Jonathan Trew: The art examines how hair can both delight and disgust

By Jonathan Trew
Published on 23/09/2012 16:39

THIS is the opening weekend of Arches LIVE, the showcase of new work from emerging artists hosted in Glasgow each year at The Arches under Central Station.

Today’s performances give an idea of the diversity on offer. Visitors can choose between the Black Sun Drum Korps’ industrial metal version of Macbeth or drop by Make Do and Mend Myself, an interactive installation in which participants can ponder notions of domesticity and femininity with Lucy Hutson.

Also likely to cause a stir is Beastly, a work in progress examining the often-fraught subject of hair. From baldness to the politics of waxing, hair can provoke strong emotions. Drawing on the traditions of the Victorian freak show, Beastly aims to dissect the ways in which hair can 
both delight and disgust, depending upon where it is found.

In Edinburgh, the Doors Open Day programme is in full swing today and tomorrow. An annual opportunity to explore otherwise inaccessible spaces and 
buildings, the event is now in its 21st year. The 
Anatomy Museum and Theatre at Edinburgh University Medical School are sure to be popular today while 
Mortonhall Crematorium will also have its fans as it opens to the public tomorrow.

One of the busiest venues may well be Lothian Buses Central Depot. Last year some 2,000 people dropped by to learn the secrets of this essential part of 
Edinburgh’s transport system. Similar numbers are 
expected today as the firm runs open-top bus tours of the 
depot.

The normally invisible guts of the Paris Opera House 
feature prominently in the 
Phantom of the Opera at 
Edinburgh Playhouse. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster has rolled into the capital for a month-long stint. It’s a remarkable show; not least for its box office figures. It seems unbelievable but apparently, over the years, Phantom has grossed more than any film in history including global hits such as Titanic, Star Wars and ET.

www.thearches.co.uk; www.doorsopendays.org.uk; www.atgtickets.com