Gallery Director, artist and teacher Richard Demarco was in at the very start of the Edinburgh Festival in August 1947. Born at the beginning of that same year, Roddy Martine’s involvement commenced in 1963 when, at the age of sixteen, he edited an Edinburgh Festival magazine.  Therefore both Richard and Roddy have highly individual memories of the most remarkable international festival of the arts the world has ever known. At the same time, both have witnessed its evolution from the noble vision of its founders.  Now in its seventy-sixth year, can the Edinburgh Festival survive? Demarco’s Edinburgh will be a hit with any Edinburgh Festival regular, newbie or on-and-off visitor. It will also be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the modern history of Edinburgh or the world of the arts, given the central role the festivals hold in the culture of both.

Richard Demarco co-founded the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1963 and ran the vibrant Richard Demarco Gallery in Edinburgh for almost 30 years. He promotes crosscultural dialogues and was the first person to introduce Joseph Beuys in the UK. Joseph Beuys was a German sculptor and creator of action performances, political activist and teacher. This book explores the works, lectures and 'Actions' which resulted from the mutual hopes, inspirations and shared values of Richard Demarco and Joseph Beuys, the innovative and inspirational German postwar artist, from 1970 until Beuys' death in 1986. Demarco, an avant-garde gallerist in Edinburgh, was an early proponent of Scotland taking its place within the European art world; Demarco recognised the visionary quality of Beuys' work and visited him in Oberkassel in January 1970. In the hope of focusing Beuys' attention on Scotland, he presented him with a set of postcards depicting typical Scottish scenes. Beuys responded with, 'I see the land of Macbeth, so when shall we two meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain?' They reunited in thundery Edinburgh later that year and Demarco led him northwards along the ancient track he calls 'The Road to Meikle Seggie'. This initial experience of the Scottish landscape inspired Beuys, who felt a strong connection with Celtic culture, and laid the foundation for a remarkable artistic friendship which enriched the work of both men. With photos from Demarco's personal collection and essays spanning from 1970 to the present, this is an intimate and intellectually rigorous look at a friendship seminal to the development of art in Scotland over the last 40 years.

Directorial debut of Bill Forsyth following four unemployed Glaswegian teenagers in the 1970s. When Ronnie (Robert Buchanan) discovers that stainless steel sinks are worth a lot of money, he recruits friends Wal (Billy Greenlees), Alec (Allan Love) and Vic (John Hughes) to help him steal 90 of them from a nearby warehouse. The leader of the gang hatches a complex scheme that requires Vic and Wal to dress up as girls and use a sleeping potion, concocted by chemistry expert Bobby (Derek Millar), to borrow a bakery delivery truck for their cunning getaway. With Ronnie at the helm, can the friends pull off the heist and obtain their small fortune?

Directorial debut of Bill Forsyth following four unemployed Glaswegian teenagers in the 1970s. When Ronnie (Robert Buchanan) discovers that stainless steel sinks are worth a lot of money, he recruits friends Wal (Billy Greenlees), Alec (Allan Love) and Vic (John Hughes) to help him steal 90 of them from a nearby warehouse. The leader of the gang hatches a complex scheme that requires Vic and Wal to dress up as girls and use a sleeping potion, concocted by chemistry expert Bobby (Derek Millar), to borrow a bakery delivery truck for their cunning getaway. With Ronnie at the helm, can the friends pull off the heist and obtain their small fortune?