FIELD CULTURE
A guide to Scotland’s arts and entertainment
Back in the game
V&A Museum of Childhood is touring an exhibition this summer to celebrate the excitement and frustration of playing board games. Hosted at New Lanark World Heritage Site, Gameplan: Board Games Rediscovered, opened on 20 July in the Mill Gallery and will run until 4 November. Alongside the exhibition are challenge games, a themed trail and historic toy sessions. New Lanark will also be running a programme of inclusive sessions with autism friendly mornings and dementia friendly ‘Games We Played’ reminiscence sessions.
A LABOUR OF LOST LOVE
A mysterious and powerful portrait by a celebrated surrealist painter has entered the collection at National Galleries of Scotland. Leonora Carrington’s painting of her lover, Portrait of Max Ernst, was completed around 1939 and has an extraordinary history. By 1942 Carrington had become estranged from Ernst and left Britain for Mexico, where she spent much of the rest of her life. She met up with Ernst in New York and as a parting gift presented him with the portrait, which is one of her most famous works. In exchange he gave her a painting entitled Leonora in the Morning Light, which she kept until her death in 2011. The two lovers never saw each other again.
Don’t miss:
Let It Be: A Celebration of the Music of the Beatles comes to the Edinburgh Playhouse from Monday 8 October to Saturday 13 October. Fans of the Beatles are invited to join John, Paul, George and Ringo for a great night of live music. Enjoy the early beginnings at the word famous Cavern Club, through to the height of Beatlemania. Tickets are on sale now at atgtickets. com/Edinburgh.
A journey through pop
A new exhibition exploring the history of Scottish popular music has opened at the National Museum of Scotland. Rip it Up: The Story of Scottish Pop is an exhibition covering the history of Scottish popular music from the 1950s to the present day. The story is told in large part through material which has been lent by the artists for the duration of the exhibition. A two-piece tartan trouser suit from Annie Lennox, a guitar from Simple Minds and robotic dancers used on stage during performances by Franz Ferdinand are just some of the items forming part of the Rip it Up exhibition, which runs until 25 November.
Dancing to make a difference
Inspiring dancers including some famous Scottish faces are getting ready to do their bit for charity in Scotland’s first ‘Strictly Come Prancing’ event. Supporting Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland, the event will see 13 couples including Heart Scotland radio presenters Paul Harper and Lynne Hoggan, take to the dancefloor to try to impress head judge Gok Wan. The couples will prepare with ten weeks of professional coaching. All proceeds from the night will go to SBH Scotland, the specialist charity that supports children, young people and families affected by lifelong disabilities spina bifida and hydrocephalus. The event will take place at Glasgow’s Double Tree Hilton Hotel on 10 November. Wigtown Book Festival has been named Scotland’s top cultural event of the year as part of the Scottish Cultural Awards. Wigtown Book Festival was chosen because it ‘really went beyond expectations to deliver a life altering experience to its audience’. The award comes just as preparations get underway for the 20th annual event, which will take place from 21 to 30 September. See the programme at wigtownbookfestival.com
Brick by brick
Visitors to Glasgow Cathedral will be able to explore the Seven Wonders of the World in miniature. Brick Wonders, a free lego exhibition created by acclaimed Lego artist Warren Elsmore focuses on pivotal moments and amazing sites from around the world. It features the seven wonders of the ancient world, scientific discoveries from the Big Bang Theory to DNA, and recent history from mobile phones to the moon landings. The free exhibition is on display until 23 September at Glasgow Cathedral, and from 29 September to 23 January at Stirling Castle.