Spectacle

After picking up a few treats we popped into the Modern One to see Bruce McLean’s exhibition to mark his 80th. Most entertaining - like Grayson Perry nowadays his stuff shines a light into the absurdity and social conceits of the art world (good way to make a living, mind). In his case, abstract art in the 60s.
What also amused me was the gallery’s intro piece which gave a long blah blah list of social constructs, including - get this - age! Wouldn’t that be nice.
Later - tarrrraaa!!! The start of the festival!! So Young at the Traverse for starters - superb! Amusing at the start, but then a tense serious undercurrent emerging, oh aye … and sharply written with great acting. Bravo etc etc. 
And then the official start thing at Heriots - some light projection and music thing. Technically the light stuff was fabulously impressive at times, the mawkish strings not really so much but the voice over with its hushed serious tone drove the whole thing into some sub-Hogwarts disneyfication of oor history. Still, the tourists lapped it up, I’m sure. It’s the white heather club with a bigger budget and more gizmos.