Five things you need to know today
Forlorn phone boxes needing a foster parent, licensing fees - festival asks for a refund - and Happy Birthday to Martha and Gilbert.
Licensing Sub-Committee
The Licensing Sub-Committee meets today and although we have already written about some of the items to be heard there is a late report which is now published online.
This relates to a request by the Edinburgh International Festival Society (EIF) for a partial refund of fees paid to the council for a temporary public entertainment licence for Old College Quad between 6 and 12 August.
The EIF has also made a similar request for a licence granted for activity at the Ross Bandstand.
The council officers recommend refusing the request. In the report it is a bit difficult to decipher what this sentence really means: "The relevant licence application fees are calculated to cover the cost of the licensing system, including the input of consultees to the organisation and ensuring the safe delivery of the event. This would otherwise become a cost to the Council."
There will be a discussion and it is expected that someone representing the Festival will appear to address the committee on why they consider that the fee should be reduced in this instance.
The council is clear that it has discretion to make reductions for charities (which the EIF is) but not where there is activity of a commercial nature, say by allowing other commercial traders to operate in the space. The council has said it will aim to recover more fees through its licensing services where permitted by legislation.
In addition to other requests by the Edinburgh International Film Festival for other venues, there is an urgent request to show an uncertificated film at 42 Dundas Street.
Scottish Rugby has also lodged an urgent request for a market operator's licence at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on 6 August - which is just in the nick of time for the Oasis gig there.
It is not possible to watch committee proceedings online as there is no webcasting of any of the licensing meetings. The papers are published online here.
Martha and Gilbert are 20
The two giraffe sculptures at the front door to OMNi Centre are 20 years old this month. The mother and calf were sculpted by Helen Denerley and installed in 2005 after an art competition to celebrate the area.
Helen sculpted Martha and Gilbert out of scrap metal and the larger than life pair gaze out over the city. The sculptor hoped the pair would inspire generations to look ahead, think big and also spark conversations. The "Dreaming Spires" installation has become a favourite spot for many to meet.
Martha is 6.7 metres or 22 feet tall which makes her tall enough to see in a second floor window. There is a 1946 poem at the base of the sculpture - Giraffes by Roy Campbell. It reads:
“A people who live between earth and skies,
Each in his own religious steeple,
Keeping a lighthouse with his eyes.”
Snap a selfie and publish it on social media with the hashtag #omnigiraffes for OMNi to share it on their channels.
New exhibition open now
British artist Mike Nelson is known for immersive, absorbing installations which transform the spaces they inhabit. Nelson uses Fruitmarket’s Warehouse as the machine room, or driving force, for a major new installation that extends across all three spaces of the gallery. Built around two sets of photographs taken in London and a city in Eastern Turkey between 2010 and 2014, the work captures cities in flux, guided by their politics and leaders of the time.
The work seeks to make sense of both sites and their inter-relatedness through constructed environments, sculpture and photography. Turning the Warehouse into his studio since the start of May, Nelson transforms the space into both a site of production and part of the setting for his work.
EXHIBITION: Mike Nelson
Humpty Dumpty
a transient history of Mardin earthworks
low rise
Free. Open daily 11am–6pm until 5 October 2025
Mike Nelson Artist's Talk
This takes place on 17 September from 6.30–8pm. Free.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fruitmarket/1775034
Mike Nelson will be in conversation with Fruitmarket Director, Fiona Bradley, about his exhibition, Humpty Dumpty, a transient history of Mardin earthworks, low rise.
Step into the heart of France without leaving Edinburgh.
The Vive le Fringe! Festival returns from 1 to 25 of August 2025 at the Institut français d’Écosse with a diverse lineup of artists and companies from France and Scotland, bringing fresh perspectives, unforgettable voices, and a whole lot of joie de vivre.
Discover the full programme below and book your tickets now. Click here.
Royal Mile phone boxes
These phone boxes are in our view not the best representation of the capital. The fact that they are on the Royal Mile makes it even worse.
There is a scheme for organisations to adopt a phone box. Maybe somebody could be persuaded to do just that and put these phone boxes back into some kind of order?
