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Edinburgh Reporter
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
ECA Graduate Show 2025 opens on Friday
Edinburgh College of Art will be transformed on Friday into the city's biggest gallery space celebrating the work of more than 550 graduating students. The ECA Graduate Show 2025 offers students the opportunity to display their work to the public, often exploring a range of thought-provoking ideas and cutting-edge techniques. This will be an inspiring and varied showcase with a range of disciplines on show.. The work includes painting and drawing, sculpture and installation, architectural planning and modelling, animation and digital visualisation, musical composition and performance, film, photography, textiles, jewellery and interior design. A screening of Animation and Film & TV students' work and a gig from graduates in Music will feature throughout the run of the Show, which will run from Friday 30 May until Friday 6 June. Kristen Bodensiek – Sculpture PHOTO © Stewart Attwood Photography 2025. Professor Juan Cruz, Principal of Edinburgh College of Art, said: 'Our Graduate Show celebrates the incredible creative talent and ingenuity of our graduating students. Visitors can expect to encounter work that is not only visually striking but also intellectually stimulating and innovative. We have a strong history of helping to shape some of the most notable creative talents in the UK and internationally, and this year is no exception.' Fine Art – artist Libby Entwistle has created An Aftermath, A Crime Scene – featuring a fire-breathing dragon sculpture in a multi-part installation that reinterprets the legend of Saint Margaret, a piece that interrogates ideas of 'monstrosity' and the tension between victimhood and agency. Graphic Design – Katie Marsden has used LEGO to create a tool to help people with Down's Syndrome navigate consent. Working with academics who improve sex education for people with learning difficulties, the colourful bricks are used to encourage positive, independent decision-making. Fine Art – Elena Gadd explores the concept of using masks within ceremony, in this instance a funeral, an occasion where mourner's characteristics or emotions might need concealment. Her large sculptural heads can be 'worn' by visitors, who will also experience a specially created soundscape within them. Sculpture – student Kristel Bodensiek was inspired by the effects that rain and waterfalls have on the human psyche and used glass and steel to create a calming curtain using 300 pieces of glass tied together by hand with steel rings. Painting – traditional tattoos and 19th century photography provide some of the inspiration for student Amy Mclean's final showcase. Five delicate oil paintings with subtle brushstrokes reflect on shrinking attention spans and how we construct meaning in a world of constant visual input. Sculpture – student Maria McStay has created large, spindly, other-worldly ceramics, inspired by artist Louise Bourgeois' spiders and the coastal landscapes she grew up in. Intermedia – the lesser-seen, unclean side of life is exposed in student Marni Saunders' uncanny wall-mounted work, featuring dirty dishes in basins and washing machine drums overflowing with sheets. Jewellery and Silversmithing – Rosina Percorelli has created sculptural pieces inspired by brutalist buildings and decaying pylons. Architecture – MA student Ellie Wilkes' design focuses on data centres, reimagining the thermal and mechanical systems used in response to rapidly growing AI technologies. Music – student Laura Hamilton's work was also inspired by AI, exploring the ethical implications of its use in music therapy. Inspired by leading Edinburgh academic Professor Shannon Vallor, Laura wants to ensure technology enhances, rather than compromises, the human-centred therapy. The ECA Graduate Show 2025 will be open Friday 30 May – Friday 6 June, 10.00am – 5.00pm, with late opening until 8.00pm on Thursday 5 June. It is open to all and free to attend. Booking via Eventbrite is encouraged, though not essential: ECA Graduate Show 2025 Tickets. Kristen Bodensiek – Sculpture PHOTO © Stewart Attwood Photography 2025. Elena Gadd – Fine Art MA (Hons) PHOTO © Stewart Attwood Photography 2025. Katie Marsden – Graphic Design BA (Hons) PHOTO © Stewart Attwood Photography 2025. Libby Entwistle PHOTO © Stewart Attwood Photography 2025. Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Shedinburgh location revealed as line-up unveiled for venue with Baby Reindeer link
The new Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue will pay artists to perform. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... New Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue Shedinburgh has named its first line-up of acts as the hub's location is revealed for the first time. Based in the Edinburgh College of Art, the venue is believed to include the iconic Wee Red Bar, as well as outdoor courtyard bar areas. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jayde Adams is to join comedian Mark Watson among a strong of one-night acts to perform at Shedinburgh, the brainchild of producer Francesca Moody, who originally brought Baby Reindeer and Fleabag to the Fringe. Venue organisers have promised to 'flip the traditional Fringe model' by paying artists to perform. Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in Baby Reindeer. The hit Netflix show started out life on the Edinburgh Fringe. | Ed Miller/Netflix Further shows are still to be announced, with special 'secret sets' due to be revealed during the festival. Other Shedinburgh events include work-in-progress performances of three Shed Originals - unseen scripts with development supported by Shedinburgh from up-and-coming writers. These include brand new scripts from Nick Cassenbaum, Ciara Elizabeth Smyth and Rosaleen Cox, with more to be announced. Meanwhile, Ms Moody will host a panel discussion on 'How to Produce a Fringe Hit' as part of the Shedx Talk line up aimed at Fringe professionals, alongside other industry names. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'We're absolutely thrilled to be making this first programme announcement for Shedinburgh. [It will be] a hugely diverse range of original work from an incredible roster of artists from the emerging to the emerged. We're delighted that Shedinburgh means that these much-beloved shows, artists and makers of the future can perform at the Fringe this year. 'It's likely I'll be permanently sat in Shedinburgh for the duration of August and I'm thrilled we've been able to set up our home in the Edinburgh College of Art at the heart of the Fringe.' The revival of the venue, which ran digitally during the Covid pandemic, will pay artists and fund accommodation and travel in a series of one-night shows in a bid to 'level the playing field' at the 'increasingly inaccessible' Fringe. Francesca Moody is the producer behind Fringe hits including Baby Reindeer and Fleabag. | Rich Lakos The 100-seat venue will be a cafe and bar for artists to meet by day before turning into a performance venue at night in what is being billed as an 'intimate, immersive setting'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish writer and performer Gary McNair, who is to perform his show Clamjamfry on August 24, said: 'It's incredible that a project founded on a pun and made during the pandemic has become such a beacon of potential and positivity for artists. 'I'm totally bowled over by the passion, determination and insane hard work that has gone into launching this festival, venue and idea. Personally, I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Edinburgh Fringe. I've had the most amazing experiences as an artist there over the years and I'm excited that Shedinburgh will now give that opportunity to others to do the same.' Shedinburgh will also be opening applications for its Shedload-of-Future Fund. The fund will award three £5,000 grants to artists making their Fringe debut in 2025. The bursaries can be put towards any costs associated with bringing a show to the Fringe, including travel, marketing, accommodation, set, and artists' time.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Fleabag producer will run pop-up Fringe venue at art college
Moody, who has announced the new venue as part of a campaign to 'reimagine a more sustainable, accessible, artist-first Fringe, will be hosting an event on 'how to produce a Fringe hit.' Read more: She has also launched a new "Shedload of Future Fund" which will offer £5000 bursaries to help artists in the early stages of their careers meet the costs of appearing at the Fringe for the first time. Artists and performers will be reviving past Fringe shows and showcasing their latest work at the 100-seater Shedinburgh venue, which will embrace theatre, music, comedy, performance art and talks. Francesca Moody producer the original stage versions of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. (Image: Rich Lakos) Already confirmed are Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, creators of the hit musical Six, the comics Marjolein Robertson, Ivo Graham, Mark Watson, Jayde Adams, Deborah Frances White and Ben Target, actress and singer Maimuna Memon, playwrights Kieran Hurley and Tim Crouch, and writer James Rowland. Fringe favourites Flo and Joan, Gary McNair, Sophie Duker, James Ley and Chris Thorpe will be giving a sneak preview of new shows. A new pop-up Fringe venue will be launched at Edinburgh College of Art this August. (Image: MIHAELA BODLOVIC) Shedinburgh will be created in and around the art school's Wee Red Bar, which has been playing host to live music, club nights and shows since the 1980s. Her collaboration with the art college, which is part of Edinburgh University, has been unveiled after the campus played host to the Edinburgh International Book Festival for three years before it relocated last year to the nearby Edinburgh Futures Institute. Marjolein Robertson will be appearing at new Fringe venue Shedinburgh in August. (Image: Duncan McGlynn) Moody will be joining forces with long-time Fringe promoters and producers Gilded Balloon to run Shedinburgh this August. Moody said: 'We're absolutely thrilled to be making this first programme announcement for Shedinburgh. Edinburgh College of Art will be playing host to a new pop-up Fringe venue in August. (Image: MIHAELA BODLOVIC) 'We will have hugely diverse range of original work from an incredible roster of artists from the emerging to the emerged. We're delighted that Shedinburgh means that these much-beloved shows, artists and makers of the future can perform at the Fringe this year. 'It's likely I'll be permanently sat in Shedinburgh for the duration of August and I'm thrilled we've been able to set up our home in the Edinburgh College of Art at the heart of the Fringe.' Frances-White, host of The Guilty Feminist podcast, made her Fringe debut in 2006. said: 'The Edinburgh Fringe is where I truly began my life as a comedian & where I've grown up and forged my most meaningful artistic relationships. 'I'm grateful I had the opportunity to make work there at a time when an ordinary person who was prepared to sleep in a bunk bed could afford to go - so it couldn't be more exciting to have been gifted a whole shed to play in this year. 'I can't wait to see who else will have the chance to get messy in the shed.' Watson said: "The Fringe has been a huge part of my career – I've not missed one since 2000. "But it's getting harder and harder for emerging artists to survive out there, or even take the risk of going in the first place. "There needs to be a fresh approach to the way the festival works for performers, and that's what Shedinburgh is offering.'
Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Artist born on VE Day shares memories of post-war years
Victoria Crowe was born in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, on May 8 1945 as her mother listened to the crowds out on the streets celebrating the end of the Second World War in Europe. She said that while, of course, she does not remember the day, she has in a way 'carried the memory' throughout her life, because her parents named her Victoria Elizabeth. The acclaimed artist, who is marking her 80th birthday on Thursday, will see her work celebrated in an exhibition titled Decades later this year. She said: 'Obviously, I don't have any real memories of the 8th of May 1945. Just stories that my mum and dad told me – how my father was out celebrating while my mother was giving birth (men weren't allowed to attend births at that time) and how she could hear the crowds out on the streets during her labour. 'However, I have carried the memory of that day all my life, as my parents wanted my name, Victoria Elizabeth, to celebrate the ending of the war.' The artist, who later made her home in Scotland, recalled the aftermath of the war permeating her childhood. She said: 'I can still remember, from very early childhood, a shallow depression in the ground where the Anderson shelter had been, over which my mother would grow ridge cucumbers and nasturtiums as a sort of camouflage. 'Our garden was very near to an internment camp for Italian prisoners of war – my mother told me how she enjoyed their singing on Sunday mornings. 'My father would point up to part of the sky where 'dog fights' between British and enemy aircraft were clearly seen, so I was imagining what that would look like in the sky above my garden.' I used to draw on the walls and on the backs of Christmas cards, birthday cards, envelopes - any scrap of paper I could get hold of Victoria Crowe She added: 'One of the most familiar and fascinating aspects for me was Boxer the canary, who we looked after for a great aunt. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'The canary was completely bald and had lost all his head feathers in fright from a bombing raid in Kingston – I don't think the great aunt survived.' Ms Crowe did not let early challenges such as the difficulty of finding paper in the post-war years get in the way of developing her passion and talent for art. She said: 'I think the biggest difference to my young life growing up after the war was that there was very little in the way of drawing paper, children's books, all that sort of thing, so I used to draw on the walls and on the backs of Christmas cards, birthday cards, envelopes – any scrap of paper I could get hold of.' Ms Crowe, who lives and works between West Linton in the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh, studied at Kingston School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art in London. In the late 1960s she moved to Scotland, where she began teaching at Edinburgh College of Art, and in 1970 her first solo exhibition was held at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh. Since then she has worked in partnership with the gallery for more than five decades and her new exhibition, Decades, will be presented there as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival this summer. The artist was made an OBE for services to art in 2004 and her work is held in private and public collections, including National Galleries of Scotland.
Edinburgh Reporter
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture
An exhibition John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portaiture and a programme of associated events and talks will take place at the City Art Centre from 31 May to 28 September. John Bellany, CBE, RA, is one of the most significant painters of modern times. He was born in Port Seton, the son and grandson of fishermen, and his art regularly features fish and seaside themes. The assembled works on display will include paintings, drawings, prints and sketchbooks from the 1960s to 2103 when he died. He was a prolific artist and in particular he drew many self-portraits almost to the point of obsession. His work helped him to explore personal and universal themes and he often depicted himself as a mythical figure or fantastical character. Some of the exhibition includes art which has never been on public display before, and which is on loan from collections both public and private, as well as some from the artist's estate. His work is on display in many places worldwide including MOMA in New York and the Metropolitan Museum there, and the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut which has a vast collection of art in lofty airy rooms. The works will span his whole career. and there will be a book to accompany the exhibition. This will include a foreword by John Bellany's widow, Helen and essays by Sandy Moffat who was a contemporary at Edinburgh College of Art, and Bill Hare who have curated the exhibition. John Bellany died in 2013 and he is buried in Dean Cemetery, near the National Galleries of Scotland the Modern. Event Programme Highlights Lectures: Thursday 31 July, 2pm – 3pm: A Life-Long Friendship A reflection on the enduring friendship between John Bellany and Sandy Moffat. Sandy will discuss Bellany's boyhood in Port Seton, their time together at Edinburgh College of Art, his turbulent London years and final years in Italy will all be explored. Thursday 14 August, 2pm – 3pm: 'I don't borrow – I steal': John Bellany and the Art of Visual Quotation Bill Hare will explore Bellany's technique of incorporating visual references from European art history into his own distinctive style, creating rich, multi-layered works. Thursday 21 August, 2pm – 3pm: Time Will Tell Reading from her critically acclaimed memoir, The Restless Wave, Helen Bellany will talk about her enduring relationship with John Bellany. Wednesday 24 September, 2pm – 3pm: The Bellany Sketchbooks Helen Bellany will lead exclusive exploration of Bellany's private sketchbooks, which reveal the raw, personal side of his creative process. In Conversation: Thursday 10 July, 2pm: John Bellany: In Conversation with Bill Hare and Sandy Moffat Join the curators for a conversation about Bellany's artistic journey, his impact on Scottish art, and the special connection they had with him. Gallery Tours: Monday 11 August, 2pm – 3pm: Gallery Tour with Curators Bill Hare and Sandy Moffat An intimate guided tour of the exhibition with the curators, offering expert insight into Bellany's work and career. Saturday 23 August, 2pm – 3pm: Gallery Tour with Curators Bill Hare and Sandy Moffat Another opportunity to experience the exhibition with the curators, who will discuss the life and art of John Bellany in detail. Described Tours and BSL Tours: Friday 15 August, 11am – 12pm: BSL Interpreted Tour of 'John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture' A British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted tour, offering a deeper understanding of Bellany's artistic journey for the Deaf community. Friday 15 August, 2pm – 3pm: Described Tour for the Visually Impaired of 'John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture' A guided tour specifically designed for visitors with visual impairments, offering detailed descriptions of the artworks on display. Adult Creative Workshops: Saturday 12 July, 10.30am – 3.30pm: Self-Portraiture in Ink and Watercolour A hands-on workshop exploring Bellany's techniques, encouraging participants to create their own self-portraits using ink and watercolour. Saturday 9 August, 10.30am – 3.30pm: From Sketchbook to Masterpiece A workshop that delves into the process behind Bellany's iconic works, guiding participants through transforming initial sketches into finished art. John Bellany, 'Sad Self-Portrait', 1976. © The Estate of John Bellany Like this: Like Related
