Culture
We will dance, oh how we will dance!
“There’s nothing that can quite live up to the thrill of live performance. I realise now that it was something I took for granted.” Craig Angus finds liberation in a film that seems made for…
The play must go on
“There is a range of attitudes in the industry from blind optimism to sheer pessimism, depending on who you talk to and what day of the week it is,” says Williams, when asked how hopeful…
Overcoming lockdown blues – and barriers
Many people in Scotland are finding this second lockdown harder than the first. People are tired, burnt out…no-one knows when this will end. Philippa Kemp describes how human contact can provide vital support – both…
Doses of compassion from the doctor-poet
“If it is our mission…to alleviate suffering as well as to preserve life …” The crystal-clear words of doctor-poet Gael Turnbull feel like a timely gift in our time of need.
On the threshold: songs and poems for a Covid-safe Christmas
Covid has closed the doors at least for now. But, there’s death-defying joy in Michael Marra’s song, a lockdown escape to be played loud and long. Here’s Frida Kahlo cutting an intoxicatingly exotic dash dancing…
Voices for humanity: Max Richter’s quiet protest
‘If we get back to public performance in time the piece is tailor made to open next year’s Edinburgh International Festival – at its source is the same inspiration that reached out a hand to…
Songs for our time
From Scotland to Canada, four musicians and an artist came together during lockdown to create a song to raise funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres, to help the worlds most vulnerable people.
Unpacking 2020: the good, the bad and the uncertain
It’s maybe melodramatic to say it, but I feel like the year has changed me. I can feel it physically and mentally. I need to unpack that before I re-enter the arena. I think we…
A great escape through the photographer’s lens
‘As the world went into the turmoil of the Covid pandemic, I felt lucky to be out of the eye of the storm, in the beautiful area of Wester Ross.’
What’s for breakfast today?
As Covid restrictions tighten and lockdown closes doors once again, the challenges he describes will strike a chord with thousands of independent cafes, restaurants and bars across Scotland.
Locked down and out: the digital divide
This is not about being a “technophobe” but about material facts of life: many people do not have access to the internet because they can’t afford the equipment or have to choose between find the…
A plague on old age
‘By far the most important risk factor for getting hospitalised, being admitted to an ICU, and dying from the disease is old age, particularly being over 80. Not many housing scheme residents get that far…’