Windy city

When my mum was a kid she used to swing on the lamp post at the corner of the road that I now live on myself and play a game called Windy Cities. That pretty much *was* the entire game from what I can gather. Well Edinburgh is still just as windy but thankfully there is a bit more to do these days. Here are a couple of things that I fully endorse…

3D 2D: Object and Illusion in Print at Edinburgh Printmakers

This exhibition is brought to Edinburgh Printmakers by the folks at the Centre for Fine Print Research in Bristol. It showcases some of the amazing things that they are doing there including the slightly mind-blowing 3D rendering in print (artists can simulate 3D shapes and environments on screen and then build them in 3D through the use of a multilayered inkjet printing system. For example, Conor Wilson’s Garden) and digitally processed interpretations of the sounds of distant galaxies by Kate Davies & Peter Walters (also rendered as 3D objects!). Back in the 2D realm such beautiful objects as Charlotte Hodes large scale laser cut prints really stand out for me as does Lesley Dill’s laser cut with LED lighting piece Faith. The exhibition is on until 30 October and is well worth a visit.

For a full list of artists included in the exhibition and details of opening times see Edinburgh Printmakers website.

Craft Reactor

Tuesday evenings at Tea Tree Tea on Bread Street (6pm – 8.30pm) starting TODAY are now an opportunity for artists and makers to join with other penniless souls of the same ilk and drink tea, eat cake and chat whilst making stuff. The website states that it’s “an Edinburgh-based not-for-profit craft collective formed in 2010. We aim to promote a friendly, constructive and creative environment for the promotion of craft, and crafters” but I think artist types like myself are welcome too. Obviously I can’t really take along much that I can do in the way of printmaking to a cafe, but I happen to know there will be things there for me to do anyway and actually I’m hoping it will spur me on to widen my horizons a bit in terms of what I do. You can also become a member of Craft Reactor and details of what that involves are on their rather lovely new website… www.craftreactor.com