Flowering Of The Human Spirit: Edinburgh Without Its Festivals

Flowering Of The Human Spirit: Edinburgh Without Its Festivals

By Claire StewartArts
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Flowering Of The Human Spirit: Edinburgh Without Its Festivals episodes

  • Citizen Voices? - Tuesday 11th August
    Today's episode looks at some of the power dynamics that are at play and makes the suggestion citizens voices, needs and wishes, need a strong representative body in the city. As always your thoughts are welcome and invited. Take care out there in the thunderstorms that are forecast.
    26 min
  • Seagulls and Searchlights - Monday 10th August
    On a dreich Monday I headed online to check out some of the online programmes and see what's going on in the realm of alternative Edinburgh festival activity. And do a spot of field recording surrounded by seagulls, our new overlords.
    18 min
  • Unorthodox Sunday Pace - Sunday 9th August

    On this episode I'm reflecting on the pace of life and the Sunday activities of the city, uninterrupted or disrupted by festival business. I'm also thinking about the pace of my life in these times and how nice it is to see human connection proceed cautiously in a time when it means so much more to us than it ever has.

    17 min
  • Sunshine and revelry - Saturday 8th August
    Today it's very sunny and I'm reflecting on the kind of Saturday the city might be having in a festival year. Also on the pop-up bars that are everywhere during festival season these days, which I don't miss, and the unique buzz of the Cowgate.
    13 min
  • Pakora and stewardship - Friday 7th August
    Your dedicated podcaster observes the city on a Friday, gets some delicious pakora, and reflects on stewardship, the environment, marine mammals and human migration patterns in the current times, including the controversial North Coast 500 which is causing upset to communities on its route due to its popularity. Also a string recommendation to read to Morvern Cunningham's article 'You'll have had your city' in the Skinny and maybe pick up a copy from Out of the Blueprint.
    29 min
  • Do Better - Thursday 6th August

    Edinburgh International Festival's online programme this year is roughly 89% white and to say it isn't diverse would be an understatement. 

    Arts programming needs to do better. I am reflecting on whether this year is the gap we need and the kind of things we need to consider to be inclusive and keep on improving. 

    I'm joined by Rosie Aspinall Priest to look at the Edinburgh International Festival 2020 programme which has a lot of white men in it and also quite a lot of white women. Altogether too many white people. Not to mention other dimensions of diversity are unrepresented. 

    Follow Rosie on Twitter http://twitter.com/rosieabeast to see her tweets about this, and emails to the festival's director Fergus Linehan, and his replies. Also check out http://www.fringeofcolour.co.uk and buy a subscription. Support creatives of colour and watch some fantastic films, poetry and performance on their online platform. Please send me a message on Anchor FM using the message button if you want to contribute. Or join the discussion using #floweringof on Twitter.

    28 min
  • Youth is wasted... Tuesday 4th August
    Today a spot of field recording on a dreich day, listening to the wind through the trees in Holyrood Park and reflecting on what kind of time the teenagers of Edinburgh are having as they gather around the much emptier than usual civic spaces of the city.
    12 min
  • Velocipeding with No Hands - Monday 3rd August
    Today I'm looking at the announcement that the Edinburgh International Festival has in fact got a programme lined up after all, and it starts in five days. Plus a remarkable story of the community that exists in theatre, that happened 9 years ago today as Sandy Thomson, Director of theatre company Poorboy, as well as a playwright and director, was preparing for an ambitious Fringe production that was about to open. Follow Sandy on Twitter @poorboy_stories. Thanks so much Sandy, for sharing your story.
    24 min
  • Sunday 2nd August - It's Awful Quiet Without The Fireworks
    This podcast is the second in a series of daily reflections, personal, emotional and philosophical - on Edinburgh's first festival free year since festivals began, from an Edinburgh resident and festival lover. Sunday 2nd August; I reflect on the experiences that come about when brilliant people from around the world descend on one small city, and the Edinburgh festival fireworks, our constant August companion, until now... This podcast will last for the month of August, as a daily project of capturing this unique time. I hope you'll share your own thoughts if you're in Edinburgh, or missing Edinburgh from elsewhere, with me on Twitter at @floweringof.
    26 min
  • 'Flowering Of The Human Spirit' - Edinburgh Without Its Festivals
    This podcast is the first if a series of daily reflections, personal, emotional and maybe a wee bit philosophical - on Edinburgh's first festival free year, from an Edinburgh resident and festival lover. Saturday August 1st - I reflect on the electric buzz which isn't there, the absence of posters which probably weren't for me anyway, and the haunting refrain of wheely suitcases on cobbles. This podcast will last for the month of August, as a daily project of capturing this unique time. I hope you'll share your own thoughts if you're in Edinburgh, or missing Edinburgh from elsewhere, with me on Twitter at @floweringof.
    16 min

About Flowering Of The Human Spirit: Edinburgh Without Its Festivals

From the publisher's feed

August in Edinburgh 2020, the first year since the Edinburgh Festivals began in 1947 when there will be no festivals due to the very important reason of preserving life. Claire Stewart, a writer,…