SAMIZDAT

Out of the Blue Newsletter Summer  2007

Welcome to the summer edition of Samizdat, the quarterly newsletter from leading arts organisation Out of the Blue (OOTB). OOTB nerve centre and multi-arts space The Out of the Blue Drill Hall has lived up to its billing with a packed programme of cultural events offering everyone opportunities to participate in a wide range of art forms.

SONIC SCULPTURE

Coming up, Out of the Blue and Aurora Nova present Siren at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall (venue 357) as part of the biennial British Council Edinburgh Showcase this Fringe. Critically acclaimed artist Ray Lee will construct a temporary dome within the main exhibition space to house a forest of giant metal tripods whose rotating arms are fitted with lights and sirens to create a visually stunning spectacle of modulated sound and whirling light. The 40 minute, live art installation opens at 10pm on August 19th and runs daily until the 25th. For tickets and info call Assembly box office on 0131 623 3030.

DRILL HALL ARTS CAFÉ

The Drill Hall Arts Café has quickly established itself as the heart of this thriving arts space popular with studio artists, the local community and the wider public alike. Offering a daily changing menu of freshly prepared snacks and meals at affordable prices, the café also operates as a training scheme giving young people vital work experience as well as helping them develop broader professional skills. And in an exclusive Samizdat reader offer, a bottle of smooth drinking Sicilian red and bowl of olives is only £7.50 between 5 and 7pm until the end of August. The café is open from 10am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday: for bookings call 0131 555 7100.

PM TEA

If traditional afternoon tea is your style, then the fabulous café staff have just the ticket. PM Tea promises extravagant cake-based delicacies served by flamboyant Fifties domestic goddesses as part of a live art performance piece during the Fringe. Produced by Robyn Hambrook of FEET Theatre and presented in conjunction with Pazzia Contemporary Performing Collective, PM Tea runs between 4 and 6pm until August 17th. For a mere fiver, you would be hard put to find a more entertaining way to enjoy an impressive selection of sandwiches, cakes, fancies and freshly baked scones all washed down with a nice cup of tea. Again, for more information call 0131 555 7100.

BOLLYWOOD COMES TO LEITH

Visual art too is well represented this August. Following a successful run at the Nehru Centre in London, the Edinburgh Indian Association (EIA) is showing an exhibition of Bollywood film posters at The OOTB Drill Hall until August 16th. Indian women's group Shakti is staging a special screening of Bollywood classic Provoked - whose poster features in the exhibition - at 8.30pm on August 15th. There will be a chance to talk with one of the film's co-writers Rahila Gupta directly after the screening. Tickets are available from Shakti on 0131 475 2399. The Indian theme continues with an exhibition of Ekta Kaul's textiles from August 28th. You can see examples of her work at www.ektakaul.com.

BONGO CLUB

Meanwhile, over at OOTB's sister outfit The Bongo Club, expect the usual high quality Fringe offering. There are too many highlights to single out any one production. Suffice to say, the line-up takes in everything from drama to music through burlesque and comedy as well as your favourite club nights until August 27th. Check www.thebongoclub.co.uk for the latest listings.

ARTS MARKET

By popular demand, OOTB is also organising another Arts Market at The OOTB Drill Hall on September 29th between 12 and 6pm to coincide with National Doors Open Day. Featuring the work of artists and makers from Out of the Blue's studios and beyond, the Market is an opportunity to shop for everything from fine art to hand crafts. And if you're an artist or maker with work to sell, there's still time to apply for stalls. Contact Nicole Lambeng on nicole@outoftheblue.org.uk for details.

CLASSES AT THE OOTB DRILL HALL

In keeping with OOTB's educational remit, there are also a wide range of classes and workshops on offer at The OOTB Drill Hall. Dance is well served with an eclectic range of movement classes pitched at the beginner right through to the more experienced performer. Janis Claxton is offering a range of classes to suit all abilities from September 26th, check her website www.janisclaxton.com for details. And for experts only, Charly Jarvis begins her advanced level, contemporary ballet classes from September 7th. Charley claims the classes will "complement contemporary ballet technique and training - structure as a [traditional] ballet class; the emphasis will be on release, spiral, suspension and travelling through space." Life drawing classes continue every Sunday afternoon at The OOTB Drill Hall during August and then occasionally throughout September and beyond. Drop organiser Leigh Chorlton a line on leigh.cho@hotmail.co.uk for the latest dates. A new term of Rowena Warren's Ashtanga Yoga classes begins September 13th and then every Thursday. Beginners are welcome between 6 and 7pm while intermediate practitioners begin at 7pm. Book in advance through www.ro-yoga.co.uk. Artist Denise Walker is organising a series of art workshops also beginning in September. There are courses in traditional glass mosaic, large scale cardboard sculpture and reduction relief printmaking suitable for all age groups from adult to child and all levels of experience from beginner to qualified teacher. For more info contact Denise on denisemwalker66@hotmail.com. Indian dance group Dance Ihayami will be holding classes in traditional Indian dance at The OOTB Drill Hall beginning in September. Details of the classes will be unveiled on their website www.danceihayami.org soon. Finally, drama workshops by Glasgow-based arts organisation Ankur Productions resume at The OOTB Drill Hall on September 3rd. Geared towards providing an introduction to acting with a special emphasis on boosting the participation of ethnic minorities in the dramatic arts, the Quantum Leap workshops continue every Monday between 6 and 8pm until December 10th. For details on how to take part contact Ankur on 0141 248 8889 or info@ankurproductions.org.uk

PARK LIFE

The Park Life project to redesign the Dalmeny Street Park continues to build momentum with news that Communities Scotland has backed the initiative to the tune of some £25,000. The money will support the work that OOTB, the Port of Leith Housing Association, social inclusion advocates Capital City Partnership and youth homelessness charity Streetwork have been doing to engage local youngsters in the ongoing improvements to the park. Streetwork was on site throughout July meeting with groups of young people to canvass their opinions on the ongoing improvements to the park. Photographer Craig MacLean was also on hand to encourage them to try their hand at photographing the park as a way of enrolling them into the wider project. Communities Scotland is also to use the OOTB-devised Park Life project as a model for other similar initiatives in the area. Meanwhile pupils from the local Lorne Primary School have been inputting their ideas and energy to redesigning the play park as part of regular workshops at the school. And following Park Life-associated Friends of Dalmeny Street Park (FDSP) group's successful event during June's Leith Festival which featured a basketball match, there is a tournament planned for 25th August beginning at 12pm where competing teams will battle it out on the court for a special FDSP trophy. If you would like to take part then contact Elric Honore on elric_vh@yahoo.co.uk. If you are interested in getting involved in this thriving and vibrant project in general then drop Out of the Blue coordinator Rob Hoon a line on rob@outoftheblue.org.uk

OUT OF THE BLUE AT OCEAN TERMINAL

OOTB gallery space Out of the Blue at Ocean Terminal continues to showcase the work of emerging local artists at the busy shopping centre. Currently featuring bold, graphic-style paintings from artists Paul Ballingal and Edd Wellesley-Davies, the exhibitions can be found on the second floor close to the car park entrance. If you are interested in exhibiting your work, then please contact Dana MacLeod on dana@outoftheblue.org.uk.

PHASE 3

Fundraising is now underway for the third phase of the internal redesign of The OOTB Drill Hall. Phase 3 will create much-needed extra studio space on a mezzanine level as well as opening up the former rifle range to create a sculpture garden. You can play your part by clicking-a-brick at www.outoftheblue.org.uk. For a donation of just £20, your name will be permanently displayed on the Click-A-Brick wall in the entrance tunnel to The OOTB Drill Hall as well as on the virtual wall on the website.

ORKESTRA DEL SOL

OOTB's longest-standing member of staff, Greg Molleson, has scaled back his involvement to pursue his musical career. Greg's band Orkestra del Sol has been a popular fixture on the summer festival circuit for a couple of years now and highlights this year have included Glastonbury where they blew cockernee chirrupers Chas and Dave off the Lost Vagueness stage. The ten-piece, costumed brass band now combines elements of street theatre in their act to create a truly spectacular live show. You can catch them at various venues around Edinburgh during the festival including The Spiegel Tent at 8pm on the 14th and 21st August, Club Vague at The Jam House on the 15th August and Vaudeville Cabaret Club at The Bongo Club on 22nd August. For more info about the band and future dates check out their website at www.orkestradelsol.co.uk

ART IN THE PARK

OOTB studio artist Barbara Middleton was in June appointed Holyrood Park's first ever artist-in-residence. Barbara is working with groups of local schoolchildren to create artwork inspired by the scenery, wildlife and history of the park which will then be shown at a special exhibition at The Holyrood Park Education Centre from August 31st until September 14th.

DIAL TONE

OOTB studio artist Zoë Irvine is set to recreate her innovative Dial-A-Diva project on 8th September. The 24 hour phonecast connects singers and listeners live by telephone starting at the international dateline in Australasia then passing through Asia, Africa, Europe, Antartica and the Americas, then ending one day later back at the dateline. To listen call +44 1452 552 816 on the day and the Dial-A-Diva call centre in Norway will connect you to concerts being broadcast down the telephone from around the world. If you would like to take part as a vocal performer then contact dialadiva@gmail.com: participation is free, all you need is a telephone.

OOTB CONTACTS

There have been a few changes to telephone numbers at OOTB recently. Your cut-out-and-keep guide to key contacts is as follows;

• general enquiries 0131 555 7100
• event bookings and studio hire Nicole Lambeng 0131 555 7102
• café bookings and info Chris Askham 0131 555 7100
• finance enquiries Nichola Waygood on 0131 555 7101
• media enquiries Hugo Fluendy or Dana MacLeod on 0131 555 7131
• funding and development enquiries Rob Hoon or Harald Tobermann on 0131 555 7101

That's all the news fit to print this summer at Out of the Blue. For the latest updates on these and other developments at Edinburgh's leading arts organisation, then keep checking www.outoftheblue.org.uk