Future Images at EIBF 2024

 

Now at the historic and impressive Futures institute, recently renovated. I met the architect last year, who was in my art class at Trinity. The building was once Edinburgh’s Royal infirmary. Behind the building is a wide open grassy area, with light flooding the more modern window structures. The futures Institute has wonderful light flowing in the open expanses on it south sides and attractive exposed solid stone work. Perfectly restored. It’s a long, narrow building: now part of the Edinburgh university  

How can Scotland and UK be tech or AI leaders when the government won’t invest in our futures? Recently funding for a Super Computer was stopped by the new Labour government, even as the university has invested 32 million is a new building to house the computer. Edinburgh is a world leading centre for AI development. 

 

There was a display 'Stories from the Wards' – lit perfectly by these south facing windows and taking us back in time. Across the corridor was an exhibition of Scots children’s ideas of a future Scotland 2049!

Outside in the courtyard Mama G and Elmer was entertaining children, while the bookshop buzzed with book signings and shoppers. The Speigel tent made a welcome return, hosting poetry, art and music events, emphasising how crucial art is for our lives – not as an extra but central. (Medics should be taught art so they have better empathy) Life is not only about facts and figures – but about our aspirations, imaginations, looking beyond the day to day while discovering our past stories. To enrich our souls.

The T venue was the main lecture hall, which was comfortable and hosted some of today's renowned thinkers and creatives. Some in person and some remotely. Authors who look ahead on how we can build a better world. As half of Scots support our independence, I might wonder where are the books on this important issue in the history section. Self-determination is normal in most democracies and here in Scotland there is a disconnect between people's ideals and the governments imposed on us. 

I bought an excellent wee book entitled - 'Eleven Writers and Leaders on Democracy'. I attended excellent talks by Joseph Stigliz, Caroline Lucas, Irvine Walsh, and Marina Warner. Joseph Stigliz, economic adviser to Clinton, spoke eloquently on future economies and his book Road to Freedom.

Many feel we need a new constitution, a new voting system and improved democratic rights. Britain and other western economies are creaking at the seams – as the 'Neo Liberal' of Thatcher and Reagan project has failed us the past decades, since the 80s.

Dean Atta

Jordan Stephens

Alistair Campbell

The new book festival venue is close to the busy meadows walk way, which gives it better visibility. While I miss the special oasis of book festival at Charlotte Square, I’m hopeful for the new futures institute that the book festival will thrive here!

 

*BOOKS

Road to Freedom – Joseph Stiglitz

Another England – Caroline Lucas

Forms of Enchantment – Marina Warner

Outrun -  Amy Liptrot

Eleven Writers and Leaders on Democracy

 

 

Over 100,000 visits were made to our new home at the Edinburgh Futures Institute between 10-25 August 2024, with thousands of curious passers-by exploring and enjoying the new site, as well as almost 70,000 in-person ticket holders. They were joined digitally by viewers in 55 countries who enjoyed live streamed events – most of which are still available on demand.

 

Future Tense tackled topics of global importance ranging from AI to the climate crisis, capitalism to the war in the Middle East, migration to inheritance, and more besides. Legendary authors, writers, poets, thinkers and entertainers including Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie (who joined down the line), Richard Osman, Dolly Alderton, Alan Cumming & Forbes Masson, Phillipa Gregory, https://www.edbookfest.co.uk

 

Scotland First Oil Producer and Refinery!

 

In 1865 James Young, from Bathgate, set up Young Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Co. On a drive over to Edinburgh I asked my engineer husband about the 30 to 90 metres high Bings, as we near the city. He replied, they were the result of the first Chemical engineer James Paraffin Young. They are heaps of red soil containing the mineral waste from the shale mining and distillation process that took place here. 

James ‘Paraffin’ Young    There was a time when Scotland was the first and largest producer of refined oil in the entire world,  because of one man – James ‘Paraffin’ Young. Young was an entrepreneur, inventor, chemist and engineer.  His major discovery occurred in 1848, while working in the mining industry. He noticed that oil was leaking from the ceiling of a coal mine. He deduced from this that there must be a way of intentionally extracting oil from coal if you heated it. Young patented this method1850 with his partners, Edward Binney and Edward Meldrum. They then set up the world’s first Refinery at Bathgate. 

This enterprise used Young’s technique of distilling oil from the locally mined shale or Torbanite (known as bog head coal, bog coal or cannel coal). From these he managed to extract oil and instil it into paraffin, amongst other useful chemicals.

Then, with a new plant at Addiewell he became the father of the industry. The company was a world-wide success, selling oil and paraffin lamps as far afield as America. This initial proliferation and success begat an industry that managed to mine around 30 million tons of shale from the bowels of West Lothian for the following 50 years and turn it into oil!

His company pioneered the use of shale oil, and employed 4,000 people. Young’s company founded 1866, was absorbed into the petrochemical giant BP.  His innovation and entrepreneurship remain a lasting legacy, not only in Scotland where the landscape is literally etched with his chemical processes, but over the entire world.

Young studied Chemistry at Anderson’s College in Glasgow. This decision would somehow lead to Young becoming the father of the petrochemical industry little more than a decade later. For around six decades from the 1860s, Scotland was the world’s leading oil producer.

 

The Bings have today become hotspots of wildlife – with 350 plants species, including moss and lichen; diverse array of orchids; and of  hares and badgers, red grouse, skylarks, ringlet butterflies and elephant hawkmoths, 10-spotted ladybirds.

Cal Flyn writes in his Guardian article  - “Over the space of a half-century, these once-bare wastelands had somehow, magically, shivered into life….Eliot’s Waste Land drew from the “perilous forest” of Celtic mythology, a land “barren beyond description” through which a hero must pass to find the Otherworld, or the holy grail. The bings, too, already offer a glimpse of what we might find on the other side: recuperation, reclamation. A self-willed ecosystem is in the process of building new life, of pulling itself bodily from the wreckage. In starting again from scratch, and creating something beautiful.” https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/mar/16/west-lothian-scotland-spoil-heap-wastelands-shivered-into-life

Impossible not to think of TS Eliot: 

breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

II  Its all rather a sad reflection then, that under the new Labour government, Scotland may become the first oil producer to loose its refinery at Grangemouth  and the north east may start closing down. The first article I found on James Young, thought it was unbelievable that Scotland produced such innovators!  But really – why not Scotland?!

Scotland will then need to import costly and less green refined oil from elsewhere. Yet more plans to hold Scotland back, as seen in the past decades with the closure of shipbuilding, steel, and other industries in order to weaken Scotland’s economy and make us dependent. A thriving economy needs to be based on industry and manufacturing – and not the property market in London!

Caroline Lucas Another England at Edinburgh book festival 2024

 

The nation is a construct of stories” Phillip Larkin.

 

Fourteen years in the European parliament, and former English Green party leader

The UK is coming apart. Wales wants a new constitution, Scotland has over 50% support for independence and Ireland has moves to unify. England appears to be left squeamish about the English flag - as a symbol of imperialism and exceptionalism. There is also the rise of the right in England. Lucas said we need a different story, of a more progressive England. 

 

British Trust attempts to bury slavery, the story of imperialism was a good theme and initiatives to alter that story .The recent violent riots in Southport – the media were reluctant to name it. There were counter protests against racism and of another England.

 

There is a need to see England as separate from Britain. There is the myth of 4 equal nations likely to encourage the rise of far right. Anglo-centric British nationalism which constantly muddles England/ Britain. The English lack confidence in ‘who’ we are. The hate-filled language of the Tory party the past decades has had consequences. 

 

Lucas has a long-standing interest in literature.. She is interested in the narratives and false histories of England. The battle of Flodden was won by Catherine of Aragon – which was written out of history by Henry. The victors rewrite history. Robin Hood did steal from the rich - but never gave to the poor! The Spanish Armada was held back by bad weather. The Charters of the Forrest – which gave rights of landless people to forage, but who has heard of it? The Magna Carta was about the rights to restrain the power of the king. 

 

England is nature depleted: the right to roam in England, is only 8% land, and 3% rivers. The history of the enclosure movement. They discussed, should the values of today be imposed on the values of the past? Lucas felt that history is always evolving and the Colston statue in Bristol is now in a museum with a plaque stating his story. After all statues are often put up much later on, by those who want to use history for contemporary needs. 

 

There is a Chapter on inequality – on a wealth tax, constitution, reform voting system. Take finance out of politics? She is a big admirer of Anthony Burnett of Open Democracy, who is a constitutional expert. She’s concerned about the disengagement of young people from politics and a fairer voting system. At the recent General election, a third of people didn’t bother to vote. This is a serious issue. Labour won a big majority of two thirds of the seats, with only a third of the vote. 

(Comment: We were told by the powers that be back in 2011, that we get strong government with our First past the post voting system,(!!) when we had a vote on the issue – and weak, chaotic government with Proportional Representation, such as France, Germany and all other European countries have! Only Belarus uses FPTP voting. First past the post voting means that most votes don’t count and only marginal seats matter. It also means there is a lack of negotiation and collaboration in the UK government, compared to elsewhere.) 

 

There is a lot literature can tell us. Lucas asked us to put people and planet before profit!

 I was sad to hear Little is retiring from his role at the book festival as an interviewer. 

**Allan Little - “Edinburgh festival essentially became a peace project.” 

Lifted Up at Edinburgh festivals 2024!

 

high street performers

Weather warm and muggy this year over for the Edinburgh festivals. Who says Scotland is always cold? asks a young American girl. But the next day the humidity lifts and its clear, windy and sunny. In Scotland, often has the three seasons in one day. We meet old friends and later make our way up the very busy high street – past the excited performers, the tourists young and old, as Edinburgh comes to life again for its annual celebration of the arts, culture, drama and music, from the sublime to the idiotic. Entrancing audiences both young and old, and from near and far.

 

One of the world’s oldest and biggest Arts festivals, begun in 1947 after the war. (which might have ended all wars but didn’t)

Sunday – Bach’s St Matthews Passion. Such a wall of sound: spine-tingling and goose bumps. 

With the Festival chorus, BBC symphony orchestra and a top line up of soloists. What joyous, soul enriching and uplifting music by the genius of Bach. – and interpreted by Mendelsohn. 

 

Festival chorus & Symphony orchestra

Carmen Festival Theatre

Monday – Scottish National art gallery to see the exhibition of John Laverty. Persuasive impressions.

A major exhibition of Irish and Scots impressionist painter John Lavery July to October, 2024. He was a great journeyman, who painted extraordinary images of ordinary life in Glasgow, Spain and Morocco. His portraits have a surreal quality: both commanding and expressive. 

 

Tuesday – Carmen Opera with incredible singing and performances and unforgettable music by Bisset. What a treat! 

Paintings by Sir John Lavery July to October 2024.  ‘An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location’, a collaboration between the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, National Museums NI, and the National Galleries of Scotland. That capture Lavery's impressions of people and places, from his travels - Scotland, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Palm Springs, Glasgow, London, and Venice. Portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, and cityscapes. 

The Arts are under pressure like never before. Recent funding has been cut.  But art is not an extra in life or for our heritage and stories. Its central.

 

This year’s festival theme was ‘The Rituals that Unite Us’. 

 

We must hold on – to the past and to future innovations.