable for children aged 5-10 years. 2-4pm, Munro Centre, 6 Park Grove Street. Booking is essential and should be made by emailing your child’s name, age, details of any allergies, and your own mobile number and email address to beyondtheveil@hotmail.co.uk.
Filmhouse Junior: screenings for a younger audience. Today’s film is Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder (Doktor Proktors prompepulver) (PG) (English language version), based on a series of books by crime writer Jo Nesbø. Shy and lonely Lise and her new neighbour, curious and excitable Nilly, investigate a cloud of smoke coming from the home of reclusive inventor Doctor Proctor…11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online here.
LGBT: Me & T Monthly. A supportive space for people who have friends, family or partners who are trans*, non-binary or exploring their gender. An opportunity to discuss experiences, questions or concerns. 2-4pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact the group at any time: me.and.t.monthly.scotland@gmail.com.
Take One Action: Audience Award Winner. The final screening of Take One Action 2015 – as voted for by the audiences from the festival’s host of critically acclaimed premieres. In the last few years, audiences have been treated to The Revolutionary Optimists, Girl Rising and Chasing Ice; this year it could be a darling of the festival circuit or an exciting newcomer. Please note: the screening will be anticipated as a certificate 15 and children may therefore not be admitted. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Present a ticket stub from another Take One Action 2015 festival film at the Filmhouse box office any time up to Saturday 26 September to get your Audience Award Screening ticket for just £4.50. One reduced price ticket per stub; only valid when booking in person by 9pm on Sat 26 September. All tickets bought for this event are non-refundable.
The Tinderbox Orchestra: Edinburgh’s award-winning Tinderbox Orchestra is a 25-piece developmental youth orchestra (ages 14-25) with an amazing array of strings, woodwind, brass, percussion and electric instruments, performing an eclectic fusion of funk, orchestral and improvisational music. Mentored by some of Edinburgh’s (and beyond) leading instrumentalists and composers, Tinderbox is a high-energy, full-spectrum music generator powering its way through all kinds of original and known compositions ‘Rave Culture meets last night of the Proms’ (The Herald). This event is a fundraiser, with proceeds going towards the orchestra’s debut album costs. 4-5pm, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £3 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.
Uptown Abbey: Lauriston Castle Above and Below Stairs. Join Edinburgh Living History, the award winning troupe of Living History interpreters at Lauriston Castle; this is a unique chance to observe life in an Edwardian house. Meet the last private owners of Lauriston, the Reids (Mrs Reid gifted the castle to the nation in 1926), their staff and some special guests as they go about their daily lives. 1pm or 2pm or 3pm, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. Tickets cost £5 (adult). £3 (child) or £12.50 (family) without afternoon tea or £6.50/£4.50/£17 with tea, and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.
The First World War in Cinema: The Guns of Loos (U) (silent film with accompaniment). The Guns of Loos marked a bold new approach to depicting the war on screen; the striking recreations of the conflict at Loos provide the backdrop to an intense psychological drama about a factory owner faced with the horrors of returning from the war. Combining strong performances with outstanding cinematography, the film received rave reviews on its release in 1928, with many critics declaring it the best war film ever made. Soon forgotten during the emergence of the ‘talkies’, this commemorative screening is an opportunity to see a unique film brought back to the big screen. The film will be accompanied by a brand new musical score by one of the UK’s leading silent film composers and performers, Stephen Horne, commissioned by Dundee Contemporary Arts in association with the Great War Dundee partnership. 4.30pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £10/£8, or £6 for members of the armed forces with ID, and may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online here.
Singers Night with William Young and his Trio: an evening of superb vocals from the ex-Cincinnati Soul/Blues/Jazz vocalist, backed by a top-drawer jazz trio featuring swinging pianist Peter Johnstone. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.
Ragged University Film & Curry Night: come along, put your feet up and see a film in the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere of the Serenity Cafe. The screening is followed by food (classic daal recipes, provided free) and a discussion about the film. Tonight: This Film Is Not Yet Rated (18), an investigation into the American film censorship board’s notoriously secretive methods of rating films. 6pm, Serenity Cafe, 8 Jackson’s Entry, The Tun, Holyrood Road. Free, but please make a donation towards the work of the cafe if you are able to do so.
City Link 2015: the City Link Festival is an international event celebrating culture and urban life between cities through symposiums, artist exchange, workshops, study trips, city walks, performances and social bonding, inspiration and co-creation, City Link started in 2012 as a co-creation project between cultural communities in Copenhagen and Hamburg. Until 2014, the network primarily consisted of people from these two cities, but the City Link Festival in Hamburg in September 2014 kick-started City Link as a global network connecting people, projects and communities throughout the world. This year the festival’s theme is democratic renewal; it will bring together people from Edinburgh and Copenhagen with ideas that could link cities, discuss local initiatives, inspire each other and investigate possibilities of co-creating cities across Europe. Today’s closing events are:
Hold Me Dear: Four Cities, Four (Extra) Ordinary Places – Launch Event. Bring a picnic to King George V Park on the grass next to Rodney St tunnel and enjoy live jazz, mural painting, cycle tours and speakers to celebrate the launch of this unique outdoor exhibition, a co-created gallery of stories and photographs of Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Istanbul and Hamburg. 12 noon-2pm, Rodney Street Tunnel. Free. Exhibition continues until 20th October 2015;
Flytte: an evening of poetry and music on the theme of ‘displacement’. Listen to work that explores the theme of cultural displacement and have the opportunity to chat with the performers about the effect place and displacement can have on creativity; discuss how this topic may be explored through literature, and how this can help in our understanding of a widening cultural Scotland. Confirmed poets to date: Bashabi Fraser, Jessica Johannesson Gaitán, Gerd Laugesen and Chris Jam. The evening will finish with music from Edinburgh’s own Dallahan, an internationally renowned touring band with Scottish, Irish and Hungarian members. This session will begin the documentation of Flytte which, after a series of future events, will result in a publication aiming to reflect the ideas of cultural displacement raised by all participants and to assist in a greater understanding of migration, its challenges and its benefits. 6pm, Process Studios, Abbeymount Techbase, Unit 13, 2 Easter Road. Free: refreshments available by donation – all donations will go to Syrian Refugee Emergency.
St Giles’ at Six: Through the Spectrum of Colours. Magdalena Durant (soprano) and Chris Harding (piano) take a musical journey spanning one hundred years of songs, with lieder by Brahms, Fauré, Debussy and Szymanowski. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.
