Edinburgh / World

[imomus]

It's impressive that a small country like Scotland can sustain two art magazines. There's a new one called Map which looked pretty good to me when I flipped through it at the Collective Gallery on Cockburn Street. And I'm quite surprised to see Product still going after five years or so. Product began as a sort of Scottish Face, but, long after The Face went out of business, Product is still here, and by the look of the latest issue it's rather more politically radical than The Face ever was.

I like the idea of a Scottish cultural renaissance, and these magazines (subsidised heavily by the Scottish Arts Council, and therefore, indirectly, by the UK lottery) do make healthy noises. That said, I didn't actually buy either of them. I still buy London-based magazines like Frieze and Wire for my cultural fix. They just seem to have a more serious tone, to be bigger.



The Edinburgh / London distinction is somewhat invisible in these Scottish art magazines, which are more likely to set up binaries like "Edinburgh / World" or "Edinburgh / Glasgow". Here, for instance, is an extract from an article in the current Product:

"Since the end of 2003, Edinburgh's Collective Gallery has responded well to developments in Edinburgh art, curating Medium is Tedium and No-How, two group shows that represent an East Coast passion for baroque installations, Templar and heraldic imagery, and pattern-based practices that rework the Feminist 'subversive stitch'. Where many Glasgow artists are slaves to a global revival of the city's Functional and Brutalist architectural heritage, Edinburgh artists feast on an opulent diet of Victorian neo-gothic, Italiante cast-iron, coffered ceilings and scagliola pilasters, and the stylistic confusion of Roslyn Chapel."



Edinburgh and Glasgow are two Scottish cities only 44 miles apart, but here they become two principles, two rival stylistic schools. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to shrink my world down to such tight binaries, but I do like the idea of a small city like Edinburgh plugging directly into a chosen global culture without having to pass through London. And that's very much how Scotland feels now. My nephew Robbie nurtures a Japanophilia which puts mine in the shade. He woke us up this morning to drag Hisae through to watch a Japanese cartoon on TV. He's also coerced her into giving him Japanese lessons. Not only can Edinburgh directly access "Italiante cast iron", it can see all the way to Japan.

Comments

[petit-paradis.livejournal.com]

hmmm, who is that on the cover of FRIEZE?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

On the cover of Frieze is a production still from Francesco Vezzoli's Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's 'Caligula'.

[steviecat.livejournal.com]

Variant is a good, stimulating radical Scottish arts quarterly, newspaper-format. It's distributed free to galleries and other places. Go to : http://www.variant.randomstate.org.

[queersolitude.livejournal.com]

learning a language from a beautiful woman helps keep one's attention span. thats how i learned english.

[looceefir.livejournal.com]

Product is a really interesting specimen, but I've got a feeling it's become defunct, or funding is becoming desperately sparse. I did some volunteer work with them last year, and they were preparing the issue whose cover is above in July last year for an October release. It came out in February/March of this year, and they haven't had anything around since then, unfortunately.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just noticed when I put in the link to the Product site how old the current issue is. Not a good sign.

Radioplay

[qscrisp.livejournal.com]

I just want to plug a friend of mine. If you're going to the fringe you might want to check out Radioplay (http://www.smirnoffunderbelly.co.uk/2005/whatson/show.php?shows_id=53).

[artysmokes.livejournal.com]

I think the rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh is a Good Thing. Edinburgh is obviously preferable, for the more artistic cultural reasons.
I wish Manchester was closer to London. The Big Smoke is far too dominant over the rest of England, to the point at which the large Northern cities almost ignore it. London needs to be kept on its toes, to stop it becoming (if it isn't already) a parody of itself.

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

is shelag mcdonald cultishly acknowledged in edinburgh? a little hint for nick drake (& robert kirby fans). amazon it, searcher.

http://www.btinternet.com/%7Eblackvelvet/

Glasgow vs Edinburgh

[svenskasfinx.livejournal.com]

Well you know.. I can sum it up in one name... "MackIntosh"..naturally.. for many in the mainstream yet to be discovered (inspite of a growing visual savy in our generation).. yet recycled over and over in images even found in "Star Trek the next generation"

Since my family came from that time frame in Glasgow, I naturally gravitate towards the stark and simple style..the same as Modern Finnish design and so on...its strange how one can go on and on about a Japanese esthethic and neglect so many in the past 100 years also so taken with the ideas and traditions...

Perhaps also forgotten by those in the major design centers of Italy.. the ideas and designs taken from Chinese ceramics and metal work.. 600 years ago turned into what THEY call "Italian tradition".....

Regional and Global influence..

Picasso inspired by Africian Masks....

Glasgow's Charles René MackItosh inspired by Traditional Japanese interiors and matterials..

and Edinburgh.. well I can't comment because I have never seen it ;)

Lets just say, there's nothing new under the sun...

(sorry I deleted and reposted.. I noticed I still can't see the mistakes I keep making)

[serenchwilen.livejournal.com]

Hi Momus,
Have you seen any glimmers of greatness in the music
happening in Edinburgh these days?
Glasgow still appears to be a creative hotbed
with artists like Richard Youngs, Vernon & Burns, and Hassle Hound,
but I've heard very little about the musical goings
on in Edinburgh in recent years.

Product..

[(Anonymous)]

Went bust about 9 months after launching, first time round. The relaunch last year is half the old team, half new and the Gin ran out far too early at the party. Good to see it still going, I suppose, but I still think it's crap. Heard one of your songs covered last night by Amanda from the Dresden Dolls, really interesting.

Jen squidblog.