Profile

Paul Brannigan, star of Ken Loach's The Angels' Share - profile

The actor is also set to appear with Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin

23 May 2012

Born 1987, Glasgow, Scotland Background After working as a football coach in the Barrowfield community in Glasgow and helping to tackle knife crime as part of a Strathclyde Police initiative, Paul Brannigan was spotted by screenwriter Paul Laverty…

Central Station: Rosemary Head

Dundee-based sculptor of clay

16 Apr 2012

Now based at Tin Roof Arts Collective in Dundee, Rosemary Head moved to Scotland from Derbyshire to attend Dundee University, where she studied art, philosophy and contemporary practices. Inspired by the interdisciplinary focus of this course, and…

Profile: Music, fashion and wedding photographer Kat Gollock

The Edinburgh-based photographer on her approach to photography

29 Mar 2012

I can remember the first photo I took that someone commented on. It was of my dad standing in front of some usual holiday vista in France. Both Mum and Dad commented on how good a photo it was, but it was the first time they really meant it.

Profile: photographer Takeshi Suga, aka Sugar Crisp

Japanese-born, Glasgow-based music photographer

29 Mar 2012

Takeshi Suga (aka Sugar Crisp) is a Japanese-born photographer now living in Glasgow. He takes photographs for the Fence Collective, NME and himself and mixes digital photography with the use of analogue cameras such as the £45 Diana Mini First…

Interview: Isy Suttie on tea, Technotronic and Ice, Ice, Baby

Stand up comedian, actress, writer and musician

6 Jan 2012

First record you ever bought. ‘This Beat is Technotronic’ by Technotronic. Last extravagant purchase you made My Martin three-quarter-size guitar. First film you saw that really moved you Manhattan. Last lie you told I told the postman…

Ralph Fiennes, star and director of Coriolanus - profile

Man behind the modernised Shakespeare adap has Bardic pedigree

5 Jan 2012

Name Ralph Fiennes Born Ipswich, Suffolk, 22 December, 1962 Background Initially a star onstage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Fiennes gained international film recognition for his Oscar-nominated performance as Nazi Commander Amon Göth in…

5 things you might not know about Nick Helm

The former 'dinner lady' and 2011 Best Joke of the Fringe winner doesn't get on with Alice Cooper

5 Jan 2012

1 Among Nick Helm’s pre-showbiz jobs have been as a ‘dinner lady’ at a secondary school for boys, counting traffic and working in the café of a garden centre. 2 In 2001, he formed a theatre company called Bad Ash Productions whose oeuvre includes I…

Central Station: Garry Maclennan

The Glasgow-based, Brora-born photographer favours odd exhibition spaces

5 Jan 2012

Originally from Brora in the far north east of Scotland, photographer Garry Maclennan currently lives and works in Glasgow. In the last six years he has founded a collaborative photography studio in a hidden cul-de-sac in Glasgow’s West End, been…

Central Station: Charlie Anderson

Provocative rising artist with an eye on contemporary culture

21 Oct 2011

Since graduating in 2009, Charlie Anderson has pissed off art collectors, curators, graffiti writers, three world-renowned artists, been threatened by a leading London gallerist, and has been punched in the face by an Edinburgh artist. He has also won…

Interview - Rob Brydon

The comic actor answers our questions ahead of the release of his autobiography, Small Man in a Book

17 Oct 2011

First record you ever bought Apart from Rupert Bear, Propaganda by Sparks. Last extravagant purchase you made A cashmere scarf. First film you saw that really moved you Barney’s Version. Last lie you told I never lie. First movie you…

Five fun facts about Ed Byrne

Some little known facts about the Irish comic's altercations with popes, Perriers and Piers Morgan

17 Oct 2011

Born in the Dublin suburb of Swords, Byrne first got involved in stand-up comedy as a horticulture student at Strathclyde University. As part of the student union, Byrne hosted pub quizzes and karaoke nights which provided him with a taste for showing…

5 Things you might not know about Alan Carr

19 Sep 2011

1 Carr’s distinctive toothy look was due to a childhood accident when he fell and banged his chin on the caravan-towing bar on a family holiday. 2 Before he got proper famous, Carr had a litany of awful-sounding temp jobs: putting shampoo in boxes…

Profile - Sebastian Koch

German star of coming-of-age Brit comedy Albatross

13 Sep 2011

Name Sebastian Koch Born Karlsruhe, Germany, May 31 1962 Background Koch has worked solidly in European films and TV for over 25 years, but it was his terrific performance in The Lives of Others (2006) that made him recognisable to cinema…

Profile: Andre Ovredal

Writer and director of Troll Hunter

24 Aug 2011

Born 1973, Norway Background After studying at Santa Barbara’s Brooks Institute, where he made his first film, Future Murder (2001), Ovredal established himself as a successful director of commercials in Norway. What’s he up to now? He’s written and…

Interview - Joe Bone from Bane

The noir shows that have stalked the Edinburgh Fringe for three years

4 Aug 2011

Joe Bone is a busy man. A few years back, he created the hard-boiled character Bruce Bane in the wake of a spate of old detective movies he'd been watching. Fast forward to 2011, and Bane has taken on a life of his own, spawning three stage shows, a…

Profile: Gina Glover

The photographer of military landscapes discusses her background and future

21 Jul 2011

What made you want to be a photographer? I had trained as a painter in the 60s but I found this a very isolating activity. I realised I wished to communicate and collaborate with people. In the 1980s I jointly founded Photo Co Op, which became the…

Profile: Paul Mowat

This is Central Station

21 Jul 2011

Paul Mowat is predominantly a figurative painter, his concern being with the human condition and how we live. He initially studied graphic design and printmaking, and after a brief spell in London as what he describes as ‘a very bad graphic designer’ he…

Profile: Chris Weitz, director of A Better Life

Director known for American Pie, About a Boy and The Golden Compass

18 Jul 2011

Name Chris Weitz Born 30 November 1969, New York City Background Weitz began his career co-directing the hit teen comedy American Pie (1999) with his brother Paul. After another successful collaboration, 2002’s About A Boy, Weitz’s first solo…

Danny Bhoy - Five things you might not know

Scottish-born comedian returns home from Australia for Glasgow show

28 Jun 2011

1: The b(h)oy from Moffat is a fully-fledged Aussie now, though he had a nervous wait to find out if the immigration panel would give his application for permanent residency the thumbs-up after they requested tickets to see his show in Canberra. Despite…

Cryptic Nights: Inhabitants

A one-off fusion of live contemporary dance performance

14 Jun 2011

Fresh from performing in Geneva as part of the International Mapping Festival, one of Scotland’s most innovative companies presents a one-off fusion of live contemporary dance performance, sound and film as part of Cryptic Nights. Inhabitants is…

Profile: Philip Seymour Hoffman, director and star of Jack Goes Boating

The much-respected actor screens his directorial debut at the EIFF

27 May 2011

Born Fairport, New York, 23 July 1967. Background Known as the ‘character actor’s character actor’, Hoffman has been a jobbing actor since the early 1990s. After playing bit parts in television shows, shorts and features, Hoffman got his breakthrough…

Central Station: Angharad McLaren

A profile of the Glasgow-based textile designer

27 May 2011

Angharad McLaren designs and makes contemporary woven textiles in her studio at the Briggait in Glasgow. A lover of sailing, rock climbing and windsurfing she sources unusual sports-related materials such as climbing ropes, sail materials and neoprene…

Barbara Rafferty discusses Lark, Clark and the Puppet Handy

The show also stars Sean Scanlan and Frank Gallagher

27 May 2011

What made you want to be an actor? My mother was a cinema usherette so I went to the movies and was hooked. It was another world I wanted to be a part of. First and foremost I am an actor but when I was asked to direct a show, My Name is Margaret…

Profile: Jim Mickle, director of vampire horror Stake Land

Director turnes hometown into a post-apocalyptic wasteland

23 May 2011

Name Jim Mickle Born Pottstown, Pennsylvania, 1977 Background After graduating from New York University’s filmmaking programme, Mickle worked in the camera department for features Transamerica, Shortbus and Pride and Glory. The experience gave him…

Profile: Gregg Araki - director of Kaboom

A wild, sex-filled ride heavily influenced by the B-movie genre

23 May 2011

Name Gregg Araki Born 17 December 1959, Los Angeles Background Araki came to prominence in the 1990s as one of the leading figures in what was labelled New Queer Cinema (a collection of films by directors including Derek Jarman and Todd Haynes…

Five interesting things about... Dylan Moran

Irish comedian shares hometown with Tommy Tiernan and Pierce Brosnan

23 May 2011

1 Irishman Moran has been living in Edinburgh for some years now, but is originally from Navan, a small, five-lettered palindromic town, like Kivik in Sweden or Catac in Peru. Tiny it may be (according to the 2006 census, 3710 people resided there) but…

Central Station: Rachel Maclean

20 Apr 2011

Rachel Maclean is a Glasgow-based artist and recent graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art. She is currently on a six-month residency at the Banff Centre in Canada, working on a short film, as well as concurrently producing a series of prints with the…

Profile: Simon Hynd, director of horror thriller Senseless

Jason Behr plays US businessman who is kidnapped

24 Mar 2011

Born 20 January, 1974, Edinburgh Background Hynd studied Film & Television at Napier, making a few shorts that got him noticed by the Scottish film industry, going on to win a Scottish BAFTA for his short Tumshie Mcfadgen’s Bid for Ultimate…

Profile: Ken Wardrop, director of documentary His & Hers

Irish director paints collective picture of woman in Irish Midlands

10 Mar 2011

Wardrop grew up in a farming community in rural Ireland. After a stint working in London he enrolled at the National Film School, Dublin where he graduated in 2004 specialising in creative documentary making. His graduating short film, Undressing My…

The rising stars of Scottish theatre

Interviews with Helen Darbyshire, Gary McNair, Gemma McElhinney, Katy Wilson and Scott Fletcher

7 Mar 2011

Helen Darbyshire Age: 22 Where will I know her from? She’s on Dundee Rep’s graduate scheme, which gives a year-long contract to promising actors straight out of college. Brought up in nearby Cupar, she introduced herself to Dundee audiences in a minor…

Glaswegian theatre and arts collective Flatrate

Rob Jones and Stephen Redman from team behind Initial Itch

7 Mar 2011

Flatrate are a Glasgow-based theatre and arts collective run primarily by theatre graduate Rob Jones and writer Stephen Redman. Their modus operandi is supporting local artists whilst also staging interesting, stripped-back productions on next to no…

5 things you might not know about... Shappi Khorsandi

Some lesser-known snippets about the British-Iranian comedian

4 Mar 2011

1 Khorsandi grew up in west London in the 1980s after her Iranian family fled in exile to the UK. At the age of 11, she wrote to the Ayatollah Khomeini to ask him not to kill her father, a journalist and comedian whose stock-in-trade was political…

Profile: Richard Ayoade

Boosh, IT Crowd and Darkplace star directs Joe Dunthorne adap Submarine

2 Mar 2011

Name Richard Ayoade Born 12 June 1977, Whipp’s Cross, London Background Best known for playing Moss in Graham Linehan ’s hit TV comedy The IT Crowd, Ayoade first came to the notice of cult comedy fans as writer, director and co-star of spoof…

William Fichtner stars in new horror Drive Angry - profile

The US actor on playing the accountant from Hell

17 Feb 2011

Name William Fichtner Born 27 November, 1956, Long Island, New York. Background ‘I’ve got a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice but I had to take one arts course as part of my core requirements,’ explains Fichtner, ‘so I took an improv…

Brighton Rock remake actress Andrea Riseborough - Profile

From Made in Dagenham to starring opposite Guy Pearce

17 Feb 2011

Name Andrea Riseborough Born 27 October 1981, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Background She was Sally Hawkins’ mate in Happy-Go-Lucky, Margaret Thatcher in The Long Walk to Finchley, English Civil War-era crumpet in The Devil’s Whore and busty Brenda…

An exploration of Hong Sang-soo's films ahead of Edinburgh Filmhouse season

Tony McKibbin examines the relationship dynamic in Korean filmmaker's celebrated films

28 Oct 2010

Hong Sangsoo films often focus on characters so in crisis that they cannot help but generate crises in the very situations they find themselves in. They are not only crisis-ridden; they create a mise-en-scene of misery out of their own inability to…

Police, Adjective - Corneliu Porumboiu profile

Romanian filmmaker leading movement committed to realism and use of black humour

6 Oct 2010

Name Corneliu Porumboiu Born Vaslui, Romania, 1974. Background Porumboiu studied film at the National University of Drama and Film in Bucharest. He first received acclaim for his short film A Trip to the City (2003). This was followed by…

Profile: Abbas Kiarostami

Certified Copy's director's film history

20 Aug 2010

Name? Abbas Kiarostami. Born? Teheran, Iran, 1940. Background? Kiarostami worked as a graphic designer before joining the Centre for Intellectual Development Of Children And Young Adults where he started a film section. His first film The Bread And…

Paul Foot & Noel Fielding

The comedian answers questions asked by his director.

17 Aug 2010

The List asked the surreal and brilliant Paul Foot to complete our First Word interview. Of course, he couldn’t do it normally, and invited Noel Fielding (who directed his Fringe show) to set the questions. Here are the mind-bending results How long…

5 Questions - Patrick Monahan

12 Aug 2010

Comedian Patrick Monahan (winner of the longest kids show title award) takes a break from Stories and Tales for Kids Who Can Run Faster Than Snails to answer our 5 Questions.

Step inside a payphone booth for a spot of storytelling

The Invisible Dot provides audiences with a new form of entertainment

12 Aug 2010

What with the Fringe being the Fringe, it’s only right and proper that some of this year’s shows should crop up in the most unlikely of places. And so it is that The Invisible Dot have brought four old British Telecom payphone booths to this year’s…

Moira's five ways to ensure you survive the festival

'Falkirk's hardest woman' hands out tips on surviving the Fringe

10 Aug 2010

Being on tour can be a stressful business, what with staying away from home, forgetting your lines onstage and, erm, setting off the fire alarm in the venue. Scotland’s newest stage superstar, Moira, shares her tips on how to survive a fortnight at the…

Tinchy Stryder to take over the HMV Picture House

The East London grime boy done good, and Third Strike is on its way

6 Aug 2010

If Tinchy Stryder’s second long-player, Catch 22, saw him vault the grime underground and snare the pop mainstream (number one hits, collaborations with N-Dubz and a Sugababe, the best-selling UK solo artist of 2009), you wonder what level of stardom…

Nicolai Lilin: author of Siberian Education

The writer tells of his time in prison, tattooing, and film offers

5 Aug 2010

Handed his first weapon at the age of six, Nicolai Lilin was destined for a life of violence. Having fled the horrors of his past, he tells Jay Richardson why death is sometimes a better option. Born into a Siberian criminal dynasty, convicted of…

Jeremy Lion answers questions from kids

The children's entertainer answers the questions that popped into our mailbox

5 Aug 2010

Bumbling children’s entertainer Jeremy Lion has taken time out from being near-permanently soused to explore some pressing environmental issues in his new show. He’s still got time for the kids, however, and was more than happy to answer the questions…

Club Noir and Scottish Opera collaborate on A Night At The Opera

Burlesque night prepare for unlikely pairing

5 Aug 2010

Henry Northmore talks to the burlesque night as they prepare for one of this festival’s most unlikely collaborations

Thomas Carlile's Landscapes of Memory

Public art exhibition spread across the city interpretable by touch phones

5 Aug 2010

Keen-eyed observers will spot a number of black and white square barcodes amidst the shop signs and fly posting that decorate Edinburgh’s streets. But what is their purpose? Rachael Cloughton explains: The first one I saw was stuck to the concrete…

Harder, better, faster, stronger - Iain M. Banks interview

The Fife-born author on Led Zeppelin, bacon rolls

5 Aug 2010

The Fife-born author of 24 sci-fi books and mainstream novels talks to The List about Led Zeppelin, bacon rolls and his continual surprise at being even slightly famous First record you ever bought There were three, the day after I persuaded my…

Camille O’Sullivan talks about her show Chameleon

The Irish chanteuse talks G&Ts, Scooby Doo and more

5 Aug 2010

The first time I set foot in Edinburgh for the Fringe was 2004. I was supposed to perform at the Wigwam Tent, but at the last moment the venue went bankrupt — I was saved by the lovely Speigeltent who took my show and also put me in the great new show…

Artist Anthony Fry on why he’s happy to be back in Scotland.

As well as why he loves coming home to paint

5 Aug 2010

As he prepares to showcase work inspired by exotic foreign locations renowned painter Anthony Fry tells Talitha Kotzé why he’s delighted to be back in Scotland. Well-known for needing the heat to paint, Anthony Fry has spent a great deal of time in…

Richard Healy: Shapes and Things - five questions

Sierra Metro artist on his influences and attitudes

5 Aug 2010

In their exhibition at Sierra Metro artists Richard Healy and Gemma Holt explore the language of design through sculptural pieces, site-specific film installation and architectural techniques. Here Richard outlines his influences and attitude towards…

Mandy Edwards: a Celebration

A look at the social landscape and development of Glasgow's East End

5 Aug 2010

This documentary project by photographer Mandy Edwards looks at the social landscape and development of Glasgow’s East End ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games through 50 portraits of local shopkeepers, workers and owners of local businesses that are…

Gyles Brandreth - middle-aged, ex-MP, author, and Fringe show stalwart

4 Aug 2010

British author-cum-broadcaster-cum-Fringe show stalwart Gyles Brandreth talks about the highs and lows of his festival fortunes. "Edinburgh is a parallel universe. We do things differently here. I was a middle-aged, ex-MP with a tragic comb-over and…

Mini Profile: Vive Le Cabaret

3 Aug 2010

What’s that then? That would be a nightly cabaret show, hosted by Des O’Connor. Seriously? Mister Take Your Pick? Des & Mel Des O’ Connor is coming to the Fringe? Actually, no. ‘It’s not the orange-faced one off the telly,’ points out Vive Le…

Fringe 2010 cabaret offerings are as colourful as ever

Smoke & Mirrors, Alan Cumming and The Crack

30 Jul 2010

From pared down to jazz-hands up, this year’s variety and cabaret offerings are as colourful as ever. Anna Millar meets the makers to find out why we just can’t get enough It’s a certain man who can shimmy from club door whore to straight-talking…

Lady Carol - Malady

We asked the singing, ukelele playing, dark-humorist five questions

30 Jul 2010

This ukelele lady has an inky-black sense of humour, and can turn the sweetest of love songs into a creepy stalker anthem. Just, please, keep her away from bright light and cakes. Five words you’d use to describe your show Sad songs, silly…

Abandoman - Pic ‘n’ Mixtape

Destined to be among the Fringe’s most popular draws, rapping improvisers Abandoman have to be seen

27 Jul 2010

‘It’s lovely when a hip hop audience sees us,’ says genial frontman Rob Broderick. ‘Two lads wander out, one with a guitar, the other with an Irish accent, and you can tell they’re thinking, “this is going to be a disaster”. But then we start and they…

Radio Hoohah preview

Double act go on a twisted adventure around the airwaves

27 Jul 2010

Dubbed a ‘French and Saunders for the Facebook generation’, Octavia Mackenzie and Ashley McGuire are known in Fringe circles for their surreal spin on the everyday, from death to ‘the absurdity of Britain’s class system’ (find ‘Kensington Rhyming Slang…

Asher Treleaven - Secret Door

A comically theatrical romp against blokishness

26 Jul 2010

Via ‘the sweet filth of John Waters, the dark, strange wrongness of David Lynch’, and a near-encounter with the secret theatre for madmen, Asher Treleaven grapples with the question, ‘what maketh the man?’ This is the core of his ‘anarchic romp through…

Profile: Anne Consigny of Wild Grass

7 Jul 2010

Born 25 May 1963 in Alençon, Orne, France Background One of five children, Consigny grew up in the French capital, where he father was a high-ranking civil servant. She attended Paris’ National Conservatory for Drama aged 16 and two years later…

Alan Davie at 90 - A colourful history

24 Jun 2010

Celebrating his 90th birthday this year, cherished Scottish artist Alan Davie is being honoured by a series of exhibitions and events in his native Falkirk. Paul Dale speaks to him

Big'n'Bashy: P-Money and DJ Magic profile

24 Jun 2010

Name: P-Money and DJ Magic Where are they from? London. South and West, respectively. Occupation: Not a duo but old team-mates appearing on a double bill here together, the pair unite grime and dubstep styles within their sounds, the…

Paradis Regained: Heartbreaker

16 Jun 2010

Matching up diminutive Gallic songstress Vanessa Paradis with hunky acting heavyweight Roman Duris may not have been an obvious fit, but the combination has proved electric. Richard Mowe talks to both actors ahead of the EIFF screening of their film…

Roadkill - Cora Bissett interview

10 Jun 2010

The shocking realities of human trafficking come under the spotlight in a new off piece of work. Anna Millar meets its maker

The Illusionist opens EIFF 2010 - Sylvain Chomet interview

9 Jun 2010

The year after French animator Sylvain Chomet knocked out cinema-goers at the 2003 Edinburgh International Film Festival with his wildly eccentric and utterly charming double-Oscar nominated debut feature, Belleville Rendez-vous (aka The Triplets of…

Rose and Bones: Spirit and Stones

9 Jun 2010

Glasgow’s Tramway has always been a venue that dares to be different. So it stands to reason that its in-house artists’ collective takes a unique approach to integrated work. Co-ordinated by Rachel Clive, the Theatre Arts Group is a coming together of…

5 Things you might not know about - Rob Rouse

3 Jun 2010

1. Having trained as a geography teacher, Rob Rouse decided that a career in education wasn’t really his bag and so tried his hand at stand-up, a profession that he describes as ‘easier’. 2. In 1998 he beat off competition from Alex Zane, Dan…

Michael Winterbottom on The Killer Inside Me

28 May 2010

Born 29 March 1961 Background Born in Blackburn the director has become known for his ability to churn out films and work across genres. He made his first feature film Butterfly Kiss in 1995. What’s he up to now? Winterbottom has adapted…

Q&A: Marcus Brigstocke of Spamalot

14 May 2010

BBC regular Marcus Brigstocke has stepped out of his usually grumpy geography teacher garb to play armour-clad Arthur in the touring production of Spamalot. Here, he talks God, Todd (Carthy) and Rod (Liddle)...

Q&A: Katy Brand

29 Apr 2010

A former theology student at Oxford, Katy Brand is now a queen of the comedy world, having scooped a captive audience through her ITV2 Big Ass Show. Here, she remembers watching My Girl and squeaking at Jay-Z...

Profile: Martin Compston

29 Apr 2010

Name Martin Compston Born 8 May 1984, Greenock, Scotland Background The son of a welder father and office manager mother, aged 16, Compston signed as a professional footballer with his home town club Morton FC. Whilst still at school however, he had…

Affordable Art: Getting Started - Susanna Beaumont

29 Apr 2010

Buying and owning art can bring both pleasure and profit, and you don’t need stacks of cash to get started. We begin our guide with some tips from a prominent gallery owner...

Affordable Art: Getting Started - Hugo Brown

29 Apr 2010

Buying and owning art can bring both pleasure and profit, and you don’t need stacks of cash to get started. We begin our guide with some tips from an established collector...

5 Things You Might Not Know About... Paul Merton

29 Apr 2010

1.) Paul Martin (as he was named in July 1957) was inspired to get into live comedy after seeing Alexei Sayle perform in 1981. The tight-suited scouser’s ‘stream of tastelessness’ led Merton to take to the stage with his ‘policeman on acid’ sketch. He…

Affordable Art: Moyna Flannigan

29 Apr 2010

For her dark and slightly disturbing painted caricatures, Flannigan – who was born in Scotland but received her MFA from Yale – has built something of a cult following. www.doggerfisher.com/artists

Affordable Art: Alice Myers

29 Apr 2010

A Jerwood Photography Award winner in 2008, Myers – an Edinburgh College of Art graduate – produces photographic series which take in action portraiture and documentary urban landscapes. www.alicemyers.net

Affordable Art: Luke Fowler

29 Apr 2010

Primarily known for his video works, which have won him the Derek Jarman Award and the Donald Dewar Prize, and have been broadcast on Channel 4. www.themoderninstitute.com/artists/9

Affordable Art: Craig Mulholland

29 Apr 2010

Born and based in Glasgow, Mulholland uses a variety of media and his work takes many forms, incorporating video, music, sculpture, text, sound works and drawing. www.sorchadallas.com/artists/3

Affordable Art: Ellie Harrison

29 Apr 2010

About to complete an MFA at Glasgow School of Art, Harrison produces art that encompasses high-concept installation, sculpture and printed work. www.ellieharrison.com

Affordable Art: Alex Frost

29 Apr 2010

Frost’s drawings and ceramic reliefs are painstakingly composed, particularly the hand-pixellated effect of his continuing series of Blind Drawings. www.sorchadallas.com/artists/11

Affordable Art: Jonathan Owen

29 Apr 2010

Found photographic collages, papier mache drainpipes and grand metal sculptures are all part of the Liverpudlian Owen’s diverse output. www.doggerfisher.com/artists

Affordable Art: Paul Chiappe

29 Apr 2010

A Kirkcaldy-born graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Chiappe produces pencil-drawn reproductions of old black and white photographs. www.paulchiappe.co.uk

Profile: Nicolas Winding Refn

28 Apr 2010

Born 1970 Copenhagen, Denmark Background After coming to prominence by re-sculpting his 1996 hit Pusher into an accomplished drug-trilogy, Danish writer/director Winding Refn’s controversial Bronson won him plaudits for coaxing a remarkable…

Interview: Mark Cousins - The First Movie

Documentary on experiment introducing the children of Iraq to cinema

22 Apr 2010

Mark Cousins most recent adventure took him to Kurdistan on a mission to spread his love of cinema. Miles Fielder catches up with him Belfast-born, Edinburgh-resident Mark Cousins has been involved with cinema in many ways. He’s hosted the BBC’s cult…

Profile: Ian Hart

22 Apr 2010

Name Ian Hart Born Liverpool, 1964 Background Ian Hart’s role as Professor Quirninus Quirrell in the ongoing Harry Potter saga is only a footnote in a role-call of strong supporting performances. Hart started out with a Play for Today…

Glasgow International - Mark Cousins meets Douglas Gordon

15 Apr 2010

Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art returns this fortnight with a mouth-watering programme of work by over 50 artists in venues across the city, based around the theme ‘past, present, future’. Opening the festival, internationally renowned…

Linder - King’s Ransom (Hybrid Tea)

15 Apr 2010

Legendary visual artist and Morrissey pal Linder discusses her epic new performance piece and eagerly awaited exhibition with Neil Cooper What are words worth? ‘Glamour’, for instance, is a Scottish derivative that comes directly from the word…

Jimmie Durham - Glasgow International

15 Apr 2010

Sculptor Jimmie Durham’s work is informed by politics and an immersion in his surroundings. Liz Shannon talks to him about his practice The renowned American sculptor Jimmie Durham has not shied away from using local materials in the creation of his…

Brendan Gleeson has roles in both Perrier’s Bounty and Green Zone

31 Mar 2010

Name Brendan Gleeson Born 29 March, 1955, Dublin, Ireland Background The lazy line to take on this scene-stealing character actor is he was a maths teacher for ten years before he decided to become and actor, and got his big break playing…

Five Things You Might Not Know About: Craig Hill

31 Mar 2010

1: A born entertainer, this East Kilbride boy’s party piece at family dos was singing Stevie Wonder’s ‘Lately’. When his relatives tried to get him to go on local radio and sing the number, he went a bit shy and refused. Very hard to imagine a bashful…

Profile: Luca Guadagnino on his role in I am Love

29 Mar 2010

Name Luca Guadagnino Born 1971, Palermo, Sicily. Background Guadagnino actually spent the early years of his life in Ethiopia, before moving back with his family to Sicily aged seven. Having studied cinema at university in Rome, where he…

Warwick Thornton's role in Samson and Delilah

29 Mar 2010

Name Warwick Thornton Born Alice Springs, Australia Background Thornton left school unable to read and write, and started working as a radio DJ. He soon graduated to having his own show called Green Room. His infatuation with images led…

Profile: Emma Thompson

19 Mar 2010

Name Emma Thompson Born 15 April 1959, London. Background Her mum Phyllida Law is a respected Scottish actress who has appeared alongside her wee lassie in The Winter Guest and Peter’s Friends while her dad Eric only went and created The Magic…

Central Station: Eggmachine

19 Mar 2010

This week’s showcase of what’s hot in the contemporary art world is eggmachine, the alter ego of Gerry Thomson, who runs the woodworking shop at Glasgow’s Southside Studios, where he also creates work. Gerry, who graduated from Glasgow College of…

Profile: John Hurt

20 Jan 2010

Name: John Hurt Born: 22 June 1940, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK Background: The third child of a vicar and an actress (yes, really), Hurt followed a strict Catholic education at a local prep school with an escape to London to study art at St…

Profile: Gabourey Sidibe from Precious

13 Jan 2010

Born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, where Do The Right Thing was filmed, she grew up in Harlem. Her mother is an R&B and gospel singer and her father a taxi driver. Sidibe’s life changed when a friend encouraged her to go to an open…

Profile - William Douglas

17 Dec 2009

I’ve seen that guy around, haven’t I? Very possibly, yes. He’s been gigging around Edinburgh and Glasgow for the best part of six years now, with the four-piece rock ‘n’ roll outfit, William Douglas and the Wheel. They do quite Beatle-y sounding…

Déborah François

4 Dec 2009

While still at school in her Belgian hometown, 16-year-old François attended an open casting held by the Dardenne brothers. She was chosen ahead of 150 other hopefuls in the role of a teenage mother, whose new baby is sold by her boyfriend, and the film…

Jean Eustache

16 Nov 2009

In an interview given on the eve of the 26th Cannes Film Festival in May 1973, Jean Eustache voiced his frustration at the reception of his work and his troubled relationship with the film industry in France. ‘Although my films have always been…

Profile of Amelia director Mira Nair

13 Nov 2009

Name: Mira Nair Born: 15 October 1957, Bhubaneshwar (India) Background: After starting her career as an actress, Nair turned to directing award-winning documentaries, including So Far From India. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with the…