Edinburgh Science Festival’s (ESF) free photography exhibition on Portobello Promenade is back with a theme of Wild Scotland. Running until 5th May, the exhibition highlights stories of how the people, flora and fauna of Scotland are facing important choices, adapting to our changing world in the face of the climate emergency caused by human activity and playing their part in trying to ensure a successful and sustainable future for us all.
The exhibition features a range of professional photographers from all over the country covering topics such as animal conservation, the fishing industry and extreme weather, including Scottish Sisters Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson who travel around Scotland capturing its wildlife and landscapes; Ross McLaren, a scuba diver and hillwalker known for his underwater photographs; Andy McCandlish whose work often focuses on mountain bikes and adventure sports and Eilidh Cameron whose images celebrate the beauty of Scotland and the geological processes that shaped it.
In the run up to the opening, the ESF team worked with primary schools across Scotland on a photography competition, encouraging children to explore the nature around them and capture it on camera to show adults theirWild Scotland. With over 80 submissions celebrating everything from puddle-jumping and hide-and-seek to foxes in gardens and bug hotels in playgrounds, the winner is Carson Rowe from Pennyburn Primary School in Ayrshire. Carson travelled to Edinburgh with his family to see his photograph of a crow resting on a lamp post entitled Where Next? gracing the famous Portobello Promenade and rejoicing in nature in an urban environment.
Paula Dickson, Head Teacher at Pennyburn Primary School said “We are absolutely delighted to hear that our pupil Carson Rowe has been recognised as the overall winner of the photography competition for the Edinburgh Science Festival and Jack Gunn as a runner up.
“This has given our school community a real boost during extremely difficult times. In an area where staff, families, pupils and the local community strive to ensure positive outcomes for our children this demonstrates first-hand the impact that such an achievement can have. With our school value of ‘Ambition’ being the one that we place huge importance on, we can’t thank you enough for recognising Carson’s talent as we know that this will have a positive impact on him and on many other pupils’ aspirations for the future!”
The world’s first and still Europe’s biggest science festival, ESF is back to its usual Easter holidays slot with an ambitious programme of exhibitions; a science playground at City Art Centre; workshops; Big Ideas discussions and many more events for curious minds of all ages,
With Revolutionsas its 2022 theme and Cirrus Logic returning as Headline Sponsor with matched funding from Culture & Business Fund Scotland, the Festival celebrates 50 years since James Lovelock first referred to his revolutionary Gaia hypothesis in print – drawing public attention to the interconnectedness of the delicate ecological cycles essential to sustaining life on Earth.
ESF kicks off on Saturday 9th April and runs until 24th April with the theme of Revolutions.
Full details at www.sciencefestival.co.uk
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 