Africa in Motion Opening and Birthday Party: following the opening screening of Hyenas at the Filmhouse, everyone is warmly invited to celebrate AiM’s 10th birthday in an evening filled with African beats, dancing, circus acts, African cocktails and snacks; warm up a chilly October evening with the vibrancy of African culture! Scottish drumming group Baobab Gateway, whose unique sound fuses Western and West African instruments, Artcore Circus (Pyroceltica) and fire artist Ashley Male, who will perform a packed show of acrobatics, parkour, fire throwing, stilt walking and more, and Edinburgh-based DJ Swank ‘n’ Jam’s afrocentric beats – plus a complementary cocktail, Knights Kitchen’s finest Kenyan cuisine, and a slice of cake! For over 15s only. 8pm-1am, Courtyard, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Free but booking is required and may be made via eventbrite here.
Calton Hill and the Anatomy of Edinburgh’s Volcano: Andrew McMillan, author and former Principal Geologist at the British Geological Survey, tells the fascinating story in the development of this long extinct volcano. Calton Hill is also the home to some remarkable late 18th and early 19th century buildings; these stone-built structures reveal much about the characteristics not only of locally-sourced volcanic rocks but also sandstones from some of Edinburgh’s famous quarries, notably Craigleith. 10.30am, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £5/£3.50 and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.
Dante and Scottish Culture: to celebrate the 750th anniversary of Dante’s birth, Professor Nick Havely (University of York) and Dr Davide Messina (University of Edinburgh), in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute, have organised a day of events. Invited speakers from Italy and the UK will highlight some of the many historical links between Italian and Scottish culture and art with a special focus on Dante. The programme will include a screening of Dante images by the Scottish artist Frank To, and a special viewing of the Macleod Dante Collection at the National Library of Scotland, introduced by Professor Havely. The day will conclude with a show featuring readings, music, and a Virtual Dante, courtesy of Professor Giuliana Nuvoli (Milano Statale) and a wine reception. The full programme for the day may be downloaded here. From 10am, School of Literature, Languages and Culture, University of Edinburgh, Project Room, 50 George Square. Free; all welcome.
animalia: an exhibition of animal themed images and objects from Edinburgh College of Art graduates Douglas Allison, Lester Bailey, Marion Barron and John Nowak. Preview tonight 6.30-9.30pm, then 10am-6pm Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th, 10am-8pm Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th October, Gayfield Creative Spaces, 11 Gayfield Square.
The 2015 Scottish International Storytelling Festival starts today! A ten-day celebration of live storytelling, oral traditions and cultural diversity in which Scottish stories intertwine with those of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Storytelling, family events, walking tours, talks, lectures and workshops at venues around Edinburgh. Today’s events include Stories of the Stranger, Iran vs Israel and an Open Hearth session with Donald Smith. Read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article about the festival here, and for full programme and booking details visit the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s website here. More events every day until 1st November 2015.
Arthur Melville: Curator’s Tour. Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings Scottish National Gallery will lead a tour of the Arthur Melville exhibition. Please note that a ticket for the exhibition is required; these cost £9/£7. 12.45-1.30pm, Royal Scottish Academy, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free with exhibition ticket.
Medley 3: MIX and Invited Artists. The third incarnation of the interdisciplinary and varied group show, featuring media by invited artists, makers and designers. Medley 3 is tightly curated by St Margaret’s House designer Jane Chisholm and showcases work by MIX, a group of graduate artists and designers from Dundee who have exhibited regularly in central and Northern Scotland. Artist William J Gall will be contributing a large oil (1.5m high x 3m wide) of the building reflections on the Festival Theatre and a large semi silhouette of an Edinburgh Skyline to this year’s collection, and part of the gallery space will also be given over to current Textile students from Edinburgh College. Preview tonight, then 10am-6pm daily, Gallery 1, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 15th November 2015.
An Evening with James Dashner: the author of the phenomenally successful Maze Runner and Mortal Doctrine series. 7pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. Tickets cost £5 and may be obtained online here. For more information please call 0131 226 2666.
Re:See It 3. Artists respond to the concepts of environmental sustainability in this special group exhibition, which encourages a Scotland-wide artistic response to global climate change. This third Re:See It exhibition extends its reach, calling on the creative communities engaged with Creative Carbon Scotland Edinburgh and the Green Tease Network in addition to tenants of St Margaret’s House. There will be a programme of workshops and demonstrations taking place throughout the exhibition. A smaller selection of work from this exhibition will also be shown at two other central Edinburgh venues, Gayfield Creative Spaces and Art Hub, Madelvic House, Granton, in late November. This series of exhibitions is held in association with ArtCOP Scotland, a new project facilitated by Creative Carbon Scotland.Preview tonight at 6.30pm, then 10am-6pm daily, Third Floor, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 15th November 2015.
Over The Rainbow: Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (12A). An official selection at Sundance Film Festival in 2011, Madeleine Olnek’s sci-fi comedy B-movie follows the adventures of three lesbian space aliens on planet Earth. Romance develops between Jane, a shy greeting card store employee, and Zoinx, the woman Jane does not realise is from outer-space. Meanwhile, two government agents are closely tracking Jane and the alien, while harbouring their own secrets. 8.50pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online here. Also showing at 3.45pm on Saturday 24th October.
Rally & Broad: Tangled Up In Blue. Rally & Broad are back for their fourth season, presenting the very best of Scotland-based spoken word, with great bands, authors, lyrical songwriters, dance, theatre and more. Tonight Rally & Broad partner with the Mental Health Foundation in Edinburgh to showcase a special event for the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Guests include Loki with Becci Wallace, Edinburgh-based four-piece Delighted Peoples, poet Harry Giles, singer-songwriter and storyteller Chrissy Barnacle and musician and songwriter Ed Ritchie, aka Dog On A Swing. For over 18s only. 7-10pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Admission £5 on the door.
The Cureheads + Lizzie and the Banshees: the original tribute to British ‘God-Fathers of Goth’, The Cure, The Cureheads have been together since 1990 and play all the original hits of The Cure as well as classic album and B-side tracks. Lizzie and the Banshees are currently the only tribute to Siouxsie and the Banshees in the UK. Expect Spellbound, Christine, Dear Prudence, Happy House, Hong Kong Garden, Cities in Dust and many more…. For over 18s only. 7pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £10 in advance/£12 on the door (sta) and are available from Ripping Records and Tickets Scotland.
LGBT Film Night: LGBT Health & Wellbeing has teamed up with the Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) to bring you special screenings of vintage archived TV shorts about LGBT life in Edinburgh and beyond. Tonight’s films are Coming Out (1983), which profiles the Lavender Menace bookshop that later went on to be West & Wilde, and interviews members of the LGBT Edinburgh community at the time, and Dancing in Dulais (1985), the story of which inspired the recent feature film Pride (2014). Guest speakers will be Sigrid Neilsen, who along with Bob Orr, ran the Lavender Menace bookshop in Edinburgh in the 80s. (Bob and Sigrid began their careers selling books from the cloakroom of Fire Island nightclub on Princes Street, Edinburgh, 
now the site of the city’s flagship Waterstones) and Edinburgh-based playwright James Ley, the latest recipient of LGBT History Month Scotland’s Cultural Commissions Award. James is working on a new play which will be performed during LGBT History Month in February 2016. The play will tell the real-life story of Bob and Sigrid. There will be lots of opportunity for discussion, and snacks and soft drinks will be available. 6.30-9.30pm, Walpole Hall, 27 Chester Street (a fully accessible venue). Please book in advance if possible, using the online form here. For more information please contact Jules on 0131 523 1104 or email jules@lgbthealth.org.uk. This screening is part of the BFI’s Britain on Film season.
Dalkeith and Monktonhall Brass Band Live In Concert: a brand new concert programme from the Prestonpans-based band. 7.30pm, Polwarth Parish Church, Polwarth Terrace. Tickets cost £5/£3.
