The National Museum's Scotland Listings Until April 6 Include CREATIVE SPIRIT, POWER OF TEN, and More
By: BWW News Desk Feb. 19, 2014
The National Museums Scotland's listings until April 6th are below. They include exhibits such as Saturday Showcase: Scottish Enlightenment - Ideas and Objects, Mammoths of the Ice Age, and much more. There are also activities and events for families and for adults.
Creative Spirit: Revealing Early Medieval Scotland
Until 23 February 2014
Grand Gallery, Level 1
Free
The Glenmorangie Early Medieval Research Project casts new light on iconic objects from the time of the Picts and the Gaels. This small exhibition presents re-creations which bring back to life objects that did not survive or are badly preserved, made using traditional craft skills and innovative technology.
Mammoths of the Ice Age
Until 20 April 2014
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Cost: Adult £9, Concession £7.50, Child (5-15) £6, Under 5s free, Family of 3* £19, Family of 4* £25 (*must include at least 1 adult and 1 child), National Museums Scotland Members free, National Art Pass holders receive 50% discount
Journey back in time millions of years and discover the animals of the Ice Age at the first UK showing of this interactive, family-friendly exhibition. Joust with mammoth tusks, feel mammoth fur between your fingertips and touch the replica teeth of a colossal mastodon. Then meet Lyuba, a detailed replica of the 42,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth, and learn why early humans both hunted and honoured these majestic animals. This exhibition was created by The Field Museum, Chicago.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
17 March - 1 June 2014
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
Free
Through the lens of wildlife photography this exhibition captures the intrigue and beauty of our planet. These awe-inspiring images, selected from 43,000 entries by amateur and professional photographers in 96 countries, give us a glimpse of the natural world as it has never been seen before. From charismatic animal portraits to dramatic landscapes and provocative photojournalism, this year's breathtaking exhibition raises the bar of wildlife photography once more, exciting loyal fans and new audiences alike. The 100 award-winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 competition are beautifully displayed on back-lit installations, with each image accompanied by its photographer's story and technical details.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
Power of Ten: Inventing Logarithms
28 March - 6 July 2014
Grand Gallery, Level 1
Free
Four hundred years ago, John Napier's pioneering work on logarithms enabled more calculations to be completed in an hour than had previously been managed in an entire day. From the introduction of the decimal point to the development of slide rules, explore how Napier's revolutionary innovations advanced and influenced mathematics from the 17th century to the present day.
National War Museum
Edinburgh Castle, EH1 2NG
Arctic Convoys
Until 13 March 2014
Free with admission to Edinburgh Castle
Sailing from Scotland, Iceland and North America to ports in northern Russia, the Arctic convoys carried vital supplies to the Russian allies. As well as facing the constant possibility of attack from German U-boats, the men who sailed on these ships faced some of the toughest conditions of the war: freezing cold, storms and treacherous fog. Thousands of British merchant and naval seamen lost their lives in this operation. Through photographs, letters, interviews and personal possessions, this exhibition tells the story of the courage and determination of these wartime heroes.
Events/Activities
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
For Everyone
Oskana Mavrodii and Juliette Philogène
8 March, 15:15-16:00
Grand Gallery, Level 1
Free, drop-in
Enjoy a live recital from soprano Oskana Mavrodii and pianist Juliette Philogène in the opulent surroundings of the Museum's Grand Gallery. Part an uplifting series of concerts with Live Music Now, every second Saturday of the month.
Lung Ha's Theatre Company: The Hold
12 - 16 March, various times (see www.nms.ac.uk/lungha for details)
Cost: £9/£7
The Hold, written by Adrian Osmond, is the poignant, lyrical and profoundly moving story of one man looking back over his life - but with a future still yet to be written. Peter, a man for whom holding onto every moment of his life has become a physical obsession, realises that letting go of the past is the only way he can look forward, and perhaps even find peace. The Hold is a site-specific, promenade performance which will be staged at National Museum of Scotland.
For Adults
Evening Lecture: The Lives of Mammoths and Mastodons
25 February, 18:30-19:30
Auditorium, Level 1
Cost: £6, £5 Members and Concessions. Book online or call 0300 123 6789
Professor Dan Fisher, palaeontologist at University of Michigan, explores how new methods of analysing the preserved remains of mammoths and mastodons can yield surprisingly rich accounts of their diets, environments and histories of growth and reproduction.
Museum Lates: Night of the Mammoths - SOLD OUT
28 February, 19:00-22:30
Hosted by Radio 1's Vic Galloway, Museum Lates: Night of the Mammoths will feature a headline performance from lo-fi folk pop hero The Pictish Trail, aka Lost Map Records' Johnny Lynch. Support comes in the form of a DJ set from Ladytron's Marnie, whose debut solo album Crystal World was released in 2013. Expect the return of all the highlights you know and love -Silent Disco, face-painting, art installations, photo booth and more - plus some wild and woolly surprises. And of course you can also discover the real facts about mammoths and mastodons in our new blockbuster exhibition, Mammoths of the Ice Age - and try out the interactive games without having to push small children out of the way...
Saturday Showcase: Scottish Enlightenment - Ideas and Objects
22 March, 13:30-16:00
Auditorium, Level 1
Cost: £10, £8 Members and Concessions. Book online or call 0300 123 6789
The Scottish Enlightenment was a period of great creativity, both intellectually and culturally. Join our speakers, including Professor Alexander Broadie of Glasgow University, to explore the connections between the Enlightenment's 'beautiful ideas' and the equally beautiful, and useful, objects produced alongside them.
In conjunction with National Trust for Scotland, Newhailes.
For Families
Mammoth Music and Movement Workshops
17 - 23 February, 10:45-11:25 and 11:45-12:25
Learning Centre, Level 4
Free, places limited - sign-up on the day
Stomp, slide and swing your trunks and tails with Shuffle Dance Company. Suitable for children aged 5 and under, who must be accompanied by a participating adult.
Mammoth Make and Take
17 - 23 February, 12:00-16:00
Learning Centre, Level 4
Free, drop-in
Pop into our Learning Centre to make mammoth masks and other Ice Age inspired crafts to take home.
Trunks and Tales
Join us during weekends in Mammoth March for special themed Magic Carpet story activity sessions and the chance to explore our ice age handling collection:
Saturdays: 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 March
Object Handling in the Grand Gallery: 14:00-16:00. Free, drop-in
Magic Carpet story activity sessions: 14:30 (25 mins). Free, suitable for ages 5 and under, limited places, sign up at the Lighthouse Lens in the Grand Gallery 10 mins before start time.
Sundays: 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 March
Object Handling in the Grand Gallery: 14:00-16:00. Free, drop-in
Magic Carpet story activity sessions: 11:30, 14:30 (25 mins). Free, suitable for ages 5 and under, limited places, sign up at the Lighthouse Lens in the Grand Gallery 10 mins before start time.
Magic Carpet
Wednesday during term time
10:30 and 11:30 (25 mins)
Suitable for ages 2-4 (+ their adult)
Free - sign up on day at Info Desk, Entrance Hall, Level 0, as places are limited
The National Museum of Scotland's magic carpet introduces little ones to some of the fantastic things in the museum through 20 minutes of stories, songs and activities. Join us as the carpet visits a different gallery or theme every week. Look out for special guests too!
Magic Carpet Minis
Thursdays during term time
10:30 and 11:30 (20 mins)
Suitable for ages 0-2 (+ their adult)
Free - sign up on day at Info Desk, Entrance Hall, Level 0, as places are limited
Join the National Museum of Scotland for magic carpet sessions for really little ones and their adults. Go along for songs, stories, rhymes and objects in the unique museum setting.
Feely Fridays
Fridays during term time, 13:30 - 16:30
Free, drop-in
Feely Fridays gives you the chance to explore our fascinating handling collections - from meteorites to mammals and Vikings to Victorians! Check out information screens on the day for details.
Edinburgh International Science Festival at the National Museum of Scotland, 5 - 20 April
This spring, Edinburgh International Science Festival returns to the National Museum of Scotland to bring science to life with a brand new interactive showcase: Making It... at the Museum and a series of engaging and entertaining workshops, talks, presentations and demonstrations which the whole family can enjoy. Visit www.sciencefestival.co.uk for the full programme of events.
Science Festival family events
Making It... at the Museum
5 - 20 April, 10:00-17:00
Grand Gallery
Free
This brand new interactive display takes centre stage in the Museum's Grand Gallery for this year's Festival. Making It gives you the chance to immerse yourself in accessible technologies and discover the maker movement. And there are lots of demonstrations and things to do: from 3D printing to giant drawing machines, and from electronics to DIY biology.
Lab Rats: Mammoth Poo Detectives
7 - 11 April, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00 & 15:00 (45 mins)
Free - limited spaces, sign up on the day with your adult helper
Suitable for ages 4-7
The Lab Rats scientists are using poo clues to track down mammoths and mastodons. Explore Ice Age environments through demonstrations and hands-on messy challenges.
Ice Ice Baby
14 - 18 April, 10:30, 11:30, 14:30 & 15:30 (30 mins)
Free - limited spaces, sign up on the day with your adult helper
Suitable for ages 3 and under
Bring your little ones for sensory science story sessions inspired by our Mammoths and the Ice Age exhibition.
Family events from the University of Edinburgh
5 - 19 April, 10:00-16:30
Learning Centre, Levels 2 & 4
Free - some events require a ticket - visit www.sciencefestival.co.uk for further information
Discover science with real scientists from The University of Edinburgh. Visit the National Museum of Scotland's Learning Centre for free, family-friendly drop-in activities, workshops and shows, covering subjects from chemistry, bio-sciences and maths, to engineering, medicine and computing.
Science Festival adult events
Bruno Pontecorvo: Physicist and Atomic Spy?
8 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/£4 students
Join acclaimed physicist Prof Frank Close of the University of Oxford to explore the life of Bruno Pontecorvo, a brilliant atomic physicist who defected from the West to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Learn about the mystery that surrounded his sudden disappearance, and his immense value for the Soviet Union as Frank opens up a world of intelligence and counter-intelligence involving blueprints of a nuclear reactor, the theft of the materials for an atomic bomb and reveals for the first time the tipoff that led to Pontecorvo's defection.
Extinct Mammoths, Endangered Elephants
9 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/£4 students
What caused the extinction of the mammoth at the end of the last Ice Age - climate change, human hunting, or a combination of the two? Coinciding with the Mammoths of the Ice Age exhibition, Prof Adrian Lister of the Natural History Museum in London asks whether understanding the mammoth's demise can help us to conserve their close relatives, the living elephants.
Multiple Sclerosis: A Very Scottish Problem?
10 April, 13:00-14:00
Auditorium
Cost: £5
Scotland is recorded as having the highest prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the world, with around 10,000 people living with the condition. But why is this? And what might the sun (or lack of it) have to do with it? Researchers from the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic in Edinburgh explore the impacts, advances and future outlooks for this condition and Anne Brown, a Scots writer living with Multiple Sclerosis, reads from her informative and comical blog for the MS Society.
Part of Healthy Lunches
Spotlight On: 3d At The Museum
10 April, 14:00-15:00
Learning Centre, Level 4
Free (ticket required)
Meet National Museum of Scotland curator Klaus Staubermann and Tom Seatter from Heriot Watt University and discover how the Museum is using 3D printing technology to find new ways to engage with the National Collections, from archæological artefacts to working machinery and modern jewellery.
Lol-garithms!
10 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
Logarithms are turning 400 so it's time to party! First introduced by Edinburgh's John Napier in 1614, the scale of their importance cannot be underestimated. Navigators used them during the age of discovery; scientists built theories with them in the scientific revolution and modern applications range from measuring earthquakes to forensic accounting - logarithms are everywhere. Learn how to spot one with stand-up mathematician Simon Pampena as he celebrates the 400th anniversary of the logarithmic scale. This event will be an order of magnitude more fun than you might imagine!
Supported by Edinburgh Napier University
Choosing a Healthy Future?
10 April, 20:00-21:30
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
On 18 September Scotland must make a decision: remain part of the UK or chose independence. Our Scotland Decides series asks what this might mean for some key sciencerelated issues and the first topic under the microscope is healthcare. Broadcaster Lesley Riddoch is joined by Dr James Mittra of the Innogen Institute; Dr Richard Simpson MSP and Dr Jean Turner, former independent MSP and Chair of the Scottish Patients Association along with policy makers and health professionals, to consider the health challenges faced by the population. They will examine how the people of an independent Scotland might want their healthcare to be provided, discussing the future of free prescriptions, medical training and hospital services.
Richard Wiseman's Beginners' Guide to... The Earth
11 April, 13:00-14:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
Prof Richard Wiseman's entertaining and informative guides are back for another year... Join Richard in discussion with earth scientist and broadcaster Hermione Cockburn (BBC, Coast) as they travel back through geological time to find out about our planet's fascinating past. Along the way discover how geology began here in Edinburgh 200 years ago, what it takes to become a fossil, who found the first dinosaur and why landscapes look the way they do.
Mammoth Poo Detectives: Lab Rats for Adults
12 April, 14:00 & 15:30 (1 hr)
Learning Centre Level 4
Cost: £3
Why should kids have all the fun? Explore Ice Age environments through demonstrations and hands-on messy challenges, and use poo clues to track down mammoths and mastodons.
Face Off: Man vs Machine
12 April, 14:00
Grand Gallery
Free - drop-in
Artist and designer Dominic Wilcox's powerful and imaginative design projects provide inspiring new perspectives on the made world. In his spare time he likes to battle against 3D printers in real-life man vs machine challenges. Watch live as Dominic and his hand-picked team of artists & designers take on three 3D printers. Can a 3D printer challenge man's natural making skills?
In Two Minds?
12 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
As Scotland prepares for September's referendum, this fascinating event, the second in our Scotland Decides series, explores the psychology of decision-making and uncovers the factors that influence our choices. Dr Tiffany Jenkins is joined by speakers including John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, and Dr Jan Eichhorn of the University of Edinburgh, to reveal how campaign strategies influence voters, the impact of 16 year old voters, the relationship between informed choice and unconscious bias and how our socioeconomic background can affect our decisions.
Barbed Wire Between Cultures?
13 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
Fifty years on from CP Snow's (in)famous Rede Lecture, comedian Robin Ince asks if barbed wire still separates the 'two cultures' of the sciences and humanities. While both art galleries and science museums are packed every weekend, science is under-represented in mass media, but aren't both disciplines united by their desire to explain and express the world? Arts graduate turned science enthusiast, Helen Keen, makes one woman shows about space and robotics while Matthew Cobb is a Professor of Zoology who both studies gene evolution and paints with maggots. They join Robin to explore how art and science can together convey cosmic ideas, and plot how to tear down the barbed wire once and for all.
Stroke: Information and Rehabilitation
15 April, 13:00-14:00
Auditorium
Cost: £5
Around one in six people In Scotland will have a stroke, with about 12,500 having one every year. The damage caused by a stroke can be widespread and long lasting, and rehabilitation can be slow but it is the topic of much on-going scientific research. Join Dr Nick Ward from UCL Institute of Neurology as he explores the reorganisation of brain networks to support recovery; Lorraine Ayres, Group Developmental Manager of national charity Different Strokes and Dr Gillian Mead from The University of Edinburgh who will discuss the importance of exercise after a stroke.
Part of Healthy Lunches
Exploring Alzheimer's Disease
17 April, 13:00-14:00
Auditorium
Cost: £5/ Student offer - £2.50
Healthy Lunches continues with an exploration of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, and one for which there is as yet no cure. Little is known about its causes but we do know that Alzheimer's disease has far-reaching impacts on patients, their families and carers. Dr Gayle Doherty from the University of St Andrews gives an insight into recent research on the origins and ways to treat this disease while Puppetry in Dementia Care author Karrie Marshall explains her belief in the role of creativity in caring for people with dementia.
Part of Healthy Lunches
Spotlight On: Minerals and Mobile Phones
17 April, 14:00-15:00
Learning Centre Level 4
Free (ticket required)
Did you know that mobile phones contain a small amount of almost all the chemical elements? Sourced from rare earth materials, their extraction and production has serious human and ecological impact. Join curator Dr Rachel Walcott and Prof Simon Harley from the University of Edinburgh to find out more.
Behind the Scenes in Science Publishing
17 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
Join Michael Rodgers, editor of science writing classics including Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, and author and academic Prof Peter Atkins for a glimpse behind the scenes of the world of science publishing. Discover the challenges of writing about science, the workings of the world of publishing and the process of collaboration between writer and editor that lies at the heart of a successful science book.
The Perfect Mix?
17 April, 20:00-21:30
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
With September's referendum drawing ever closer, there are some big questions to be asked about the future of Scotland's energy in the next of our Scotland Decides series. What is Scotland's perfect energy mix? Would independence help us to make the most of the nation's renewable know-how? Could the lights stay on in a nuclear-free Scotland, and the economics add up? Broadcaster Lesley Riddoch is joined by Dr David Toke, Reader in Energy Politics at the University of Aberdeen; Dr Paul Harding, Executive Director of URENCO; Marco Biagi MSP (SNP) and other politicians and key thinkers for a vital debate on how Scotland plans to power its future.
Supported by The Scottish Oil Club
The Blight of Ersatz Neuroscience
18 April, 20:00-21:30
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
The 'neuro' prefix is nowadays very fashionable. The growing interest in applying our knowledge of the human brain to different fields has resulted in the development of a number of new practices - some good, some bad, and some just crazy. Join The University of Edinburgh's Prof Sergio Della Sala as he explains how some enthusiastic scientists have over-simplified the findings from neuroscience and over-interpreted the outcome, giving rise to a number of tall tales on how the brain works.
Choose Your Scotland
19 April, 17:30-19:00
Auditorium
Cost: £8/£6/Student offer - £4
Whatever the outcome, Scotland's independence referendum will have a significant impact on Scottish life science research and innovation. The final event in our Scotland Decides series is an interactive 'Choose Your Own Adventure' style event will let you choose your own Scotland. Starting from the referendum, the audience will select a series of options, by popular vote, that will affect science, innovation and our everyday lives.
Presented by Innogen
Daily tours
Join one of our free daily tours and spend an hour exploring some of the highlights of the National Museum of Scotland.
NEW! Discover the National Museum
Daily at 11:00 (1 hr)
Venue: Tours leave from the Meeting Point, Entrance Hall, Level 0
Free
From stunning Victorian architecture to the Lewis Chessmen and Dolly the sheep, this tour will give you a flavour of all the National Museum of Scotland has to offer.
Scottish Galleries highlights tour
Daily at 13:00 (1 hr)
Free
Tours leave from the Meeting Point, Entrance Hall, Level 0
Follow the story of Scotland through fascinating objects on this highlights tour.
Themed tour
Daily at 15:00(1 hr)
Tours leave from the Meeting Point, Entrance Hall, Level 0
Free
Looking for a more in-depth experience? We offer a wide range of themed tours. Ask at the information desk or check our website for forthcoming tour titles www.nms.ac.uk/tours
National War Museum
Edinburgh Castle, EH1 2NG
First World War Liverpool Scottish
19 & 21 February, 10:00-16:00
Hospital Square, National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle
Cost included in Edinburgh Castle admission
Dave and Ailsa Clarke will be portraying a soldier of the Liverpool Scottish and a nurse. The Liverpool Scottish were a Territorial unit who rapidly found themselves under fire on the front line, hear about what life was like in trenches and how the nurses coped treating those soldiers injured in battle.
Soldiers at War: The Crimean War
16 March, 10:00-16:00
Hospital Square, National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle
Cost included in Edinburgh Castle admission
Meet Crimean War re-enactor and bestselling children's author Allan Burnett whose uniform was inspired from the National War Museum's collections, and made by a costumier who worked on the Sharpe series.
National Museum of Flight
East Fortune, EH39 5LF
February Half-term
Open every day to 23 February, 10:00-16:00
Cost: Adult £9.50 / £7.50, Child £5 (under 5 free) Family (2 adults, 2 children) £24.00, National Museums Scotland Members free
Join us for the February half term holidays and find out about the history of aviation at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune. We're open every day during the holidays!
Edinburgh International Science Festival at the National Museum of Flight, 5 - 21 April
What a drag!
5 - 21 April, 12:00
Free with admission to Museum
Drag, also known as air resistance, is the force that air exerts on aircraft which slows them down. Follow a trail around our collections to see how this has shaped aeroplanes before learning more through science demonstrations with our facilitators. The build your own model parachutist.
National Museum of Rural Life
Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride G76 9HR
Go Wild in Spring
5 - 19 April, 11:00-13:00 & 14:00-16:00
Suitable for ages 5+
Cost: included in Museum admission: Adult £6.50/£5.50, Child £3 (under 5 free); Family (2 adults, 2 children) £17.00; National Museums Scotland Members free
Holiday fun for active adventurers, including ranger walks, crafts and photography.
Listings are now available as RSS feeds:
National Museum of Scotland
National War Museum
National Museum of Rural Life
National Museum of Flight
Museum addresses:
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
National War Museum, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG
National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian EH39 5LF
National Museum of Rural Life, Wester Kittochside, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR
For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789/www.nms.ac.uk
For images or any further information please contact the press office on 0131 247 4391 or email media@nms.ac.uk
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