SCOTLAND

 /// ABERDEENSHIRE

until 28 May | Seventeen
Under New Moons, We Stand Strong
Under New Moons, We Stand Strong sculptural exhibition comes to Seventeen in Aberdeen, with a special edition of Urban Knights.

until 29 May | Peacock Visual Arts
The Brutalist Playground, Assemble and Simon Terrill 
Exhibit exploring post-war design for play, as part of Look Again Visual Art & Design Festival.

until 25 June | Grey’s School of Art
Degree Show at Gray’s School of Art
Exhibition of Painting, Contemporary Art Practice, Three Dimensional Design, Fashion & Textiles, Communication Design and Commercial Photography.

21 May – 14 June | Newave Gallery
Ade Adesina ‘Awake’ Solo Exhibition
Bespoke limited edition prints by a multi-award winning artist.

18 June | Peacock Visual Arts
PMC Silver Jewellery Making Workshop
Led by our resident jewellery expert Renee, this workshop lets users experiment with Precious Metal Clay.

///DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

28 – 30 May | Various
Spring Fling
Scotland’s premier open studios contemporary visual art and craft event – this year featuring 94 artists, makers and designers.

 /// DUNDEE

until Autumn 2016 | The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum
Draw the Line: Old Masters to The Beano  
The exhibition shows the vast and all encompassing range of creativity expressed in drawing from Dundee’s nationally significant fine art collection.

/// EDINBURGH

until 21 May | Ingleby Gallery
Kevin Harman: No Man’s Land
Positioned somewhere between painting and sculpture these large format abstractions are at once seductively beautiful and challengingly physical.

until 31 May | Arusha Gallery
Ilona Szalay – Queen of Swords
Ilona Szalay’s oil and resin on wood paintings trace a path through a world of conflict and power play, a place of rigid hierarchy and fierce competition.

25 May – 13 July | Summerhall
Statussignal
Hamish Chapman, Jordan Munro and Jordan Pilling present an exhibition acting as a level playing field upon which three boys come out to play.

26 May – 31 July | Summerhall
Imagining Faith by Isabel Rocamora
This work centres on her 22 minute film triptych Faith: an intimate observation of the act of worship of the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem.

7 June | Summerhall
Cultures of Prayer: Faith to Faith in Conversation
Panel discussion to coincide with Isabel Rocamora’s exhibition ‘Imaging Faith’, with Rev. Dr Harriet Harris, Rabbi David Rose and Sohaib Saeed.

throughout the year | Various
Screen Academy Scotland Courses
Professional short course training (screenwriting, cinematography, film, TV & cross-platform production & image & sound editing).

throughout the year | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre
Writing Courses
Courses in Novel Writing, Poetry, Short Story Writing, and Screenwriting.

/// GLASGOW

until 29 May | Street Level Photoworks
Catrine Val: Political Letters
New collection of staged photoworks around the neglected canon of women in philosophy, including some new work specific to Scotland and the theme.

until 20 May | Many Studios / Project Space
Fátima Rodrigo, UNAP
A piece of video/sculptural work that examines the problematic socio-political relationship between higher education and the Peruvian government

until – 29 May | Street Level Photoworks
Mari Hokkanen: Set & Setting
Every image in Set & Setting is a scene on its own presenting a story of different allegories and world phenomenon.

until 22 May | MANY Studios
The Heart of the City
A solo exhibition by Fatima Rodrigo (Peru) as part of Glasgow International Festival 2016.

until 5 June | CCA
Intermedia, The Women’s Unit
Outcome of a year long residency at Glasgow Women’s Library by Mandy McIntosh, influenced by projects like Judy Chicago’s Womanhouse.

until 22 June | Tramway
The Net Effect
Thinking about a future in making, curating or teaching Art? Discover this new visual arts group for ages 16-25.

until 10 July | CCA
Jerwood/FVU Awards: ‘Borrowed Time’
Two moving-image works by selected artists Karen Kramer and Alice May Williams.

until 14 May | Cyril Gerber Fine Art
Scottish Horizons
A new exhibition of watercolours and drawings by well-known artist Tom H. Shanks RSW RGI PAI.

until 31 May | Glasgow Women’s Library
Palestinian Embroidery
Exhibition of workshops by Claire Anderson and documentation of Palestian women’s embroidery co-operative ‘Women in Hebron’.

21 – 22 May | Street Level Photoworks
Photobook Design Weekend
Turn your photographic project into a high quality 8×10 photobook.

25 May – 5 June | MANY Studios
Trading Stories
Poet Tawona Sitholé harnesses a breadth of stories from The Barras from yesteryear to the present day.

23 June | CCA
Eavesdropper: Hanna Tuulikki performance
Artist, composer and performer Hanna Tuulikki works with voice and gesture to create immersive spaces that unearth relationships with places

28 May – 9 July | Hillhead Library
Departures
The nine participating artists responded in disparate ways to the broad theme of migration.

29 May | Who Art Thou
Drypoint Etching Workshop – with Mobile Print Studio
In this workshop you will learn the art of Drypoint Etching and create an edition of your own. Materials included & all levels of experience welcome.

2 – 4 June | CCA
Cryptic Nights: Therefore 2 – Anna Lucia Nissen
Enter an immersive audio-visual experience combining sculpture, video projection and live music devised by artist Anna Lucia Nissen.

3 June | CCA
SWOU: What do sex workers want?
Screening of three short movies exploring the diverse realities of sex workers around the world, followed by a Q&A with sex workers and allies.

4 June – 31 July | Street Level Photoworks
Govan/Gdansk
New exhibition linking the shipyards of Govan in Glasgow and Gdansk in Poland and their post-industrial decline and resilience.

7 June | The Butterfly and the Pig
Quotidian Issue 2 Launch
celebrate the success of Quotidian: a literary magazine’s Issue 2 and… *drum-roll* the launch of our second print edition! How exciting!

9 June – 2 July | Compass Gallery
The Golden Age: 90 Years of International Film Posters
Planned to coincide with the Edinburgh Film Festival 2016, this exhibition will include many rare, collectible and international original film posters.

21 – 23 June | Tramway
A Bit of Bite
A brand new show about the role of young people in contemporary politics.

25 June | The Glasgow School of Art
Transitions Out of Fine Art Education
Fine art staff from across the UK will come together with students, graduates, academics, and industry professionals to share practice.

28 June – 3 July | Various
Glasgow Comic Festival
A week-long festival of talks, screenings, performance and exhibitions at CCA and across the city, and Comic Con at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

31 July | CCA
MAP: Voicing the Archive
Audio recordings of past MAP contributions, voiced by their authors and installed at a listening station in the CCA and Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

12 – 18 September | various
Illustrious Glasgow
Glasgow Doors Open Days is working with illustrator Rosemary Cunningham to share 10 stunning illustrations of Glasgow buildings.

First Saturday of the month | The Lighthouse
Repair Cafe
On the first Saturday of every month our team of fixers will be on hand to help you fix your broken items, in MAKLab, Gallery One.

ongoing | Crownpoint Studio
Corridor Exhibition
Exhibition by VAU Members, view by appointment only.

ongoing | The Botanics
Art Classes in the Botanics
Weekly tutored classes in Glasgow Botanic Gardens, for anyone wishing to develop their artistic abilities.

ongoing | The Hidden Lane Gallery
Margaret Watkins: The Kitchen Sink (And other classics)
A major retrospective selection of some of the classic images which established Margaret Watkins as one of the most innovative artists of the 1910s & ’20s.

ongoing | 306 White Studios
Silk Screen Printing Workshops
Be your own designer for the day, learn silk-screen printing here at Shapes Of Things Ltd & create your own bespoke product every Wednesday & Saturday.

///HELMSDALE

until 19 June | Timespan
VIK PRJÓNSDÓTTIR
Icelandic design collective showcase their textile work in an exhibition that brings together contemporary design and traditional craft.

///HUNTLY

26 – 28 May | TBC
White Wood Forum: Art and Sustainability
Discussions centre on social and cultural perspectives of sustainability: local and global understandings and lived practices around the world.

///KIRKALDY

until 5 June | Kirkcaldy Galleries
Shelters
Festival of Architecture exhibition examining ‘shelters’ using examples from Lloyd Kahn’s US Shelter Publications to contemporary Scottish.

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ELSEWHERE

///BIRMINGHAM

11 June | St Barnabas Church
Clipping the Church by Tereza Buskova
Sign up to be involved in an art piece adorning a Birmingham church with ornate baked bread and encircle it with a living garland of 100 people.

///LINCOLNSHIRE

14 May – 25 June | 20-21 Visual Arts Centre
Liz West: Our Colour Reflection
The installation will transform the interior of the former St John’s Church building housing the gallery by using over 700 mirrors.

/// MANCHESTER

19 May – 18 November | MadLab
WordPress courses
Beginner, Intermediate, and advanced wordpress courses led by co-founder Mike Little.

25 – 26 June | MadLab
Hands-on with the Internet of Things
Everything from picking the right prototyping platform and means of device-device communication, through to different network protocols.

/// OXFORDSHIRE

5 – 7 August | Braziers Park
Supernormal 2016
Supernormal is a three-day, experimental arts and music festival taking place at Braziers Park in Oxfordshire.

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Do you want your event added here? Read this blog to find out how.

I’ve spent the last 10 years living in London and Brighton working as a photographer and in Production & Education within the Arts & Heritage sector for institutes such as The Photographers’ Gallery as Oral Histories Coordinator for The World in London project; commissioned for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Photoworks; Curatorial Assistant for Myth Manners & Memory: Photographers of The American South exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, and Brighton Photo Biennial; Workshop Facilitator and Leader for Snapshot and You’ve Been Framed projects working with local school groups. More recently I worked as Studio Manager for Newangle, a creative digital agency that design interactive games and video installations nationally and internationally.

Since returning to Scotland in April 2015, I was awarded the Six Foot Gallery’s Artist in Residence Program, Glasgow, in association with Street Level Photoworks and Menzies Hotels, which concluded with a solo exhibition, Awakenings; a series of works created during the one-month program in July.

Following my diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis in 2013, my practice has focused on relaying the associated feelings of uncertainty, fear, loss and liberation through my photography. Awakenings is an attempt towards dealing with notions of identity and the play on this in relation to my diagnosis, as well as the intention to raise awareness of MS.

My photography training developed when I enrolled on the BTEC National Diploma in Photography at City College Brighton and Hove in 2005, which then led me to complete a BA (Hons) Photography degree at the University of Brighton in 2010.

After graduating my creative practice lapsed between 2011 and 2014. I had focused the latter part of my degree on my father’s diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease with the projects Railing At The Enthrallment to The Failing of The Light part I & part II. Part II gained notoriety when I was shortlisted for the International Talent Support Photo 2011 competition in Trieste, Italy. The objective of the competition was to also create a new body of work in response to Open The Possibilities. My response to the brief can been seen here The Diving Bell and The Butterfly.

It was tough dealing with the ‘card’ my family had been dealt. My way of dealing with my father’s diagnosis was by creating work in relation to the experience. My creativity was sucked out of me due to the emotions that unravelled. It wasn’t until I was dealt with my own diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2013 that my creativity flourished and bounced back again.

A few months after being diagnosed I was introduced to George Pepper, Co-founder of Shiftms, a social network for people with Multiple Sclerosis. I became closely connected with the Shiftms team and in August 2014 I was invited to create a new body of work in response to the #GOOB (Good Out of Bad) commission, as part of their MS Energy initiative. With this, Perceiving Identity was created, which launched my photography into the public domain again with the #GOOB private view exhibition in London, February 2015.

I have always drawn inspiration from spending time in Scotland, in and around my parents home. Many of my projects have been shot in the North of Scotland, where I grew up. The combinations of internal/external landscapes of home/nature have been very influential in my work. More recently I have taken great interest in the writings of Oliver Sacks. His style of writing really hit home to me and has led me to dream up lots of ideas for continuing my photographic work in relation to my MS.

Next month I will be starting a new post in my hometown of Forres, with Digital Health and Care Institute who are in partnership with Glasgow School of Art. DHI innovate health and care solutions for Scotland, and more so, the harder to reach parts of Scotland, hence their location. I will be working closely with DHI in relation to my photography. The prospect of bringing my photography skills back to my hometown is a very exciting proposition for me, let alone the fact that the key objectives of DHI are health and care solutions, which is very in line with my own passions and the photographic work that I create.

My hope for the coming months is to have another exhibition in Scotland or UK, to push my work out there in order to raise further awareness about MS.

More: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Artist profiles delve into the psyche of the artist talking about daily life, inspiration & art. Read more profiles here. 

Interested in writing one? Contact us

Award-winning broadcaster and director David Street (pictured above) made programmes for all the main UK’s TV channels before he turned to feature documentaries. A lover of life in all its complexities, he’s on a constant quest to find out why we do what we do and why we are who we are. The 40 year Film & TV veteran has just premiered Battle Mountain at Edinburgh International Film Festival. Here he explains just what went into creating this epic documentary where he followed “The Flying Scotsman” (Graeme Obree) for two years as he prepared for the human-powered vehicle land speed record attempt in Nevada.

two .. tick.. name .. check.. thank you note.. done. one .. tick name.. check and on it went, 76 tickets and thank you notes put into addressed envelopes on the morning of 24 June 2015.

If I’d known three and a half years earlier I would be doing this on the morning of the world premiere of my film Battle Mountain: Graeme Obree’s Story, would I ever have started filming?

The project started as a simple taster tape but when the production company couldn’t sell it to a broadcaster, I felt it was a a story too good not to be told.

I decided to go along with this Ayrshire cyclist who had broken world records and twice been a world champion in the 1990s as he set out two decades later to try and break another world record. Even if it didn’t work, I told myself, it would be a fun ride.

Over the years I’d gone from being a film editor to a producer, director and then as the industry changed found myself as a self-shooting director/producer, along the way I’d built up my own camera and sound kit so I had the freedom to jump in the car and go down to Graeme’s tiny 1st floor flat in Saltcoats and shoot whenever he felt like building.

This man who rose to fame by breaking world records on “Old Faithful” – a bike he built himself with bits from a washing machine, was now going to build a new machine to try and break the Human Powered Land Speed record. He no longer had a bike shop so he was going to build it in his kitchen.

When I got there an engineer’s vice had been bolted onto the dining table, the washing machine was still in one piece, but with a cooker and fridge freezer as well as sink and kitchen units there wasn’t room to swing a cat, so getting in there to film was going to be fun. Thankfully I’m used to working on my own, doing sound as well as camera, it proved a really useful skill in such cramped conditions, especially when Graeme’s family turned up. The room had a big window which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that there was plenty of natural light, no bad thing when there was hardly room for me and the camera, so definitely no space for lighting stands. Graeme’s natural working position when he was building “The Beastie” was with his back to the window, so without lighting to balance the outside, getting a big wide of him meant he was either in silhouette or the background was grotesquely burnt out.

Part of the deal I made with Graeme when I was negotiating the access, was that I would never ask him to do anything specifically for the camera, nor would I ask him to repeat anything. He didn’t want a filmmaker stopping him in the middle of his thought pattern and creative flow. His building method is incredibly tactile and in a sense evolutionary. While the agreement worked for Graeme it meant I had a challenge on my hands every time I went to film. I started by asking him to talk me through what he was planning on doing so I would have some idea of where I could be to get the best shots to tell the story. However, after the first couple of minutes I realised this wasn’t going to work. As with many geniuses, his brain is always working and trying to find new and better ways of doing things, so even if he said he’d be doing x and y, 30 seconds later he’d be doing ax and cz. From then on I was trying to cut it in my head whilst filming and making sure the sound was right. I didn’t want to miss any of Graeme’s pearls of wisdom, so the sound had to be continuous. My thinking was that in any given period I would get non-sync action of Graeme brazing, sawing, filing  and making tea – he made a lot of tea – to help the editor get round some of the problems, mostly it worked.

I was shooting on a Canon XF305 with a radio mic and a top mic, occasionally I would use 2 radio mics. Most of the time I was using a Manfrotto monopod, it meant I could scoot round Graeme and his kitchen while still being able to use the long end of the lens to get in for covering close-ups. There was hardly room to put a tripod up, but even if there had been, Graeme is so fast on his feet when he’s creating, that within seconds that shot wouldn’t work, the monopod is a boon for flexibility and I wouldn’t be without one.

To balance the developing sense of claustrophobia the film was acquiring by filming in the small kitchen, I wanted to film Graeme out training on his bike, ideally riding round the beautiful Ayrshire countryside. I still find it staggering that some of the locations where we shot are less than 30 minutes from the centre of Glasgow. At this point the film was still self-funded so I couldn’t afford to bring in a cameraman or a driver. I had to do it myself. Two years working on Top Gear and watching how some of the top DoP’s rigged cars for filming car-to-car and cars-on-the-move helped me get round these problems, that and the fact the roads were incredibly quiet. It’s one of those things though that you really shouldn’t try at home. One problem that did surprise me was how fast Graeme could go downhill and how well he could corner. I quickly realised I had to pull over and let him go ahead on the big downhills as he could go faster round the corners on two wheels than I was prepared to go in a four wheel Qashqai.

This is just a small part and some of the experiences that I enjoyed as I spent nearly two years filming a Scottish icon and another 18 months getting it to the stage where I was putting tickets in envelopes. And NO I wouldn’t have started if I’d known what it entailed but I am so glad I did and I know that I can’t wait for the next opportunity to come along. It’s been a blast.

A kickstarter project helped get David the initial funding he needed to bring this project to life with additional funding from Creative Scotland’s Film Fund.

Sign up for updates on when David’s documentary will be screened near you on www.gobattlemountain.com.

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The RSA Residencies for Scotland scheme is now open for applications. The artist-led scheme is open to visual artists at any stage of their career with the goal of enabling a period of research, development and production at a partner venue. With over twenty five venues around Scotland, the residency allows for an exchange of both ideas and practice. Funding is available up to £5,000.

For more details about applying for the RSA Residencies for Scotland scheme, see the RSA website here.

Deadline: 21 January

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Find more opportunities in our weekly bulletin here.

YES:

Endless Yes by Alex Hetherington

Mark Osborne

New Scotland New Flag by Graphical House

Jenny Soep

NEITHER:

Mr Castro

Some of you may wonder why we haven’t featured any ‘NO’ works. The answer is quite simple, we did not receive any ‘NO’ submissions.

Stay tuned for more Indy Ref related content…

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As the Independence Referendum approaches, The Arches have put together a festival of events to inspire and inform. Running until 19 September, the day after the Referendum, EARLY DAYS offers theatre, discussions, exhibitions and more including a post-Referendum Brunch.

From now until 18 September, see Wallace, a theatre event commissioned by The Arches and The National Theatre and created by created by Rob Drummond and David Overend.

For dinnertime politics, Please Wait to be Seated offers diners a debate topic to discuss while dining with the chance to vote and compare decisions. Created by performance artist, Adam J Scarborough, this Arches Cafe Bar Takeover runs until 19 September.

Finally, as the Referendum is decided on 18 September, party the night away at The Arches Political Party. The evening will include a performance from Glaswegian band Errors and VJ Jamie Wardrop and naturally, live results as the votes come in. There will also be acoustic sets from Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines and Carla Easton of Teencanteen, comedy from host David Bratchpiece and much more.

EARLY DAYS runs until 19 September. For the full programme of events see The Arches website.

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Find more events in our weekly bulletin here.

The Scottish Mental Health and Arts Film Festival (SMHAFF) returns for an eighth year, running from 1 – 19 of October. With over 300 events around Scotland, the festival celebrates the artistic achievements of people with experience of mental health issues. The theme for this year is power.

Ana Ana – a UK premiere in our core film programme C Petr Lom, Corinne van Egeraat

Including theatre, film, literature and music, this year’s festival will kick off with all-day event Moving Minds, followed in short succession by three UK film premieres. One of the premieres is Ana Ana, a cinematic poem following four young Egyptian women struggling to make sense of their post-Arab Spring world through filmmaking.

In the Theatre programme, see Emma Jayne Park’s tour Status Anxiety & Thinking in the First Person featuring a hip hop performance exploring who we become when hidden behind a computer screen. This year, the festival will also host its very first International Writing Awards with Bipolar Scotland. Learn the power of the writing process for the understanding of and recovery from mental ill health. Finally, don’t miss the extensive music programme which includes the release of Withered Hand’s new Scottish indie rock album ‘New Gods.’

Status Anxiety & Thinking in the first person C Maria Falconer

Watch the trailer for the upcoming festival here:

To find out more about the programme, see the SMHAFF website.

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Browse through our event bulletin to find more events.

Karen Gardiner currently works freelance in TV Production; working on drama, film and commercial productions.

Helpline Advisor – Learn Direct Scotland:
Although not my first job, this is probably the most relevant starting point as this job helped me achieve skills that I still use in my career today. While I was studying Digital Film & Television at the RSAMD, this was my part time job. I was in a call centre helping people with funding for higher education. I learned how to engage with people from all walks of life and also how to communicate with people effectively. This job also taught me the true nature of hard work. I was at uni five days a week and worked in the call centre every weekend and in the evenings. There was no such thing as a day off, I remember coming off a long day of shooting and still going to work afterwards for a few hours of answering calls.

Production Assistant- Ever Here I Be – Digicult:
This was my first experience on a short film run by Glasgow based company Digicult, who invest in growing new talent in Scotland through short film schemes. It was a work placement opportunity so I wasn’t being paid. I was assisting the coordinator with prep for the shoot and the day-to-day running of the production office. Although a fantastic experience, I have one memory of being sent to set to work as a floor runner for one of the days and my job was to lock off an area in SWG3. I was in an empty warehouse for hours alone beside a smashed window in the middle of February. I remember standing there with my feet numb from the cold thinking “one day I better get paid for this”. It was worth it though, as later the same year I got the position of Production Manager on the Digicult Film ‘The Rule of Thumb’ directed by the talented Gregor Johnstone.

Tern Digital – Development Researcher:
I was very lucky to get a position at Tern as the Development Researcher on the digital adaptation of the novel ‘The Thirty Nine Steps.’ This was my first job in digital and made me realise just how transferable production skills are. I felt like a detective on this project, I knew the novel inside out. I had to research every single description in the book for images that the digital artists could work from. This ranged from what a London flat looked like in 1914, to what brand of cigars were popular at the time or what the newspaper headlines were just before the First World War. It was such a creative group of people to work with and was a lot of fun to be part of. I still genuinely think that if I was ever a contestant on Mastermind that this novel would definitely be my specialist subject.

STV Creative – Producer:
I was offered an AP job at STV Creative (Commercials department at STV) and was excited about going back into TV production. It was a real learning curve for me as commercials are fast paced and there is little room for error. I worked my way up to Producer during my time there and the role was extremely diverse. Pitching to clients, budgeting, casting, overseeing edits and directing voiceovers were just part of my role. I got to work with some really talented people during my years here and I would say that this is the one job that taught me almost everything I know about TV broadcasting.

Freelancer – Production:
Deciding to go freelance was a decision that looking back, I took without much thought or planning. I had absolutely no savings and no job to go to when I left STV but I just had to trust that it would work out as I wanted to explore other opportunities. I was out of work for around three weeks and it was quite a scary time. Luckily the work started coming in and I haven’t looked back since. I have since worked in various production roles for MTP, STV, Shed Productions and have even been attached to the development of a feature film as producer through the Lo-Fi scheme. I would encourage anyone to consider going freelance in this industry as Scotland really is thriving at the moment; there are so many great opportunities out there.

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We’ve asked professionals in creative industries what jobs they have had in the past to get their foot through the door (or at least pay the rent). For more in the “My First 5 Jobs” series look here.

Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival returns this September. The 10th edition of the award-winning Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before with international commissions, film premieres, installations as well as a Short Film Award for filmmakers and artists with a cash prize attached.

The festival, which attracts over 8,000 visitors is considered to be a highlight on the cultural landscape of the Scottish Borders and Northumberland and welcomes people from across Scotland and England who come to enjoy a range of film and art installations all set within historic Berwick.

Since its inaugural festival in 2005, Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival has had a vision to transform Berwick into one big moving image installation – a visual and cultural spectacle and it certainly delivers. The festival occupies a unique space in the UK festival landscape – in uniting cinema with moving image art, while taking inspiration from other art forms…all in one place, over five days.

Field Music perform score to John Grierson’s film Drifters – Photo: Will Sadler

It is also distinctive in its setting, the town of Berwick provides an awe-inspiring background to the festival programme, with screenings taking place in the most unusual of venues, from the medieval town walls to prison cells in the Town Hall and the more traditional Maltings Theatre & Cinema.

The festival organisers have announced this year’s call for entries which closes on 16 June. Each year, the festival curates its programme to a specific theme, and this year, with the Scottish independence referendum taking place, it seems pertinent that the theme is ‘Border Crossing.’ The Festival is calling all artists and filmmakers to respond to the theme by submitting work via its website.

‘Border Crossing’ will take audiences on a journey, setting out to cross and transcend borders in all directions, exploring border identities all over the world. Berwick-upon-Tweed makes an ideal starting point: a border town in a region once known as ‘the debatable lands,’ with an identity neither English nor Scottish, but all of its own; it will bring together independent film and artists’ video to explore boundaries – on the map and in the mind – and the spaces in between.

Works submitted to the festival can explore themes of cultural heritage, changing identities from individual to societal and cultural, travel and migration, and the crossing of boundaries; your work can be of any type and any length including including narrative and experimental, live action and animation, fiction and documentary. What’s more, all single screen works under 20 minutes will automatically be eligible for selection for the Inntravel Short Film Award. The competitive programme will be selected by the festival curators, and the winning work will be awarded by a professional jury during the festival, where £750 will be donated towards the artist/director’s next project.

Visit the festival website here for details on how to submit an entry.

Amit Madheshiya’s Talkies Wallah projected onto the Berwick Watchtower

In addition, Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in partnership with Northern Film & Media have recently announced a new opportunity for filmmakers and visual artists from anywhere in the world to submit a proposal to create a new moving image work. Visual artists and filmmakers are invited to submit proposals in response to the festival theme of Border Crossing. Proposals may be for projected, installed or screened work, to be made either for single or multi-channel presentation. The new commission will be premiered at the 10th Film & Media Arts Festival in September 2014. The selected proposal will be awarded £5,000 GBP in artist/production fees, and installation costs will be covered in addition.

For further information and to submit a proposal for the commission, please visit the festival website.

Proposals Deadline: 28 May
Call for Entries Deadline: 16 June

More:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Vimeo | Flickr

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Find more opportunities in our weekly bulletin here.

The Festival of Museums is a three day event from 16 – 18 May where museums all over Scotland throw open their doors to over 90 events, workshops, exhibitions and live performances. Targeting every age range and interest, the festival has something for everyone.

In Glasgow, explore the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons after hours, bring a sketchpad and draw and hear artist Hugh Buchanan speak about some of the ways museums, archives and libraries influence his practice (16 May). The next day, hop on the GoMA Big Bus Tour to learn about architecture, illustration and/or creative art around Glasgow. Make artwork throughout the tour and see it displayed in the GoMA afterwards (17 May). Later that day, relax in Kelvingrove Museum with a Mackintosh inspired tea party and enjoy music from the Royal Conservatoire before hearing the results of the Great Glasgow-Style Bake Off.

In Edinburgh, start the weekend with Retro-future and BBC Radio 1 host, Vic Galloway in the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland. Suit up in the vintage/futuristic dress code, hear music from the 20s, 30s and 40s and have a wander through the galleries. The following morning, take a life drawing class in the Scottish National Gallery (17 May) before heading out for an evening of 1940s inspired swing at the Excelsior Ballroom.

The Festival of Museums runs from 16 – 18 May all over Scotland. For the full programme of events see the Festival website.

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