FESTIVAL AROUND TOWN | Previews

HOW TO EAT . . . FOOD AT THE FESTIVAL

This year, with pop-up mussel shacks, gin emporiums and performance art cafés, the traditional Fringe pre-show burger is redundant: dinner is the show.

Pick up a bunch of carrots for Only Wolves and Lions (Forest Centre Plus, 19–23 Aug, 4.30pm, see preview p23), a storytelling dinner providing carbs and condiments, to which audience members must contribute an ingredient. No shopping is needed for ‘multi-sensory dining experience’ Dinner is Swerved (C Nova, until 25 Aug) for the culinarily open-minded, promising a dining sculptor, while Hunt and Darton (pictured) is a down-the-rabbit-hole café more about the performance art than the food though they do a mean roast dinner sarnie (Pleasance, Hunt and Darton Café, until 25 Aug).

If you’re of an educational frame of mind,

there are tastings galore. Novices to our national drink start with the Malt Whisky Demonstration for Beginners (Bennets Bar, until 22 Aug), or if you’re after dastardly tales, the Villains, Heroes and Adventurers and Moonshine, Medicine and The Mob tastings (Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@Jenners, until 21 Aug and 24 Aug) are for you. Don’t like fire water? Pretend to learn about booze while really just cadging as many top-ups as possible at a Champagne Tutored Tasting (Signet Library, 15 Aug), or Wine School at the Fringe (Bon Vivant’s Companion, until 25 Aug). Probably the Fringe-iest tasting is Champagne Cabaret (The Hispaniola, until 25 Aug) five wines paired with tunes. If you’d like to actually remember your lesson, try an Introduction to Chinese Tea at smart indie tea house Pekoe (Pekoe Tea, 15 Aug). Oddly charming, Tea, Cake or Death (Punjab Junction, 17 Aug) is a ‘light-hearted natter’ designed to take the darkness out of death. There’s no smooth segue from that to the crayfish party (Joseph Pearce’s, 19, 20 & 26 Aug) that’s part of Lugg, a Swedish alternative Fringe month of foodie, boozy events, other than it is also light- hearted, albeit in a schnapps-fuelled way. A whole Nordic food festival? If you only eat burgers in August it’s no longer Edinburgh’s fault. (Hannah Ewan)

90 THE LIST FESTIVAL 15–26 Aug 2013

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TALKS Artistic illuminations of breakthrough technologies in dance and music

Talks on music at the festival this year take a look at new technologies, new developments and how old artforms are remoulding and redefining themselves within new parameters. One of the most pervasive technological developments in art recently is 3D cinema, and dance films have benefited more than most from its increased popularity, both in mainstream cinema Streetdance 3D, All Stars and in arthouse circles, notably Wim Wenders’ beautiful portrait of Pina Bausch. Curator of Dance Odysseys, Nele Hertling, shares her thoughts on dance on celluloid across the years at a short, free Dance on Film talk at the Festival Theatre.

In terms of music, Brian Eno has regularly been at the forefront of technological developments, and his Movements talk, focusing on the development of recorded music over performed music, is sure to be fascinating, particularly in an age where the means of listening to music increasingly digital are perhaps influencing the production of music more than ever. And speaking of new forms of music, Cybraphon, the autonomous and emotional robot band created

by art collective FOUND, will be joining the permanent collection at the National Museum of Scotland this month. With Cybraphon, FOUND have taken the self-playing instruments and automatons of the early 19th century and created a 21st century band, one whose mood and playing style is affected by social media. You can affect the sounds Cybraphon produces by making it popular online, and every tweet, Facebook like, blog post and link makes a difference. Alexander Hayward and Alison Taubman of NMS are joined by Professor Simon Kirby of FOUND and Mark Daniels of New Media Scotland to usher Cybraphon into its new locale as part of the Movements events series. (Harry Harris) Dance on Film, Festival Theatre, 19 Aug, 4pm, free. Movements: Brian Eno, National Museum of Scotland, 23 Aug, 2.30pm, £6. Movements: Cybraphon, National Museum of Scotland, 21 Aug, 2.30pm, £6.

SKEPTICS ON THE FRINGE At the fringe of reason

Edinburgh Skeptics is dedicated year round to looking at a range of topical issues and shining the bright lights of reason and critical thinking upon them (often with the aid of a medicinal pint or two). For the festival, they’ve put together a bumper line-up of daily events.

Engineering geologist Hazel Gibson explains the finer points of fracking and examines public concern (Banshee Labyrinth, 16 August, 7.50pm), before Martin Poulter unpicks the secrets behind Scientology including a look at their controversial recruitment methods (The Jam House, 17 August, 3.30pm). Other highlights continuing until 24 August include events about circumcision, gay marriage and the philosophy of time travel.

The events are all free and non-ticketed, with different speakers and topics every day, so you’ll probably want to arrive early to be sure of a seat. Raised eyebrows all round. (Charlotte Runcie) Banshee Labyrinth, until 24 Aug, 7.50pm, free non-ticketed; also Jam House, weekend afternoons until 24 Aug, 3.30pm, free non-ticketed, www.edinburghskeptics.co.uk