To most people the festival is synonymous with the
‘Fringe’. This is not only because
Fringe events outnumber the core festival events by many hundreds, possibly
thousands to one, but because of the greater accessibility of the Fringe. It’s impossible to walk anywhere in the
centre of Edinburgh without being assailed by ‘Flyerists’, the often bizarrely
costumed actors from the many events taking place who are competing for your
attention and for your business. The
Fringe is the nursery of talent, but many more times it is the kindergarten of
mediocrity. Without wanting to sound
like an entry to ‘Pseuds Corner’, the infamous column in Private Eye which
lampoons pomposity and pretention, here are a few illustrated gems from
Edinburgh. One advantage of going to
classical music Fringe concerts is that they are often in Edinburgh’s lovely
old churches, where the occasional surprise awaits:
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| The Canongate Kirk - an unexceptional looking facade |
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Robert Fergusson, poet. Born 1750, died in Edinburgh's Bedlam in 1774. Influenced Robert Burns
Statue outside the Canongate Kirk |
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| Magnificent bronze of Robert Burns (1759-1796) inside Canongate Kirk |
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| Unesco City of Culture, 2015. 'Books, Words, Ideas' |
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| The other Greyfriars Bobby. Not many tourists see this one, presented by the USA, just below the Western walls of Edinburgh Castle |
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| Roy Lichtenstein - his take on Monet's Nympheas, Sign writer's enamel on stainless steel (plus indistinct portrait of photographer) |
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| Duane Hanson's wonderful 'Tourists' sculpture, 1970. Part of permanent collection, Museum of Modern Art 1 |
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| Not a sculpture - 'Blowers' reacts with horror at meeting Andrew McLeod |
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| Is this the largest piece of modern art? Landform at Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 1 |
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| Wonderful piece by Kwang Young Chun, a Korean artist, Dovecot Gallery. See below for details... |
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| Second paragraph a possible entrant for Pseuds Corner, but at least it explains how the art/sculpture is done |
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| Glenys McLaren kicks Kwang Young Chun into touch |
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| Another KYC exhibit |
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| The complete collection of tickets! |
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| Bizarrely titled shows are everywhere... |
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| Lucy Formby as Nell Gwyn - you heard about her here first! |
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| A Fringe winner. 'Swallow' by Stef Smith. Best described as 'challenging' in the wake of disturbing plays such as those by Sarah Kane. The acting by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Anita Vetesse, and Emily Wachter is nonetheless remarkable. |
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| And finally, two images from Maurits Escher - the first major exhibition of his work in the UK. Above: Day and Night |
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| Escher's final wood block print - done in his 70s - mortally ill from cancer, the concentration required to produce this image is remarkable. All at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2 |
One of my least 'wordy' blogs - they say a picture is worth a thousand words...
