Explorations in Nepalese Textiles: this talk by Karen Haggis will include video footage of the weavers lives and photos of spinning, weaving and knitting with giant nettle ‘allo’ fibres, cotton ‘Dhaka’ weaving and ‘counted thread’ embroidery made by the Atpare Rais of Eastern Nepal. Nettle scarves and Susi Dunsmore’s The Nettle in Nepal booklet will be for sale. Refreshments will be served after the talk. 6-7.30pm, The Nomad’s Tent, St Leonard’s Lane. Tickets cost £6; to book please call the shop on 0131 662 1612 or email info@nomadstent.co.uk. The talk will be repeated at 11am on Thursday 26th November 2015.
Autumn Music and Reflection: Franz Liszt. Music and Reflection returns for four weeks this autumn, with the theme of Composers’ Lives and Music. Enjoy music performed by talented Edinburgh music graduates and learn a little of the composer’s life in a short talk. Today Jamie Lang (piano) will play Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude. Speaker: Brigitte Harris. 1-1.30pm, Sanctuary, St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Free.
Scrabble Club: have you got what it takes to face the library’s resident Scrabble™ Supremo? This new club launches today! 2.30pm, Blackhall Library, Hillhouse Road. For more information ask in the library or call 0131 529 5595.
LGBT LD: Social Circle. A social group for people with learning disabilities or learning difficulties to meet other people, have fun and discuss sexuality and gender identity. Today’s topic is Internet Safety. 2-4pm, Lifecare Centre, 2 Cheyne Street. For more information about the group please contact George Burrows on 0131 652 3281 or email george@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Mayfield-Salisbury Thursday Club: Growing up on the Other Side of the Fence – a talk by Renate Breadon. 2pm, Upper Hall, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 18 West Mayfield. The club meets weekly from October to May, with an attractive programme of music, slides, talks and demonstrations. New members warmly welcomed; annual membership costs £4 and there is a 50p charge for tea at each meeting. For more information please contact Florence Smith on 0131 663 1234.
Lunchtime Concert: Howard Duthie (organist, St John’s Kirk of Perth and formerly organist of Greyfriars) plays Mozart, Bach, Wesley, Whitlock, Hutchings, Rawsthrone and Sullivan. 12-12.45pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free.
A Deep-Fried Mars Bar? Food researcher Dr Christine Knight (University of Edinburgh) discusses how the deep-fried Mars bar captured the public imagination. It is a notorious emblem for Scotland’s diet — and for many, a national embarrassment. But why does a deep-fried chocolate bar provoke such strong reactions? 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required; please call 0131 623 3734 or book online here.
SMHAFF: Suppressed/Expressed. A programme of six shorts from submissions to SMHAFF’s 2015 International Film Competition. From Scotland, this showcase features the poignant animation Heart of Dust and Submerged, a visually adventurous look at Borderline Personality Disorder. International work includes the heartbreaking documentary A Tale of Love, Madness and Death, in which an elderly man is forced to choose between caring for either his ill wife or his schizophrenic son. A discussion on issues raised by the films will follow the screenings. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £6/£4 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online here. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival 2015. The festival’s annual awards ceremony will take place at the Filmhouse on Thursday 29th October.
From Renaissance to Referendum: the Languages of Scottish Poetry. Down the ages Gaelic poets have often acted as spokespersons for their community, particularly during times of hardship and struggle. Emma Dymock (University of Edinburgh) considers how Sorley MacLean reinvented the role of ‘poet of conscience’ in the 1930s and 1940s. Greg Thomas (University of Edinburgh) discusses Ian Hamilton Finlay’s 1970s-80s poetry, focusing on his new and challenging interest in the artistic and intellectual tenets of authoritarian political regimes during those decades. 6.30-9pm, Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close. Free but booking is required and may be made via eventbrite here. For further information please contact SPL on 0131 557 2876. This event is held in partnership with the British Academy and the University of Edinburgh.
Easel Sketching in the Gallery – October: sketching in the gallery, led by artist Damian Callan. A different subject each month and sometimes with a model. All materials supplied. 2-4pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street (ask at information desk for exact location). No booking required, free. Also at same times on Friday 23rd October 2015.
Blackwells Edinburgh Presents Freeland Barbour: The Music and The Land. The legendary Scots musician and composer will be joined by fellow musicians Kevin Macleod and Alison Smith to celebrate the publication of this stunning collection of works. Freeland was brought up in Highland Perthshire and has been a very well-known figure on the Scottish music scene for many years. He is a former member of ground-breaking folk group Silly Wizard, and a founder member of two of the country’s most successful ceilidh dance bands, the Wallochmor Ceilidh Band and the Occasionals. His compositions for Scottish dancing are hugely popular and have been recorded and performed all over the world. In this book he recalls his life in music, presenting a tour in words, photographs and musical notation through the lands that have inspired him – covering the whole of Scotland and beyond. His compositions are gathered here with the work of some of Scotland’s leading photographers, in a book that is a both a resource for the working musician and a tribute to Scotland’s landscape and traditions. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8229, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.
LGBT Language Cafe: after the success of the LGBT Language Café pilot in August, LGBT Health & Wellbeing continues to provide a safe, sociable and supportive space for LGBT people whose first language is not English. If you would like to improve your spoken English and socialise with other LGBT people, these fortnightly sessions will provide fun and inclusive ways to practice speaking English and find out more about the LGBT community in Edinburgh. For ages 16+. 6.30-8.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. These session are free but registration is preferred; please contact Jules on 0131 523 1104 or email jules@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Martin Creed: Concert and Talk. The Turner Prize-winning artist will play music and talk about his work. Creed’s colourful wall painting and works on paper, on show as part of the Reflections display at Modern One, share a similar geometry to Sol LeWitt’s Five Modular Structures, with which they are currently exhibited. There will be a pop-up pay bar provided by Barney’s Beers. 6-7.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Tickets cost £5/£4 and may be purchased from the Information Desk in the Gardens Entrance of the Scottish National Gallery, by calling 0131 624 6560 between 9.30am & 4.30pm with credit/debit card, or via eventbrite here. Image © Maria Baranova.
Play Poland Film Festival: the largest mobile film event in the UK, presenting and promoting contemporary Polish cinema. Today: O!PLA Across the Borders – a screening of short films. O!PLA, The Festival of Polish Animation – is a fully independent cultural project which recently held its third edition in 51 Polish cities and towns. At O!PLA, the audience in all participating venues decide the award-winners. O!PLA Across the Borders tours a selection of films from of the O!PLA programme in venues outside Poland. This screening will be preceded by an introduction by Jared Taylor (Edinburgh College of Art). 8.15pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here; prices vary. Play Poland continues at Filmhouse until 19th November 2015.
Be United Charity Fundraiser Party: live music and party fun with Beats & Jazz, to raise funds to support this charity’s South Africa Projects. Music from the 17-piece EUJO – Edinburgh University Jazz Orchestra, plus Mellow Chants and Sanna, Supa & The Kryptonites. BE-United is a charity dedicated to inspiring change, currently based in Scotland and South Africa. BE-United aims to motivate and inspire young people to realise and reach their dreams, regardless of race, wealth or background, and to create conscious global citizens. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £7/£5 on the door; please note this venue is strictly cash only.
