The Culture Café - 27/07/2010

Since it began in 2004 the Edinburgh Art Festival has snowballed in scale and stature - this year there's five whole weeks to accommodate all that's on offer. EAF Director, Joanne Brown and Art Critic for Scotland on Sunday, Moira Jeffrey, discuss the breadth of talent on display this year and why limited gallery space is no barrier to the burgeoning of this annual event. We'll also hear from some of the top international and home-grown talent on offer. Brazilian artist Iran do Espirito Santo makes his UK debut - we catch up with him on location as he creates an ambitious wall drawing conceived exclusively for Edinburgh's Ingleby Gallery space. And Edinburgh becomes a city under surveillance with Kim Coleman and Jenny Hogarth's multi-channel video installation "Staged". Festival goers become a part of the show through the cameras lens from the capital's Observatory - even if they don't know it... Is kidnap ever the best way to deal with bickering politicians? During a time of peace why can't Northern Ireland's political leaders set the squabbling aside and just sort things out? Playwright David Ireland explains why he chose this theme for his first ever radio drama "Trouble and Shame". Computer fonts - which do you like? Which do you hate? And why do you care so much anyway? And we continue our series from BBC Radio Scotland's Culture Zone - this week featuring veteran broadcaster, Archie Fisher, in conversation with former school mate and fellow folk musician, the late Hamish Imlach.