funny thing, language
I make no bones about it, this post is really about Little Women. The All-American girlhood classic, which actually isn’t nearly as good as you remember. Trust me. Every other word is religiously pious and boring. I’m pretty sure it’s only survived in the hearts and minds of America’s feminine youth for so long for … Continue reading
Extra Credit: The Cameo Double Bill
Edinburgh is awash with indy film opportunities. It’s the sort of thing we often take for granted. The old and lovely Cameo Cinema is one of my favourite irregular haunts. Sure the bathrooms are crap and the popcorn is stale, but it has a lovely old-school vibe. Not great for blockbusters or 3D, but a … Continue reading
Shelley in Edinburgh
I live in a city built on books. It comes with many glorious perks. But how did I only find out today, exactly 7 years and 3 months after I arrived, that Percy Bysshe Shelly shacked up with an under-age minor [with whom he was eloping], a certain Harriet Westbrooke, in a flat on George … Continue reading
Sharjah Art Museum & Maraya Art Centre
The first thing almost anyone here will tell you about Sharjah is its immense investment in culture. The city practically oozes with museums, galleries and events. There is a huge concerted effort to celebrate culture and art here. In fact, it’s a major tenant of the Royal family’s work. His highness is a prolific writer. … Continue reading
The Amazing Shobhaa De
The last two days have been amazing – and full of outstanding women. One of them is the excellent Shobhaa De – an Indian writer and broadcaster, and one firecracker of a speaker. She was on the outstanding Women in Fiction panel at #shjibf with Kate Mosse , Oumaima Abdullah al-Khamis (Saudi Arabia) and Dr … Continue reading
The Salon Project : A Night to Remember
I attended a piece of installation theatre. It was spectatorship and cultural commentary and fancy dress all rolled in one. It was fabulous. Probably best to start with how I found myself here and what happened when I arrived. ~ Dressed, pinned and cinched the other members of Jonquil and I assembled at a very … Continue reading
The Salon Project: Dressing the Set
I attended a piece of installation theater encompassing spectatorship, cultural commentary and camp costume party. It was fabulous. If you like you can start with how I found myself here. ~ When I’d booked my ticket to this fancy-dress-party masquerading as theater-cum-installation I’d been assigned to group Jonquil. The girl on the box office phone … Continue reading
The Salon Project: Anticipation
The Salon Project was the most interesting performance I’ve experienced in years. It had about as much to do with traditional theater as parkour does with ballet. Maverick, enticing and entirely topsy-turvy, the evening was devised to explore and interpret the Parisian Salon culture of the late 19th & early 20th Centuries. Learned, liberal folk … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 