FESTIVAL REVIEW
FESTIVAL ART
PLACING THE ELEPHANT
Rodick Carmichael, City Art Centre, See Scottish section for details Elephants, parrots and connections with the Australian Bicentenary notwithstanding, this is the work of a Scottish artist. First impressions of the Rodick Carmichael exhibition give away surface Scottish clues —there are hints of John Bellany and Alan Davie, there is the combination of abstract and figurative which artists like Alexander Fraser have been exploring and there is an intriguing similarity between his black parrot series and Jackie Parry‘s curved hill-shapes— intriguing because Jackie Parry is geographically opposite to Carmichael. She is an Australian in Scotland as he is a Scot in Australia.
At first then, it would seem that Carmichael belongs. From there. it gets tougher. His painting seems to cross so many lines of culture, probe so many avenues of thought, that after initial attraction, focus is elusive. Intuitive responses to colour are mixed with deliberation, representation shares space with pattern and symbol, words underline pictures. The elephant which appears large in one series is not quite elephant ordesign. In fact it is a ceramic model Carmichael liked and bought, but in paint it is difficult to let the image settle into place in your mind. Somehow this elephant is left
floating, it‘s identity obscured. Where does it belong? Though his surface is that of a Scottish artist, Carmichael's exile (he left Fife in 1974) has distanced his spirit from its origins. The images ofJapan, India and Australia itself join strangely with the perspective of this Scottish painter. Perhaps more than anything else
being adrift, not belonging. There is a sense, both in the painting and the
then, Carmichael's paintings are about
subjects of finding yourself in a
«C .
1..
no-man's land. The core of the matter seemsto be missing.
In this large exhibition, which appropriately brings Scotland and Australia together in the latter‘s bicentenaryyear, Carmichael is at his best when he cuts through the clamour of ideas and makes painting like the Pachinko Players — repeating heads and skulls have a speed and tension which sets them apart. (Alice Bain)
Place. 2205-125. .\Ion Sat Illam lllpm, Landscapes by MacLean and Scott l mu .‘~ Sept. Two young Iidinburgh photographers pursue the landscape of Scotlartd w itlt a qtriet. unexpected approach.
HERITAGE
I HM GENERAL REGISTER HOUSE Princes Street. SSooSSS. Mon I‘t'l‘lillll 4.30pm. The Scots in Australia I ‘ntll end ()ct. See also National Library. Feast to Festival I 'tttil 23 Sept. The history of entertainment is plundered w rtlt material from the Scottish Record archis es and the Izdinburglt I-'estry aI Society. In medics al times. religiousand secular Iestiy als were enioyed by I comrttorters irt Scotlartd wltile the royals ! I
performances. The popularity of theatre grew iii the l71h century irt Scotlandwith music beeontirtg a la mode dtrrtng Victorian times. ('rttema w as the 2llth certttrry is great breaktltrough. reacltirtg its height tn the Mk and fills. What happened next is ltapperttrtg now, .-\ good exhibitior: to whet your appetite for the I‘estix al.
I LAMB'S HOUSE Burgess Street. I.eith. 554 .‘~I.‘~I. Daily 2pm .S’pm.
Leith on its Own l'ntil 20 Aug. I.eith .\tttsetrm Trust presents a photographic exltibitrott w ltich illustrates lite w hert I.eith was an independent burglt frotn
IS33 l‘)2ll.
I NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND (ieorge I\' Bridge. 22o453 I .\Ion I-rr ‘l..‘\llam 5pm; Sat ‘).3llani Ipm; Sttti
2pm 5pm.
Scotland and Australia I ‘ntil 15 ()et, l Itgltly detailed. documentary style exhibition packed fill! of illuminating and quirky facts relating to the Scots in Australia. Rather dense to take ttt at one go btrt w Ill
were entertained by organised
repay repeated x tsits. .'\ itew book That Land of Exiles by Izrrc Richards l l lMSt) £5.05) has been published to coincide with the exltibttion. See also I l.\l Register Home
I RIAS I5 Rtttlartd Square. 22‘l7'2fl5. .\Ion I-‘rr‘tfillarn 5pm.
Glasgow's Great Exhibitions t ‘ntrl 22 Sept. An import from the west to tell the I-‘estixal folk |trst ltow (ilasgow has dortert ntrlesbetteroxera century. I'Iie(i|asgow (iar'dcrt I‘cstrx al (see ( iar'den I'estrx al page I has a drlferertt flaxotrr' btrt rs otrtot the same commercial stable as all the othersas you will see trt this exltibitionot souy enirs. photographs arid progr'arttntes. I ROYAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND (‘hambers Street. 225 "534. Mon Sat Illam 5pm. Strrt 2 5pm. (ale,
In the Shadow of Vesuvius t ‘rttrl ls Sept. Pompeii comes to Izdtnburgh. Well. some or the obreets from Pompeii eottte to lidrnburgh. lot the I'cstrxal the Museum has collaborated with lltc Naples
Archeological Museum to bring bitsand pieces front the yolcanically preserved Pompeii arid IIerculanaeum. many of which will be shown for the first time outside Naples. Though a modestly-scaled exhibition. there are some little gents arttong the collection. 'You don‘tquite feel the looming shadow of Vesuvius here bttt this sI‘ltt\\"s light and airy preserttatoin exokes the affluent calm before the cltokittgcataclysm‘SU.
Aphrodite's Island: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Cyprus l'ntil 4 Sept. An eyocatiye exhibition about this gem of the Mediterranean. w ith photographs and archaeological finds well displayed against sky -bltre backdrops. Almost guaranteed to send yott straight to the travel agent to book your holiday there.
Helmsdale Bowls Roman treasure found in a railway cutting displayed for the first time. Prom the first and second centttries At) these bronze bowls were found neatly packed one w rthin another Russian-doll style ortly a lew feet below ground leyel. ()w ned by the Duke of Sutherland. they has e been loaned to the museum for display and research.
New Shop Keeping in lirte with the major museums of the world. the Royal .‘xltrseum has opened a nttreh enlarged arid professionally run shop with books. jewellery . pottery . toys and'li-shirts.
I SCOTTISH AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM lrtgliston (near Iidirtburgh Airport). 225 7534 for information. Mon Fri
lllam- 5pm.
Man and Beast l'ntr’l 30 Sept. The relationship between animals arid their human keepers is examined in art exhibition of photographs and old farming equipment.
I SCOTTISH MINING MUSEUM Lady Victoria (‘olIiery . Newtongrange. Midlothian. {to} 751‘). Tue - I‘ri
Illam 4.30pm: Sat ck Strrt rtoon- 5pm. l)e\oted to the history of mining irt Midlothian. built on a minirtg site.
A Century of Coal A new photographic exhibition all about coal. one of Scotland's most important industries.
I TRON KIRK I liglt Street. (to? till I Department of Anatomy for info.
Death Masks and Life Masks of the Famous and Infamous t 'ntrl *) Sept. ( ~ompelling pieces of documentary history . There are the masks of criminals. the hangman‘s noose bitirtg irtto the flesh of the neck arid there are masks ot the illustrious. John Keats. Samuel Johnson and Sir Walter Scott. Presumably . before the adyent of photography . this w as as true a likeness as could be ntade of any indix idtral. But it
w as a painful process for the liyirtg arid art unflattering one for the dead. The lack of hair and eyes makes it a particularly unpleasant likeness. Art intriguing historical exhibition.
JAMES MORRISON. ARSA. RS“) I).L'ni\‘. FROM EAST TO WEST New Paintings from Scotland and (Tanada RAEBL'RN I’INXIT Mezzotint Engravings after Sir Henry Raeburn BREON ()‘CASEY Jewellery. Weaving. ('onstructions PETER HAYES Ceramics
I2 August—6 September
Sttl'l‘lISIl 94 George Street a \ I. I. i' In I Mon — Fri Edinburgh 9am — 5.30pm 031 225 5955 ” " '* - ’ “*‘"“ Sat 9.30am — 5pm
l
GATEWAY GALLERY
NEW WORKS by Glasgow Artist MATT MCCURDY
OPEN ALI. DAY THROLTGHOI'T THE FES'I‘IV'AI. 2—4 Abbeymount. Edinburgh
EII8 8E.I. 03] 661 0982
46The List 2(t Aug— I Sept IUSS