The art that cannot be hidden

I've always been interested in tattoos.

I started to notice of late that tattoo artists are becoming ever more deserving of the title 'artist', as the work being produced these days is likely to be unique, expressive, and far more aesthetically pleasing than a simple stencil chosen from the wall. And the ever-increasing incidence of sleeves, often grown from one small piece on the arm into a vast wraparound tale, drawing the viewer in with questions.

And that's when I noticed the lines.

Sometimes visible, sometimes implied, almost everyone who gets inked keeps it in places that can be covered - which is understandable, considering the continued discrimination against people with tattoos and piercings. These absences are often conspicuous, challenging the world while silently bowing to perceived standards.

So what of the people who defy these rules? The ones who hear the cries of, "Oh no, you don't want to get a tattoo there" and do it nonetheless? There must be stories in these indelible traces on hands and faces, reasons for choosing to wear a statement so boldly. Or, taking this further, there are some parts of the body that are know to be more sensitive than others; why subject yourself to bonus pain? More stories lie therein...

The only way I know of to investigate is through photographs. As a starting point I think I need a handful of people with visible art on their hands or face who would be willing to have a chat about their tattoos and let me point a camera at them.

Any volunteers? Hit me up on youandyourink@gmail.com!

Free to Fly!

Edinburgh International Book Festival 2013.

Last year this festival had been visited more subtly by the anonymous artist, who left fifty paper flowers around Charlotte Square gardens for whoever might find them to keep.



This year the paper sculptures are already present in spirit, as the second edition of GiftED is on the shelves (the first edition sold out before Christmas the previous year).



Over the past few weeks the still-anonymous artist had been active on Twitter, encouraging people to share their stories of why books matter to them. And, as it turned out, blogging quite enigmatically. So this time there was less surprise as she had warned the local Twittersphere that the flight was to occur at 1430 on August 17th...

And cue bookshop chaos as thirty-some mysterious blue bags arrive, pulled open to reveal caged birds!



Birds of all shapes and sizes, each with unique tags, some with quotes attached...



any time I happen to open my Front door
A pigeon batters out the bay tree opPosite
and stumbles
into flight as implausibly as a jumbo

MaCKinnon

But these birds were not more gifts to the Book Festival; they were to fly far away. Each was tagged with instructions on where the birds should be re-gifted: "Leave me behind in a cafe you love", "take me a long way from here and set me free in a bookish place", and so on. The public were to take them and spread the love to new places and people.



But there were a few extra special birds. Four of them larger than the rest.



Two - a heron and an egret - were much like the others. The peacock was addressed to the Guardian newspaper - major sponsors of the festival that year and, through their then-beatblogger Michael MacLeod, one of the first places to report on the sculpture - and had a tail made partly of maps. The fourth stood out dramatically as it was painted black; a crow, with shreds of paper addressed:

"@edbookfest
"For Iain (M) Banks who
went the crow road far too soon"
Ian Rankin



As there were so many birds flying away it was impossible to track their destinations. As far as I know, the crow is still at Stirling University, the peacock with the Guardian. The other two large birds made a brief trip to the Dundee Literary Festival...



... and have since starred at various libraries around Edinburgh. The rest are flown away, bringing pleasure to unexpected venues around the country (world?).

The still-anonymous artist maintained the Free to Fly account on Twitter for a while and then one day it vanished. Is that the end of the story?

On May 16th 2013 the Scottish Poetry Library received a box, with instructions on how to open it...


Inside this box was another box. A bird box. With a nest. And a tag. Preparing to Fly (1 of 3) In support of Libraries, Books, Words & Ideas........ x


On either side of the birdbox were bookplates with scrollwork reading:

"Finds tongues in trees / Books in the running brooks" and "Sermons in stones / and good in everything"

   
Inside the nest were three blue eggs with text on them - great ovation, nest-egg and new moon - held together with tiny bunting - Preparing to Start, Sleeping in the Woods and Life's Little Things.



Luckily the SPL was getting good at dealing with these unusual gifts, but now we had to wait to see where this was going.



A month later on June 14th 2013 a package arrived at Leith Library, to their great surprise and delight, addressed to @leithlibrary and @auntyemily (Emily Dodd, then the Reader in Residence at the library). They covered it quite nicely in a blog post.







Skip forward another month to July 13th and the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust receive an intriguing parcel.



Marked on the back with, "A. Library, NR2 YOU" suspicions were aroused and on unwrapping...





A tiny travelling chest! What could be inside?







Inside. Instructions!

NB Ensure flight kit contains handbook and route map

Safety Goggles and Helmet provide some protection throughout journey

For flight - position and secure Wings

"Literacy is about more than reading and writing - it is about how we
communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about
knowledge, language and culture. Literacy ... finds its place in our lives alongside
other ways of communicating. Indeed, literacy itself takes many forms: on paper,
on the computer screen, on TV, on posters and signs. Those who use literacy take
it for granted - but those who cannot use it are excluded from much
communication in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best
appreciate the notion of ‘literacy as freedom’.
(UNESCO, Statement for the United Nations Literacy Decade, 2009-2012)

FREE TO FLY coming soon Look to the skies!!!!!
Let's keep shouting out about how libraries and other special places enrich our lives
Follow @_freetofly_ on twitter and have your say ........ before..... they..... land



A map of Britain with threads stitched through, radiating towards Edinburgh.



The tag!

"@EdinCityofLit [PLEASE OPEN] [Preparing to Fly 3/3]
In support of Libraries, Books Words & Ideas.....

.... and freedom.'FREE TO FLY' coming soon
follow on twitter at@_freetofly_ and join in....."



A tiny book with the cover of Daphne duMaurier's The Birds and Other Stories.



And the cap and wings mentioned in the instructions.



It looked like we were prepared to fly... but what comes next?

The Edinburgh International Science Festival photomarathon

Once upon a time there were no Science Festivals. In 1990 the first of its kind started here in Edinburgh, the festival city indeed, and it's gone from strength to strength, spawning others across the globe.

I remember the first year it happened, my mother got special permission from my school to let me leave early for five days so we could go to a series of lectures. And so being able to work with the organisation 25 years later - for that is the anniversary it was celebrating this year - fills me with a strange pride.

My first stop this year was at the LateLab they held on launch day, back in January. The theme this year was patterns so we were treated to a lot of patterns!

Arriving at the festival itself six weeks later, the opening party was on the most overbooked night of Edinburgh's cultural calendar I've seen outside August. Despite this the City Art Centre was rammed with people, getting gently tipsy and enjoying the exhibits and interactive bits and bobs that would normally be mostly for children. Apparently everyone really really likes bubbles.

As with the rest of my life, much of the Science Festival I see is at Inspace where the events are under the blanket of LateLab. Some of these are regular events fitting into the theme, others are special on-off evenings of science.

And so to the first LateLab proper, an Atmosphere screening of Logan's Run with a live recreation of the Carrousel scene. Not the most immersive setup I've seen there, but certainly one of the most dramatic, and the experimental 3D hologram was deeply disturbing!

Field Guide to Space gave some insights into space data and new ways to experience it. Also featuring a mini Mars Curiosity Rover!

Electric Bookshop, a regular favourite, was looking at paper - treating it as a technology that can be used in more ways than we might think. Conductive ink, mechanical flipbooks, though the highlight was probably the old hardback book asking to be hugged.

As it was a big birthday, the Science Festival had decided to do some special things. One of them was getting the artist Jason Hackenwerth to build a giant balloon sculpture in the main hall of the National Museum of Scotland. Gosh.

I had to skip Encounters because there was a cocktail-related event with my name on it over at Teviot Row. Molecular Mastery filled a hall with people and then filled them with a remarkable selection of alcohol-based substances while making booze feel like the coolest science lesson you never had.

Having worked like a hard working person with his team of hard working assistants, Hackenwerth opened his latest piece entitled Pisces to much media attention.

Back at LateLab, PechaKucha #22 was looking at the future of cities. If you've never been to a PechaKucha I recommend you go check it out: http://www.pechakucha.org/watch

And as if he hadn't done enough already, the great artist also created a wearable sculpture (which we tentatively dubbed Piscalino) for Fantastical Life where, along with Alistair Elfick, there was much talk of biology, art, and the interface between them - and the usual array of sciencey treats and things to play with. And a string quartet, why not?

Next on the LateLab menu was GastroLab, a sequel to last year's which was a massive hit. With edible flowers, insects, and poisonous fungi, balls of moss hanging in the air and flower ice cubes in drinks it was a delight of experimental foodstuffs peering into the future of cuisine.

No LateLab on Mondays so it was off to Sensory Dining. More food, more science! Are you a supertaster? Which of these balls of sugar tastes sweeter? How hot does this recording of pouring water sound? Eating gone science mad.

Dialogues is another Inspace regular, showcasing experimental new musics.

The big LateLab buzz was for Are You Fit For Orbit: tests and games and talks on the subject of space travel. Participants - and there were a lot of them - were asked to indulge in a variety of activities; controlling robots, testing for colourblindness while upside down, blood pressure tests, teambuilding apps... all hosted by jumpsuited helpers and with spacesuits and Piscalino in the background. Much joy and fun.

A change of pace and flavour, The Secret of the Shooting Star sent participants on a quest around Edinburgh. Starting and finishing in the Museum, travelling from underground vaults to the Royal Observatory and many places between on the hunt for a missing scientist, it was tiring indeed but plenty fun.

On my way back I popped into Inspace for some Dirty Electronics and watched as people learned how to build a circuit.

And then back later for Future Play 1, with performances and interactive entertainments.

The last day of the Festival was upon us and it was time for the big finale, the Mini Maker Faire (although from what I hear it was much bigger and better attended than many full sized maker faires!). Summerhall was filled with stalls and punters and making and doing and bicycles.

And after that there was Future Play 2 with visitors from Disney and a screening of Tron Legacy.

And to close, the Mini Maker Faire After Party, an opportunity for the Makers to let their hair down and for Science Festival staff to let loose with the UV body paint.

I love a good Festival.