Glasgow Short Film Festival

The Glasgow Short Film Festival was scheduled this year for 13-16 February. Sadly, I heard about it a bit too late, so I was only able to attend the awards ceremony, where the 4 winning short films were also projected. 

The venue was the fantastic Centre for Contemporary Arts, a place with a very 'Bohemian' atmosphere. The contrast between the visible iron girders (which made it look like an artist's studio) and the colorful light bulbs hanging from end to end of the bar downstairs (which I just found out is called 'Saramago Café') gave it a look in between youthful charm and slight cheesiness.

The first 'short film' we saw was a conversion of popular film Top Gun into a short film (they took out the key scenes and you got the 'plot' perfectly well), this made us laugh a lot and got us in the mood for some more! You can see their official account of the prizes and winners here. I'll make a list of prizes and winners and I'll tell you what I thought about them:

• The Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film 2014: 
• Winner: 'The Questioning' by Zhu Rikun

It can easily be understood why this piece won the prize. Besides the political implications about the regime in China and its easily transferable points about authorities around the world and pointless ritual bureaucracy, this film deserved the price for the very palpable tension it created. The angle at which the camera recorded the movements of the real policemen also added to this. However, its being a recording of a real-life event (even though the filmmaker was put at risk by doing this), undermines the artistic effort the other filmmakers put into their creations, especially since the runner-up ('How to Abandon Ship' by Robin McKay) was an animation film.  

• International Audience Award
• Winner: 'Yak Butter Lamp' by Hu Wei

This piece dealt with the clashing of traditions and industrialisation. Both funny and touching, it also made a point about ephemeral human relationships (in this case, those of Tibetan nomads with a passing photographer and his assistant). An uncomplicated beauty. You can watch a short clip from it here:

http://vimeo.com/77272938

• Scottish Short Film Award 2014
• Winner: 'Getting On' by Ewan Stewart

This was a perfect example of Scottish sense of humour. The first part of the short deals with a working class woman as she deals with little housewife tasks such as making breakfast for her family as they wake up one by one. After that, she goes to the shops and buys some groceries which she takes to her mother's. Up until this point, the film seems to be about how hard and unfulfilling her life is. While not denying this point, the film takes a sudden humorous turn that makes it a brilliant piece of work. The broad Scots accent present throughout is also a plus. Here's a short clip from it:

http://vimeo.com/34625642

• Scottish Audience Award 
• Winner: 'Exchange & Mart' by Cara Connolly and Martin Clark

A very pretty tale about growing up in the Highlands in the 1980's, based on real events. This piece revolves around the life of a girl boarder as she deals with the rather universal problems of teenage years. Told with sensitivity and kindness, it offers an unique insight into a small private world and the little moments that shape one's life. Really enjoyable. 

It was a very good night, the organisers were lovely and friendly, and the shorts were really good! It's a shame I didn't get to see more of them (especially the runner-ups they mentioned, they sounded very interesting!). I'm really looking forward to the (long) Film Festival this week! =)

Celtic Connections + Burns Night

From January 16th to February 2nd, Glasgow was home to the world-famous Celtic Connections festival. The festival celebrates Celtic and folk music in its many variations (including, of course, fusion between genres and cultures), and their function as cultural bridges. I attended three of the maaaany events I could choose from (a very difficult task, let me say!). Here's what I thought of them!

Folk Nations + James Duncan Mackenzie

Date: Friday 24th January 

Venue: Mitchell Library auditorium

Price: £12

I cannot begin to say how much I enjoyed this concert. I chose it partly randomly (because I didn't know most of the artists that were invited to the festival), and I have to say I am very happy I chose this one. The concert had two parts: first, it was the turn for James Duncan Mackenzie, and then for Folk Nations.

James Duncan Mackenzie plays the Highland bagpipe and the flute. He has just released his first solo album, and he and the accompanying band played some of the tunes included in it. I'm terrible at remembering names, but I particularly enjoyed the song about second sight (which, if I'm not mistaken, is the fourth fragment in the album taster on the webpage). Apparently, the concept (and the experience) of second sight is part of the Gaelic culture in Lewis, where he is from. I don't have such a gift (or curse), but the song itself made you feel like you were touching something otherworldly with the tips of your fingers. It was really beautiful. He was also very entertaining when presenting each one of the songs, and you can do nothing but laugh when someone tells you they composed a song about a pair of piper's socks and another one about a UFO sighting! I look forward to seeing him play again, on his own or with Breabach, the band he's a member of.

Here's a video of him (far left) with Breabach, even though this does not make justice to a live concert:

Folk Nations is actually not the name of a band, but the name of a British Council project "aiming to bring together musicians, creative producers and practitioners from the UK and the South Asia region" (as the project webpage explains). This gave me and the rest of the audience the opportunity to listen to a rather curious medley of musicians, with a very interesting mixing of backgrounds and traditions. Some of the pieces they played were truly amazing (especially those in which they made traditional British and Indian or Bengali tunes match perfectly). Lots of talent and musical beauty!

I can't find a video with the six of them together, but you can get a taste of some of their work for Folk Nations in the following videos:

(Suhail Yusuf Khan and Saurav Moni)

(Patsy Reid, who apparently used to be a member of Breabach!)

Here's a list of the members of the band on the night I got to see them, and some links to their personal webpages, in case you're curious:

- Hannah James (English; voice, accordion and clog dancing)
- Suhail Yusuf Khan (Indian, sarangi)
- James Mackintosh (percussion)
- Saurav Moni (Bengali, voice and percussion)
- Patsy Reid (Scottish, fiddle)
- Georgia Ruth Williams (Welsh, harp and voice)


International Burns Conference

Date: Saturday 25th January

Venue: Mitchell Library

Organisers: Centre for Robert Burns Studies & Mitchell Library
Price: £16 (afternoon session)

I was expecting a conference centered around literary criticism, but this conference offered different and multidisciplinary perspectives on Burns's work. The first presentation dealt with Burns's lyrics writing for the tunes Stephen Clarke collected and arranged as part of the Scots Musical Museum project (led by James Johnson). Katherine Campbell went as far as to sing parts of the songs! After that, Richard Finlay gave a very interesting talk about Burns's legacy and its influence within the 'Commonwealth' (which he justly chose to call by its more historically accurate name, 'Empire'). This made us all reflect on why Burns's subversive messages (most famously, 'a man's a man for a' that') did not spark revolutions in all the corners of the British Empire where his poems were being taught as one of the 'highest' forms of so-called 'superior' British culture.

After a short break for tea (no biscuits...), George Smith gave a very enlightening (as well as highly entertaining!) talk about Antique Smith (no relation, or so he says...), a 1880's forger of fake Burns manuscripts. Apparently, some of his forgeries are still about, being mistaken for the real thing... He told us that, after using old paper from old books with a low market value, he resorted to making them look old by using tea stains! He then rounded the talk off by making us bid for two 'Burns' manuscripts, one of them real, the other an Antique Smith forgery... Had the auction been for real, someone would have gotten a really cheap Burns manuscript, and someone else a really expensive Antique Smith! Murray Pittock gave a plenary lecture about his research on and edition of the Scots Musical Museum, with which they are trying to determine which of the songs in the collection were written/edited/compiled by Burns. After that, there was a reception in the Burns Room to view the new Burns manuscript the Mitchell library has acquired. Let's hope it's the real thing! ;)

International Burns Concert

Date: Saturday 25th January

Venue: SSE Hydro

Price: £25 (expensive, but well worth it!)

This concert was just a joy to attend. The mixture of artists and traditions, as well as their great quality and energy, made this a very enjoyable night. The set included Capercaillie, of whom I've already talked about in this blog; wonderful Dougie MacLean with his fantastic voice; Raghu Dixit (member of Folk Nations); the feathery-soft Mae Trio; Karine Polwart and her very moving voice; jovial Fèis Rois; folk/salsa fusion band Salsa Celtica; heartbreaking Rachel Sermanni; terrific Alkinoos Ioannidis; the Mahotella Queens (whose very energetic music lost points with their sexist statements about how to keep a husband...), and some others (for example, John Spillane recited Heaney but you can't see that in the video for some reason). All of these artists were accompanied by the wondrous Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

You can watch most of the concert here:

I enjoyed it very much, but I could have done without the all-too-obvious political nuances. I firmly believe music (and all forms of art) should be a way of connecting peoples and cultures, and I cringe at its being used for political ends (even if I agree with the political ideals being pursued...). Still, it was a heartwarming night; being testimony to human capacity for beauty always does that.

I am very thankful for the opportunity of attending all these events and for the memories that I will keep of them. Thanks to the organisers of Celtic Connections (especially Capercaillie's Donald Shaw) and, of course, the performers and speakers! =) Also, I have to give a shout-out to my flatmate Scott for making Burns night dinner (the traditional haggis, neeps and tatties) on the following day, since I wasn't home on the 25th! Thanks Scott, it was delicious! =)

I hope you enjoy the vast array of music I have mentioned, as well as the conference trivia! 

The Girl on the Stairs

Between October and November (and between my university readings) I read Louise Welsh's The Girl on the Stairs, a novel which was recommended to me by a Scottish Literature academic at Glasgow University.

I haven't read any reviews, but I'm sure the most frequent word in them is either "disturbing" or "disquieting", and if not, anything beginning with "dis-". Because that is what this novel is. It reminded me a little of Sarah Waters's The Little Stranger, in the sense that, as a reader, you keep looking for clues that can help you rationalize what is going on, clues for an explanation that "makes sense". And, as Waters's novel, The Girl on the Stairs leaves you with nothing. 

The two novels also have in common the unreliable narrator and a steady build-up of the tension. Welsh's novel gives it a further twist with a demolishing epilogue in which "normality" is reinstated, but just superficially. Under the layer of unnatural normality lie creepiness, distrust, even disgust (See the "dis-" words making their appearance again?).

The two major elements that contribute to the uneasiness present throughout the novel are the fact that the main character, Jane, has just entered two unexplored territories (for her, that is) at once: Berlin (she's from Glasgow) and pregnancy. Being a stranger and speaking little German, as well as the possibility of hormone-induced paranoia all play a part in the development of the events the book narrates. 

This book also deserves a mention for dealing in a straightforward way with a mature lesbian relationship (not just the romance/falling-in-love stages) and the changes pregnancy brings into the couple's situation. 

Have you read anything by Louise Welsh? Do you have any recommendations? =)

Capercaillie + NE3 Folk

I know it's been a while since the last time I wrote, things just keep piling up in my mind!

I have since been to two folk music concerts, so get ready for some music! =)

Capercaillie (11th October)

Venue: Paisley Abbey (Paisley)

Price: £16

I don't know how to begin to introduce this fantastic band to you, so I thought I'd better leave you to their own words! What I can tell you is that they have done a great deal to put Celtic music back on the scene, mixing tradition and modernity. I have been a Capercaillie fan since 2004, and I had already been to another of their concerts (during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2010). I have to say that they kept up to my very high expectations! The venue did a great deal for the superb atmosphere too. The whole band had a wonderful attitude, and they moved us all! I can say "us" because two girls and a man in the front row just got up and danced to the last song... haha. 

This concert was part of the Spree festival, Paisley's national arts festival. I'll leave you to some of Capercaillie's music, so that you can enjoy a bit of it too!

NE3 Folk (27th October)

Venue: The Royal Oak (Edinburgh)

Price: £5

The members of this band define themselves as a "progressive Scottish folk trio playing contemporary, original and traditional tunes". If I'm not mistaken, they have been playing together since 2012, but this info might be wrong. In any case, they are a fairly new band, but they are certainly very promising. As their website indicates, "NE3 Folk are a band on a mission. Intricate rhythms and dissonance intertwine in subtle and detailed arrangements to sensitively deliver a wide array of traditional and original tunes. Combining Shetland and Scandinavian fiddle with delicate accordion, driving guitar and eclectic influences, they are dragging traditional music kicking, tapping and soaring in to the modern era". I have to say that, grandiloquent as this definition might sound, they really do justice to it. 

Their youth, dynamism and enthusiasm certainly showed during the evening, and their passion for music and experimenting with it did too. This really feels like an ongoing project that is constantly changing before your very eyes, and it just goes to new and amazing levels. I wish there was a YouTube video of their song "Monstrosity" (called that way, as they said, because of how difficult to play it is). It was really very impressive, like nothing I've heard before. I'll leave you to their song "The Other Man" (you can listen to more of their music on their website):

I almost forgot! A special mention to our host, the owner (I assume) of The Royal Oak, a small but well-kept pub in Edinburgh's Infirmary Street (a stone's throw away from the Royal Mile). He had a ton of personality and this was just the icing on the cake of our evening!

Are you a fan of folk music? What do you think of both Capercaillie and NE3 Folk? Do you know any other bands I might be interested in? I'm always looking for recommendations! =)

Greig + Greig + Dinner + Greig

Ladies and gentlemen,

This evening is going to be a very special one. Mainly because we'll travel through time and space, and we'll enjoy 3 evenings in one. Tonight's thematic menu's main ingredient is David Greig. To help you digest the theatre load, we'll have an interlude after the starter and the main dish for a dinner performance. I hope you enjoy yourselves.

L'arquitecte (The Architect) (February 2012)

Venue: Teatre Lliure
Play: L'arquitecte (The Architect)
Playwright: David Greig
Director: Julio Manrique

On the right, a well-off household and a deserted city roof. On the center, a building ground and a whole close about to be demolished because it makes its inhabitants unhappy. Left, a truck, a nightclub, an entrance hall and a high-up flat in the same building. The walls between those spaces are made of the difference between intense light and stark darkness.

The city ants that inhabit these spaces have lost the track of the ant in front of them and wander lost. The scarce dry crumbs they can collect from the gray pavement bring them depression, rape, rupture, loneliness, anxiety, Freudian needs, betrayal, destruction and failure. One, two, three... demolition. How soon is now?

Dunsinane (13 September 2013)

Venue: Theatre Royal Glasgow
Play: Dunsinane
Playwright: David Greig
Company: National Theatre of Scotland

Macbeth is dead. But his wife, Gruach, is still very much alive. Can a foreign English general's black-and-white simplicity work in a Scotland divided between a coward king whose (fake?) cowardice keeps him in power and a blazing queen whose look melts the snow? Will there ever be a "settling solution" as long as people are still alive? Is the power of words greater than the power of the sword?

Dinner interlude (21 September 2013)

Venue: The Butterfly and the Pig
Play: Dinner Interlude
Playwright: Chef and kitchen staff
Company: Waiters

A charming basement restaurant, with mismatched decorations that go well together for no apparent reason.

WAITER. Come this way, I'll show you to your table.

The lights are low. The table is set for two people, the candles are alight and there's a jar of ice-cold water and two glasses. The crochet mantelpiece gives the table a vintage look.

WAITER. Can I get you something to drink?

YOUR PARTNER. Yes, a pint of beer, please.

YOU. I'll have just water, thank you.

The WAITER leaves the stage and comes back with a pint and the menus. After a silent scene where YOU and YOUR PARTNER order their food, the WAITER comes back with the plates. 

Menu reads: "Cilla black is back in black in a pudding, with salad, apples,bacon and Parmesan, 

contains black pudden and a wee fried quail egg on top"

  Menu reads: "Fish cakes, but not as you know them, open in a pan made with smoked fish, haddock, trout and meltid leeks, potato and baked eggs. We do our best to remove all bones but some may be lurking"

Menu reads: "ATTENTION PLEASE!!! 

An old fave is back with gusto, Gammon Steak with a baked pineapple, fried egg and of course chips.

It simply doesn’t get any better, trust me."

After YOU and YOUR PARTNER have failed at eating the amount of food that has been served to them, they are brought the remains in a box with a lid with a handwritten message that reads "Love, Butterfly & the Pig" and the bill, on top of which are two rosy coconut sweets. 

WAITER: Thanks very much, come back soon!

YOU and YOUR PARTNER leave the stage with full stomachs and happy faces.

The Events (21 September 2013)

Venue: Tron Theatre
Play: The Events
Playwright: David Greig
Company: Actors Touring Company

Screams mixed with a motley-crew community chorus. A serene terrorist that has simply accepted the void, a tormented victim that compulsively needs to fill the void. "Humanity's obsession and destructive desire to fathom the unfathomable." Rudi Dharmalingam, the actor, possessed, by turns, by the souls of a dozen characters.

Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you've had a really good time tonight, and I hope to see you again. Any queries or complaints about the menu or the interlude will be answered by the "Comments" bar staff. Thank you very much. ;)

China and Glasgow

On the 24th and 26th of September, I attended two events the main focus of which was the sharing of Chinese culture. 

On the 24th, the event in question was a series of short performances by the UESTC (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China) Student Art Troupe, at the Mitchell Library Theatre. These included Highland Dance, traditional Chinese music and dance/theatre, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up", etc.

Some of the songs and instruments I could track down are the following:

Descendants of the Dragon (song)

Chinese lute

Bamboos in the Moonlight (music/dance)

Jasmine Flower (song)

Erhu ("Horse Racing")

The last performance was, of course, "Auld Lang Syne". ;)

Actually, I found a video where the actual UESTC performers appear. It's just little bits of their performances, but you'll get a glimpse of their costumes, at least. =)

The second event was a celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Glasgow.

There were several speeches about Chinese culture, then we enjoyed the performance of a magician, a prize draw (at which I won a Chinese paper lantern, haha) and, to round off the evening, a taste of canapés which included the traditional "mooncake". These are made of pastry, lotus seed paste filling and duck's egg yolk, and the tradition says that they bring longevity and harmony.

I had lots of fun! This is yet another example of how Glasgow is a welcoming melting pot of cultures and traditions. =)

A Painting is Worth a Thousand Words

In three days' time, it will be a month since I came to Glasgow. In that time, I've visited some of the many museums there are in this city, and I've chosen some of the paintings I've seen to share them with you. I like art, though I'm no art critic, so I wouldn't be able to say much more of the paintings below than that I like them for some reason or other (mainly aesthetic pleasure or because they make me think/feel). That is why this won't be a wordy post =) All the info about the titles, dates, techniques and authors is from the museums' webpages.

Hunterian Gallery

"Le Voile Persan" 1909
Oil on board
John Duncan Fergusson (Scottish; 1874-1961)

"Salmon Nets and the Sea" 1960

Oil on board

Joan Eardley (Scottish; 1921-1963)

"Moniaive" 1885

Oil on canvas

James Paterson (Scottish; 1854-1932)

"The Gypsy Fires are Burning for Daylight's Past and Gone" 1881

Oil on canvas

James Guthrie (Scottish; 1859-1930)

Cartoon for "The Fighting Peacocks" 1876

Chalk and wash on brown paper pricked for transfer

James McNeil Whistler (American; 1834-1903)

"A Goldfinch on the Branch of a Cherry Tree" c. 1881

Oil, pencioil, pencil and gold paint on cream card

Beatrix Whistler (English; 1857-1896)

"Still Life and Rosechatel" 1924

Oil on canvas

Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (Scottish; 1883-1937)

Kelvingrove Museum

"The Scotsman" 1987
Photograph installation
Ron O'Donnell

Gallery of Modern Art

"Representational Error" 2013
Tony Swain (Irish; 1967-)

"Setting" 2012
Pencil, correction fluid and ink on catalogue page
Louise Hopkins (English; 1965-)




What do you think about the paintings I've chosen? Do you like any of them in particular? =)