Before lockdown every Thursday, a different entertainer would visit Cherry Road Day Centre, Bonnyrigg and perform in front of an audience of staff and visitors. Thursday Live! is curated by Artlink, putting the interests of the people who use the day centre first. Acts which encourage participation are especially popular – dancing is encouraged!

When visits to the centre were not possible, Thursday Live! went online. Performers filmed themselves at home, and videos were streamed to Artlink TV on YouTube , so that anyone could watch them on their phone or home computer. Local artists familiar to Thursday Live! regulars were able to tailor performances to an audience who they knew well – Annabel Sings ran karaoke sessions; cabaret singer and musical saw player Markee de Saw and clarsach player Siannie Moodie’s performances were particularly enjoyed by one day centre regular, who was able to watch recordings of their videos multiple times. The online performances built on the existing relationships and experiences that have been nurtured over the years.

As lockdown was lifted, socially distanced live performances were introduced, both in the homes and gardens of day centre visitors, and back at Cherry Road. The brilliant Edward Reid visited the centre, singing through windows, and moving through different areas of the building to perform to individuals. Markee De Saw played a set especially for the person who had so enjoyed watching her performance online. Harpist and song writer Esther Swift performed in the back garden of a person who loves the soothing sounds of the harp. For other individuals who enjoy comedy slapstick, clown artist Cammy Sinclair and comedy dance duo Buff and Sheen popped up in back gardens to bring some much needed laughter and delight.

People and their support staff have been telling us that they’re not physically moving as much as they used to. So, over November we are collaborating with Indepen-dance hit squad dancer Wils McAslan to bring tailored movement, dance, energy and fun into people’s back gardens and outdoor settings. Wils has created individual prop bags and a series of dance and movement based ideas and inspiration for people to keep moving after he’s gone.

Being flexible and innovative with the premise of Thursday Live meant that we were able to sustain the connections between day centre visitors, performers, and staff, and facilitate intimate, bespoke events which had the excitement of a live performance. Although managing the changes forced by lockdown was difficult, there were positive developments which came out of learning to work differently. Using online performances meant that performers not local to Edinburgh, or even Scotland, could appear on Thursday Live – a puppet cabaret show, a magician, dancers, could all perform from their homes all over the world.

Contact between Artlink and wider households and support networks also increased, as carers and family members phoned staff to discuss the logistics of events, and clients phoned to give feedback. These relationships existed before lockdown, but were intensified as communication and contact became more vital to people. In future, will things go back to normal? The live, face to face connections and physical interactions will continue to be important in establishing and sustaining trust with the people we work with, but having the option of online contact has proved useful for collaboration and contact with multiple agencies.

             “I am proud of myself for making something unique through being creative during a challenging time. It is a time capsule that I created myself.”

Chris McAdam has been working with Artlink’s Paddy O’Growney and artist James McLardy over the last months. He spoke to James about the work they have been doing together since March.

“For the last few months I’ve been working on a film based on the sights and sound within the home.   When lockdown started Paddy was trying to think about ways to keep in touch and creative even though we could not get out. Paddy had sent me a link to a video which James had shot from his window. When I watched the video, it made me want to give it a go. But most importantly I wanted to stay in touch. At first, we spoke on the phone and then began to meet up on zoom every Thursday. During the week I was making videos and sharing them through WhatsApp. I was editing the videos myself using apps on my phone. James suggested I use the phone camera functions to make it more organic and natural for future editing.

I started to find things that I was interested in experimenting with, like shooting in black and white and playing around with sounds around the home. I started to find my own style. When we met up on zoom, we discussed the video clips and began messing with editing software, screen-shared on his computer. I sent him a clip from Midnight Cowboy, and we chatted about films we liked.  Each time I started making a new video I began to think about how it could add something, and bring something different to my work. I started to experiment more with new ideas. This led to me looking at shadows, light, and reflection on objects in and around the house. 

I was thinking about old style film and how you can change how things look. It was at this point that we started editing a short film every week. Sometimes I doubted myself and I had to challenge myself to feel that what I was doing was worthwhile. Sharing the short films withive me the focus I needed to keep experimenting and challenging myself. I felt a sense of achievement. Because I had worked with James before lockdown I trusted that meeting up online would be fun. At the beginning we had a laugh messing around with shooting and editing videos. Once I had built up enough video material, I was able to begin to relax and talk more about the art. Working one to one has enabled us to discuss things that we would not normally have time to do. The quality one to one time was invaluable because it gave me a chance to work in my own environment. Working in my own house in this way has taken my mind off my anxieties. 

I am proud of myself for making something unique through being creative during a challenging time. It is a time capsule that I created myself. Lately I have been thinking about making films and using the editing equipment in different environments. This gives me a sense of hope. Obviously, I could not recreate what I have made during lockdown, but I would really like to use this experience to make new work.  I would love people to come across this work and be able to read the background of how it was made. I want it to encourage other people to challenge themselves to do something creative.”

Opera and Classical Music | Theatre  |  Literature  |  Dance  |  Comedy  |  Film  |  Arts and Culture Virtual Tours  |  Scottish Art Gallery and Museum Tours  |  Life Drawing  |  Scottish History and Culture  

Opera Highlights Autumn 2020  Four singers, excited to be performing live for the first time since lockdown, come together with a glorious array of music – from Verdi’s La traviata and Bizet’s Carmen to Gilbert & Sullivan, Mozart, Lehár and more. (Free) (Captioned)

The Narcissistic Fish – A Scottish Opera Short A phone call during a busy shift in the restaurant kitchen of The Narcissistic Fish sparks a war between the owner Angus and his brother Kai. As they argue over their dead father, talented and underpaid chef Belle has a revelation of her own. (Free)(Captioned)

Audio described performance The Narcissistic Fish – A Scottish Opera Short

The Diary of One Who Disappeared – An Opera in Concert Created for Lammermuir Festival 2020 by Scottish Opera. Janácek’s feverish fable of obsessive love, desire and escape is broadcast from Glasgow’s Theatre Royal in a specially-created concert performance. (Free) (Captioned)

Audio described performance The Diary of One Who Disappeared

Digital Season RSNO Over the coming months you can enjoy ten glorious concerts which will be filmed live for you in the RSNO’s studio with COVID-19 secure measures in place. These ten performances are a reimagining of our 2020:21 Season. (Paid)

Friday Night Club – RSNO Archive Concerts 15 free online concerts from our archives, featuring beloved music performed by world-class musicians. (Free)

Scottish Chamber Orchestra: The Quilter Cheviot Benedetti Concert Benedetti Plays Bruch. Of the nine major works that Bruch wrote for violin, his first Violin Concerto is easily the most popular. A matchless ability to balance melodic simplicity and virtuosity is exemplified in the Adagio, where soaring lines and bravura technical displays are tempered with the sweetness of a lullaby. (Free)

Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Chamber Music and Streamed Concerts 11 concerts filmed at a variety of locations across Scotland and broadcast online. (Free)

The Stories We Tell About Black Lives – Traverse In this wide-ranging video essay, academic, playwright and screenwriter, May Sumbwanyambe uses his personal experiences to explore the concerning portrayal of Black people in the media. (Free) (Captioned) 

In Dreams I; – Traverse Natasha’s Happening is the first film from her in dreams i; series. The film responds to Black geographies and how Black people fit into spaces – physically or metaphorically. It is a mediation on history, identity and memory, and how these can often be blurred into one. (Free)

The Journey – Traverse An extraordinary landscape. A powerful connection. A unique moment in time. For this live, virtual theatre experience, you will use your digital device’s camera, microphone, and headphones to travel from your living room to Silven’s home in rural Scotland – a virtual space filled with beautiful cinematic imagery and high-definition immersive sound. (Paid)

The Bus Stop – Traverse Take the time to stop. Casual. Common. Everyday. Disability hate crime is on the rise. Jack, a young wheelchair user, experiences a disability hate crime as he tries to take a bus home from Edinburgh. Should he report it? It’s so casual. It’s so common. It happens every day. (Paid)(Captioned)

Tools for Change – Traverse Digital re-imaginings of three plays from the Theatre Uncut archive that explore racism, censorship, power and identity. (Free) (Captioned)

In Someone Else’s Shoes: Edinburgh’s Unexpected Summer – Traverse An immersive 360 degree video project. We all have a unique relationship to where we live, work or play – even as we share that place with thousands or millions of others. Our city is ours, and to see someone else’s view of it we must walk its streets in their shoes, see its sights with their eyes and truly hear their voices. (Free)(Captioned)

Lament for Sheku Bayoh On Sunday 3 May 2015, 31 year-old Sheku Bayoh lost his life in police custody. The young black gas engineer, husband and father was in his hometown of Kirkaldy in Fife when he was killed, prompting the urgent question: is Scotland really safe?  (Paid) (Captioned, BSL, Audio Description)

Lyceum Christmas Tales  An advent calendar of 12 stories for audiences in Edinburgh and beyond, combining online and live performances of new and familiar festive tales penned and performed by some of Scotland’s best-loved writers, musicians and artists. (Free)

Rapunzel A very special online festive show filmed in the beautiful surrounds of Stirling Castle, created by a Christmas cracker writing team, featuring sparkling showtunes from Novasound and directed by Scottish Panto King Johnny McKnight. (Captioned, BSL, Audio Described)

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Partners in life and on canvas, Marc and Bella Chagall are immortalised as the picture of romance. But whilst on canvas they flew, in life they walked through some of the most devastating times in history. (Paid) (Captioned, Audio Described) 

Scenes for Survival – National Theatre of Scotland A new season of 55 digital artworks created in response to the current COVID-19 outbreak. (Free)(Captioned, some BSL)

Makar to Cracker – National Theatre of Scotland Now, with the nights drawing in, and a nip in the air, Jackie Kay invites you to join her once more in ‘the Zoom Room’ as she prepares a special Christmas treat. (Free)

The Portal – National Theatre of Scotland A new podcast for unusual times. Lose yourself in a story of obsession, 40 years of nightlife and 4,000 years of human connection. Two episodes will be released every Friday until 30 October (Free)

Scenesaver’s Subtitled Collection 30 productions available on their site, including Shakespeare, one-women shows, comedy, and family productions, there’s sure to be something for you! (Free – subscription required) (Captioned) 

The Stand on Demand Archive of performances from The Stand comedy club. (Paid)

MUBI.com features hand-picked films to watch or download. From forgotten gems to festival-fresh cinema. From cult classics to award-winning masterpieces. Changes daily.   (Paid)

British Film Institute Rent the latest releases, subscribe to classics and explore the best from the BFI, national and regional archives. (Paid and free)

Weymss Caves, Scotland 4D tour online. (Free)

National Galleries of Scotland Explore the collections online. (Free)

2020: Stories, Portraits, Visions – Scottish National Portrait Gallery Online and in gallery, a display which offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on the events of this year and glimpse brief snapshots into other lives lived during this difficult and troubling time. (Free)

National Museums of Scotland Explore the collections online. (Free)

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Sculpture Park described virtual tour. (Free)(Visually Impaired Accessible) 

The ATYN online drawing club All are welcome to join from anywhere in the world. We can all sketch together, taking 2 hours to relax and create. (Paid)

The National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive (formerly the Scottish Screen Archive) has something for everyone. Explore around 100 years of Scotland’s history captured by amateur and professional filmmakers. (Free)

SCRAN Cultural heritage learning blog which offers digital access to over half a million photographs, moving images and sounds from museums, galleries, libraries, archives and the media. (Free)

Lost Edinburgh an online, interactive archive, allows its followers to share, discuss and learn from the city’s colourful past through like minded individuals and even the city’s own residents. (Free)

Historic Environment Scotland Explore the collections online – archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage. (Free)

Pastmap.org Dig deep into the history of places in Scotland and beyond to discover fascinating insights into hidden stories and histories of buildings, towns and cities. (Free)

Tobar an Dualchais contains a wealth of Gaelic and Scots recordings such as folklore, songs, music, history, poetry, traditions, stories and other information.  (Free)

Historic Environment Scotland Explore their object collection online. (Free)

School of Scottish Studies Archives Explore an online collection of traditional music from the Shetland Isles. (Free)

Please note: Artlink is not responsible for the content of external links, and some sites may require registration and/or payment to view content.

Joan is a regular attendee at the Glasshouses, and during lockdown she’s been busy working on tons of arts and crafts projects. From painting to creating amazing creatures using felt, it’s been inspirational to see how she’s spent her time.

As part of the Art is Where You Are project which keeps creativity flowing throughout lockdown and beyond, Joan has made some crafting with felt projects that you can make at home yourself.

They’re A4 pdf files that you can print at home if need be; just click on the images below. You may need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view/download them.

We want to acknowledge the amazing work that NHS staff have been doing over the last 5 months in what are incredibly challenging times. THANK YOU! Read more …

Artlink partner in delivering the Tonic Arts Participatory Programme on behalf of the Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation.