Events & Exhibition
listings from June to September for the National Library of Scotland.
EXHIBITIONS
26 June - 11 October
THE ORIGINAL
EXPORT:
STORIES OF
SCOTTISH EMIGRATION
Travel with the Scots who left
their homeland in search of a new life abroad. This exhibition, in celebration
of Homecoming 2009, explores the experience of emigration and how new
communities were forged overseas, while still retaining strong Scottish
identities. First-hand accounts from our collections of emigrants'
correspondence and journals will be brought to life with music, song, poetry,
film, maps, artefacts and a wide range of colourful brochures, posters and
other promotional material designed to entice Scots to build new lives in the
new world. See the different transport that settlers used to make their journey
and how they settled in when they arrived, building their homes in cities or by
working the land. How did they build their communities and entertain
themselves? How did they preserve their Scottish culture and adapt to new ones,
and what was the experience of returning home like?
11 July - 31 August
ZIG-ZAG: THE
PATHS OF
ROBERT BURNS
Venue: Gracefield
Arts Centre Studios, 28 Edinburgh
Road, Dumfries
Bringing together some of the
36,000 objects forming Scotland's national collection about Robert Burns,
this major touring exhibition celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of
our national bard. Pictures, sound and the poet's own words combine to
show how Burns consciously created his own myth. The exhibition is part of the
Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebrations which marks the anniversary of
Burns' birth and celebrates some of Scotland's other great
contributions to the world: Whisky, Golf, Great Scottish Minds and Innovations,
and our rich culture and heritage.
20 June - 20 September
THE CLYDE: FILMS OF THE RIVER 1912 - 1971
Venue: The
Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Street,
Glasgow
Following the hugely popular
exhibitions Sadness and
Gladness and Films of the Glasgow Empire Exhibition,
the Scottish Screen Archive at NLS has again collaborated with the Lighthouse
on an exhibition focusing on the River Clyde. Watch rarely-seen amateur and
professional films together with recently recorded interviews of people's
memories of the Clyde. An associated programme
of events and activities accompany the exhibition. For admission prices and
more information visit www.thelighthouse.co.uk
25 June
- 28 August
Display
Spanish Civil
War Display
A chance to see items relating
to Scotland's
role in the Spanish Civil War, as featured in Daniel Gray's book, Homage to Caledonia: Scotland and the Spanish Civil War,
and now an STV documentary series, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the
end of the historic conflict.
EVENTS
Booking information
Booking is strongly recommended. You can do so online
here: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
30 June 7pm
Talk
The Global
Scot: Emigration, Empire and Impact
The British
Empire was the largest the world has ever known, ruling over 750
million subjects in 1914. Scots were significantly over-represented in this
global imperial project as governors, merchants, educators, soldiers,
administrators and much else. Professor Tom
Devine OBE explains how a small country came to have such an
extraordinary influence on world development.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
7 July 7pm
Talk
Inspirations
at NLS: In Which MacDiarmid Meets Winnie-the-Pooh, and Dr Jekyll is not Quite
at Ease
James
Robertson is a writer of fiction and
poetry for adults and children, whose work includes the novels Joseph Knight and The Testament of Gideon Mack, as
well as translations into Scots of children's classics by Roald Dahl and
A.A. Milne. In this talk he discusses three major influences on his own
writing, and their unlikely connections: the poetry of Hugh MacDiarmid,
Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh,
and Robert Louis Stevenson's tale of the divided self, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
16 July
6.30pm
The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric
Tickets £5 available online or
by calling the events line on 0131 623 3918.
This beautifully poetic
documentary, written, directed and filmed by Jenny Gilbertson, tells the story
of a young couple who are torn between the choice of emigration to Australia
or remaining to work their croft in Shetland. Gilbertson was one of
Scotland's film pioneers who worked hundreds of miles from the cutting
room floors of London's Soho, but belonged to the documentary tradition
of the 1930s established by the ‘father of documentary' John Grierson.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
22 July 6pm
Reading group
NLS Reading
Group
Following his Inspirations
talk on 7 July, James Robertson will
lead a discussion on Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,
a story which everybody thinks they know, even if they haven't read it,
but which reveals hidden depths on almost every page.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
23 July 7pm
Dramatic Talk
The Reception
of ‘Origins'
In our second dramatic
exploration of the impact of Darwin's ‘Origin of Species', Peter Arnott and his actors will
interrogate contemporary documents to ask not so much, ‘Why were Darwin's
ideas resisted?', but rather, ‘How on earth did they ever get
accepted?', and how did a version of those same ideas lead from eugenics
to extermination?
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
25 August
Time TBC
Lecture
The 2009
Donald Dewar Memorial Lecture
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Venue: RBS
Main Theatre, Charlotte Square
Tickets will go on sale 22
June.
Booking and further
information at www.edbookfest.co.uk
Now in its eighth year, the
Donald Dewar Memorial Lecture is one of the highlights of the Edinburgh
International Book Festival. Previous speakers have included the Right Hon Alex
Salmond MSP, Andrew Marr and Robin Cook. The 2009 speaker will continue in this
tradition of distinguished political minds. This is an event not to be missed.
3 September
7pm
Lecture
Devolution
and the Diaspora
Dr Duncan Sim looks at how devolution has impacted on Scotland's long-term relationship
with its Diaspora. The establishment of the Scottish Parliament has given Scotland
the opportunity to engage positively with its Diaspora, as seen with Tartan
Week abroad, in the development of overseas business, and with the Homecoming
Scotland initiative. How do these initiatives encourage Scots to return 'home',
and to enhance the sense of Scottish identity?
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
9 September
7pm
Talk
Moving out:
The Extension and Expansion of Scottish Intelligence
Renowned Poet Kenneth White explores what he sees as an
endemic urge in the Scot to cross territories and open up new cultural space.
He will examine the itineraries of a line of Scots, ranging from the Middle
Ages to the 20th century. The talk will then take a more personal turn, with
White speaking of his moves in Europe, Asia and America,
concentrating on France.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
15 September
7pm
Talk
Inspirations
at NLS: Where do you get your Ideas from?
This is the single most-asked
question at book shop readings and literary festivals, one so over-familiar as
to induce embarrassed cringing on the part of the seasoned event-goer, but for
that, one that is seldom honestly answered. For one night only, Christopher Brookmyre will ‘fess
up' and reveal the voices behind the voices in his head, citing his
inspirations, from Asterix to Aristophanes, James Bond to Billy Connolly.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
24 September
6.30pm
NLS Film Club
Screening:
Angelou on Burns
Tickets £5 available online or
by calling the events line on 0131 623 3918.
'On the dirt roads of Arkansas I first met
Robert Burns.' Dr Maya Angelou, the African American poet and writer,
discovered Robert Burns when she was eight. Scottish director Elly Taylor
captures Dr Angelou's strength, passion and wonder in this beautifully
filmed documentary, which records Dr Angelou's work and teaching in the
States and her trip to Ayrshire where she meets the local Burnsians who welcome
her to a party in honour of her visit and Burns' genius. There will be a
Q&A with director Elly Taylor after the screening.
30 September
7pm
Talk
The King of
Madison Avenue
With his book The King of Madison Avenue,
former Ogilvy & Mather CEO Kenneth Roman delivers the first-ever biography of David Ogilvy. The original ‘Mad
Man', Ogilvy was a legend in the advertising world, mastering his craft
and the business of life with a sparkle that will live on for generations.
Kenneth worked directly with Ogilvy for 26 years and is perfectly positioned to
detail the life events, decisions and values that made Ogilvy the leader he
was, and why his example is still relevant today.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
6 July 6pm
19 August 2pm
15 September
10am
Beyond
Google: An Introduction to Credo Reference and Oxford Reference Online
Reader Workshop
Learn how to access hundreds
of quality reference books online. This workshop provides a basic introduction
to the key features of these two major online resources.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
9 July 10am
11 August 2pm
7 September
6pm
Reader
workshop
Getting
Started at NLS
Learn how to register as a
Reader, find your way around the Library, request materials and find out about
other services. The workshop includes a tour of the Reading Rooms.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
8 July
10.30am
3 August 2pm
10 September
6pm
Reader
workshop
Discovering
Family History at NLS
Find out what resources the
Library holds to help you with your family history research. The workshop
includes some practical information on how to become a Reader and a short tour
of the public areas.
Book online: http://www.nls.uk/events/index.html,
call 0131 623 3918 or e-mail [email protected].
Walking Tour
19 August
6.30pm
Exhibition
tour
In the Loop: a tour
of the exhibition, The Original Export: Stories of Scottish Emigration, for
people who are hard of hearing. A free portable loop will be available.
To book a place on this tour,
please contact Artlink on 0131 229 3555, typetalk on 018001 229 3555 or email
[email protected]
In
partnership with Artlink.
- Log in to post comments