Outreach Program Explores EIF "New World" Theme

Submitted by edg on Thu, 18 Mar '10 11.51am

One of the less visible activities of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) is its its year-round programme of education and outreach. Around 1,000 young people are participating in workshops and projects this year, that explore the cultural diversity of performers and the ideas raised in the Edinburgh's flagship arts festival.

Although the EIF takes place in August and September, the students’ work, which revolves around this year's EIF theme of the "New World", is showcased in exhibitions and installations at The Hub from March through to September.

The Edinburgh International Festival has appointed two Associates and a Writer-in-Residence to work with young people in Edinburgh schools.

Associates Alex Hetherington, film maker and visual artist, and Audrey Grant, visual artist, work throughout the year with young people.

Alex Hetherington, working with drama specialist Rebecca Green in Holyrood High School, uses film to deconstruct dramatic form and texts, including The Glass Menagerie and Les Liaisons Dangereuses, to explore cultural crossover.

Grant, examines the work, of Australian artist Sydney Nolan and his perspectives on the landscape of his homeland with primary and secondary students from throughout Edinburgh.

Edinburgh International Festival Writer-in-Residence Mary Paulson-Ellis is working with students at the Royal High School on a project called Reclaiming Lost Narratives, a look at post-colonial writers including Jean Ryhs, EM Forster.

BBC photographer Nigel Robertson and photographic artist Morwenna Kearsley work with art students at Holyrood High School to explore juxtaposing one culture on another’s landscape.