Fringing on a Sunday

I had plans for the day; they didn't work out, however it all ended up fine.  Began by missing the Sunday lunch music in the National Museum of Scotland. But I did get to the Art Festival event I had a ticket for.

No Show: A Screening of Artists' Films on Collections and Museums
Three short films chosen by Melvin Moti that are related to art and museums. Also his own film No Show.

Flash in the Metropolitan - Roaslind Nashashibi, Lucy Skaer
At only 3 minutes long, I didn't get time to absorb this and would need to see it many times to take in the short flashes of artefacts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Dylaby - Ed Van der Elsken
This really appealed to me. From 1962, black and white film of the exhibition at Stedeliijk museum in Amsterdam. The group of artists who made the exhibition included Niki de Saint-Phalle, who is one of my favourite artists. The film had some of her shooting paintings, but interactive, set up so visitors could shoot paint. If I knew how to link within this blog, I'd link to the post I did of her exhibition at Tate Liverpool a couple of years ago.

But there was much much more in this film. Certainly the best of the four I saw.

No Show - Melvin Moti
1944, the Hermitage, recently emptied by Russian soldiers. They are taken on a tour explaining what had been on the walls. Interesting, but didn't hold my attention fully.

Spiral Jetty - Robert Smithson
This left me wondering what the hell it was about. But when I explained it to Sig Other he knew all about it. He's a bit scunnersome at times, but mostly useful informationwise.
Follow the link if you are really interested.

The films went on longer than expected, so I missed the show I'd planned to see and decided to spend some time in the newly reopened museum. It's so much better than I'd thought it might be. I could rave about it.

 The dangly monsters hall is a hoot.

  

Tasteful temporary exhibition of glass. I want, I want!

Sooner rather than later, I exited the museum as the howling level of too many weans got to me. Time to go to a show.

This was a jolly show. Energetic young women in tweeds and hiking boots

mourning their lost friend Bertha. They came across a mountain man who fell in love with Hilda but had to call himself Mr Darcy before he could win her love. Much angst and wriggling around in their sleeping bags ensued. I wanted a time machine so I could go back, collect my daughter at an impressionable age, and show her this group of worthy role models. Even now, I think she'd enjoy it.

Lewis Chesswomen

The pic is of the three queens found in Uig, Lewis in 1831. Like the rest of the chess pieces they are carved from walrus ivory and Scandinavian in origin probably from around the 12th/13th century.  Not a lot else is known about them.

They are usually housed in the British Museum in London, but this summer they have been loaned to the National Museum of Scotland in Chamber St, Edinburgh.

The exhibition is very well set out with lots of really good background about Lewis, chess, the history of the finds and why the British Museum has them rather than being returned to Lewis where they would be a tremendous tourist attraction. I'm a great believer in returning objects to their original place if it makes sense, and this case is absolute in my opinion.

There is a roof terrace on the top of the new part of the museum, which has clear views round the city.

Looking towards the castle with St Giles spire reaching above the roofline of the old town.

Rooftop view with Arthur's Seat just peeking in on the left.

I visited these old queens a few days before Edinburgh had an influx of other auld queens got up in all their flowing finery come to proclaim their medieval views on women and other's who seek only to live as they see fit according to  a more inclusive and accepting standard of morality.