The Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP visited the exhibition Play On at the National Museum of Scotland today along with Simon Gage and Amanda Tyndall of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
This event has been supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and has so far been visited by over 73,000 people. It is an interactive exhibition which engages people of all ages with creative technologies.
It is also supported by the City of Edinburgh Council as part of this year’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s great to see the Scottish Government EXPO fund helping to celebrate Scotland’s inventive, creative spirit. Play On demonstrates our passion for technological innovation, as well as our keen artistic eye, and people young and old will learn a lot about our journey through the information age by interacting with these exhibits and artworks.
“I’m delighted to learn Play On is set for display at three science centres in Germany later this year – a testament to the high-quality work developed in Scotland.
“As Edinburgh Festivals celebrate their 70th anniversary, it is a time for our artists to dream, reflect, invent and celebrate by bringing Scotland to the world and the world to Scotland through arts, culture and science. I look forward to seeing the excellence of our world renowned festivals over the coming months.”
Dr Simon Gage, Director of Edinburgh International Science Festival said: “Edinburgh International Science Festival is delighted that with the support of the Expo fund, Play On, which showcases so much Scottish innovation and creativity, will be touring to three of Germany’s finest science centres for five months. We look forward to the many tens of thousands from northern Germany who will see the exhibition enjoying it as much as Scottish audiences have here in Edinburgh.”
During the visit Ms Hyslop met with Kirsty Keatch, Edinburgh-based artist who created Katakata, one of the art commissions as well as Hedra, one of the games on display, and Niall Moody, Glasgow-based designer who built five of the Play On exhibits as well as creating Harpoon!, a video game which demonstrates the effect that multiple layers of animation and audio and visual effects can have on how that video game feels to play.
Artist Kirsty Keatch said: “My contribution to the Festival is to present a way of widening access and demystifying playful interactions with sound, so that the passive visitor becomes an active performer in the Museum. I want my work to blur distinctions between ideas that separate artist from audience. Katakata takes a classic toy and extends its use through an unusual context, that of manipulating its sound through the familiarity of the mobile phone.”
“Katakata depends on visitor participation to release its creative potential.”
“It’s been a privilege and an amazing personal learning experience to work with the Festival, especially as the Grand Gallery is such an iconic space. I’m thrilled to bits when I see faces, of all ages, light up as they play with Katakata’s sound and movement and I hope the visitors get lots of pleasure from it too.”
Stephen Allen, Head of Learning and Programmes at National Museums Scotland said:
“We are once again delighted to be hosting the Edinburgh International Science Festival here at the National Museum of Scotland. Last year we opened six new galleries of science and technology which have proven to be hugely popular with our visitors and the Play On exhibition complements the full range of inspiring science programmes which accompany these galleries. Visitors of all ages are getting hands-on with a wide-range of interactive exhibits, discovering the science behind how we play and how technology influences our leisure time.”
Play On will now visit three science centres in Germany later this year.
Play On is part of Edinburgh International Science Festival 2017 and remains open at the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland until the end of the Festival – 16 April.
To browse all Edinburgh International Science Festival events go to www.sciencefestival.co.uk
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
