Arts diary: Secrets of Paddington Bear unlocked and the musician literally bringing an organ to Scotland
The first Paddington bear books were written in 1958
As a small child growing up in the 1980s, I had a (what seemed at the time) giant Paddington Bear toy that had been handmade by an elderly great aunt I had never met.
With his blue duffle coat and bucket hat, as well as the iconic handwritten luggage tag, he was indistinguishable from the real Paddington in my books. He also had bright red wellies from Mothercare, which, when I grew out of my own wellies, were taken away from him and lent to me. They were given a good wash and returned to his paws a few months later when I also grew out of them.
I have to admit, I’m not actually sure what happened to my Paddington. My mum has a fairly brutal approach when it comes to clutter and he was probably popped in a binbag and taken to the tip the day I left home for university. We did not take care of that bear. But I loved him - and I’m not the only one.
Paddington, which was first written in 1958 by Michael Bond, has become a global phenomenon. The subject of a series of hit films, he has also been licenced to numerous British organisations – such as Barbour and Marks & Spencer – and more recently, became a symbolic figurehead of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
And now Glasgow University children's and young adult literature studies lecturer Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, has published a book exploring the appeal and cultural impact of the Paddington stories.
The first of its kind to trace the publication history of the Paddington stories, the book offers a unique sociocultural biography on the series' origins and background and looks closely at its contemporary adaptations and afterlives, citing its emergence as a British cultural symbol across the globe.
Please Look After This Bear is published by Oxford University Press on 18 August.
Art map
A crowdfunder has been launched to help create an “art map” to direct visual art lovers to events across the city.
Following on from a successful project in Glasgow, the Edinburgh Art Map will promote events and exhibitions across the city on a “non-hierarchical, non-commercial” basis.
As well as weekly website event listings and social media updates which will update with new events, there will be a physical, paper map printed to display Edinburgh’s permanent art spaces, created by a local designer.
The project plans to launch the website in early September, followed by a first edition of the printed map later in the year.
Organ music
It’s not a typical gig for Glasgow’s Hydro arena, but Anna Lapwood is playing an organ concert there in a major arena tour later this year. Also a conductor and broadcaster, she is the first official organist of the Royal Albert Hall and has more than 4 million followers across TikTok and other social media platforms.
Still just 30, she has previously collaborated with some of the biggest names in music and culture, including Florence + the Machine, Raye, Bonobo and AURORA, as well as actor Benedict Cumberbatch for Letters Live.
The gig, on 24 November, will see Anna perform in Glasgow, before continuing the tour in Cardiff and Manchester in what she says has been a long-held “dream” - to bring the organ to new audiences at major arenas.
Which is what she is literally doing.
More commonly played in churches, cathedrals or specialist concert halls like the Royal Albert Hall, a full-size organ is not usually a portable instrument. However, Anna has had one custom made so that it can be moved between venues and set up in spaces more accustomed to electric guitars and amps.
True dedication
When Scotsman theatre critic Joyce Macmillan came up against major transport problems on her way to Pitlochry Festival Theatre last week, she wasn’t going to let it deter her.
A delayed bus and a disappearing taxi meant she arrived at the theatre half an hour after the start of the press performance of Lear, a modern reimagining of the Shakespearean tragedy with veteran actor Maureen Beattie in the title role.
Instead of just relying on the rest of us to fill her in, Joyce decided to wait it out at Pitlochry for hours after the performance ended so she could catch up on the first act of the evening show.
“You just can’t miss the first act of Lear,” said the dedicated Joyce, who gave the play five stars in her subsequent review.
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