Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Celebrating culture and art in packed week
Shows, talks and workshops
North Lanarkshire’s annual Encount e r s festival begins this week, with a packed schedule of events taking place across Monklands for the next month.
Run by CultureNL, the event celebrates arts, heritage, literature and entertainment through a wide variety of shows, talks, workshops and special events.
Sir John Wilson town hall in Airdrie is the venue for a photography exhibition entitled Military Lives, Then and Now; which opened on Monday and runs daily except Sundays until the end of the month.
It saw photographer Allan Bovill work with current and former service personnel, documenting them in both contemporary styles and those dating from 1910, as part of the wider North Lanarkshire’s War project, commemorating the centenary of World War I.
Youngsters aged from six can also take part in interactive trench tours at Summerlee on October 17, trying out soldiers’ kit, mounting the fire step, learning about wartime medals and their stories, and making their own version to take home.
Meanwhile, Airdrie health centre is staging a photography display produced by local school pupils – and which originated as part of last year’s Encounters festival.
Students were asked to document a record of food in a typical school day and respond to the question “Is food used, abused or enjoyed?”
Literary events include a discussion with former North Lanarkshire library assistant Louise Hutcheson on her debut novel, The Paper Cell, at Airdrie library on October 19.
The Wellwynd venue will also host award- nominated David Keenan, whose debut book This Is Memorial Device recalls his Airdrie upbringing; Chris Paling, author of Reading Allowed – True Stories and Curious Incidents from a Provincial Library; and a workshop with comic artist Malcy Duff.
Coatbridge library will host authors Liz Macintyre and Sarah Hilary plus storyteller Allison Galbraith; while Summerlee will be the venue for a three-day scriptwriting workshop with filmmaker Wilma Smith.
The heritage museum in Coatbridge will also host an after-hours evening photography session, and further festival highlights include two shows by entertainer Edward Reid at Sir John Wilson town hall, and a performance by Roddy Woomble – who the world with Idlewild and is a leading indie folk music voice.
The same venue will also host Premier British Wrestling on October 14, while the Encounters programme across Monklands also includes drama and animation workshops, a 3D printing demonstration, Victorian schoolday and iron casting workshop.
For full details, visit www. culturenl.co.uk/encounters