Events in focus: October & November

While the big hurrah of the festival might be behind us, we are still hosting a few events in October & November:

Tonight:

Diagnonsense Film Screening

6.00–8.00pm, 22nd October – NK10, New King’s

d. Ane-Martha Tamnes Hansgård (Norway, 2024) 1h 12m

For over 15 years, director Ane-Martha Tamnes Hansgård was labelled with several serious psychiatric diagnoses. Her perpetual treatment process left her struggling to distinguish between her own identity and the one explained by her various conditions.

In an effort to find herself, she began documenting her life. The result is a unique cinematic universe based on her experiences sculpting a narrative from an extensive collection of private archival footage.

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Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Prizegiving & Showcase

6.00–9.30pm, 29th October – Cowdray Hall

SMHAF and WayWORD present a live literary showcase and our annual Writing Awards prizegiving in Aberdeen, with performances by folksinger Iona Fyfe, spoken word artist Mae Diansangu, and improvisational singer-songwriter Nuna.

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Running Between Two Dragons with Martin MacIntyre

3pm, 30th October – Sir Duncan Rice Library

Poet and University of Aberdeen alumnus Martin MacIntyre will read from his collection of poetry ‘A’ Ruith Eadar Dà Dhràgon / Running Between Two Dragons / Corrent Entre Dos Dracs / Rhedeg Rhwng Dwy Ddraig’. This is a new, rich collection of Martin MacIntyre’s Gaelic poems, inspired by travels and experiences in Catalonia and Wales and translated now into Catalan, Welsh and English. 

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Luke Styles & Jacob Sam-La Rose: Synonyms for Divergence

With the Solis Ensemble & Jacob Sam-la Rose (poet)

1pm, 2nd November – The Cowdray Hall

Synonyms for Divergence is a new interdisciplinary work blending spoken word and contemporary composition, created by composer Luke Styles and poet Jacob Sam-La Rose. Also in the programme, Zoe Martlew’s luminous string trio Völuspá and extracts from Gyorgy Kurtag’s masterpiece Signs, Games and Messages.

In association with Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. Commissioned by soundfestival and WayWORD.

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Dorian Gray’s Pictures: a Creative History Workshop

1pm, 8th November – Sir Duncan Rice Library

This workshop explores the art collection of John Gray, once considered the model for Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray, and his long-term partner Marc-André Raffalovich. This committed couple were formerly members of Wilde’s circle in London before converting to Catholicism and moving to Edinburgh where they built a church and a modern art collection together.  
 
In this workshop participants will examine the archival traces of their shared life through letters, collections, and books, using the art they gathered as inspiration for a series of collages imagining the queer possibilities between the lines.    

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Re-writing Queer Relationships in Literature (Aberdeen Queer Arts Festival)

4pm, 9th November – The Lemon Tree

Join us for this fascinating discussion between some of Scotland’s finest LGBTQ+ writers exploring the evolution of literary depictions of queer relationships, whether romantic, platonic or familial. From historical poetry to contemporary children’s books, and genre fiction to autobiography, Ashley Douglas, Chitra Ramaswamy and Kirsty Logan join Cailean Steed to reflect on the power of literature to both mirror and shape queer relationships.

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While these are all of the events programmed so far, we are already planning our programming for 2026…

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