Festivals, Fine Art and Faith (Richard Demarco) (Interview‪)‬

Ricky, in 2010 you celebrate your 80th birthday. For at least five decades you have been a major figure in the world of the visual arts in Scotland, dating particularly from the establishment of the Demarco Gallery in Edinburgh, initially within the Traverse theatre which you co-founded in 1963 and later in its own premises. By that point you had already attended the first 17 Edinburgh festivals and in the years since you have contributed to all of these in one way or another. You brought the British and international avant-garde to Scotland and are particularly associated with Joseph Beuys, Tadeusz Kantor and Marina Abramovic, all artists who transcended the boundaries of traditional art forms and introduced performance as elements of their work. Before we get to discussing large questions about contemporary art, however, can you say something about your own cultural background, upbringing and education including art school? My cultural background relates directly to the Edinburgh Festival coming into being as an inevitable result of World War II. I have been blessed with a personal experience of all 63 Festivals, not just as a Festival-goer; but as someone who has contributed countless programmes of the visual and performing arts to both the Official and Fringe Festivals.