Episode notes
Welcome to this conversation exploring Pier Arts Centre, an outstandingly beautiful art gallery on Orkney, an archipelago off the north of mainland Scotland. We talk about its celebrated collection of British Modernism and a recent gift of over 60 contemporary arts works of huge international significance. We also remember the artist Christine Borland who sadly died last month. Her exhibition Divine Imperfect was held at the Pier in 2012. Susanna speaks to Pier curator Andrew Parkinson about the life and times of the late Margaret Gardiner, whose gift of over 60 artworks in the 1970s was the…
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DES Talks
Susanna Beaumont · Arts & Books · English
Susanna Beaumont's lively exploration of making and creating. She talks ideas and inspiration, materials and process and the joy of creativity with brilliant artists, makers and designers from across Scotland. https://www.designexhibitionscotland.co.uk/
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E22 · 16 Sep 2026 · 28 min
Clare Woods talks paint, plants & weaving
Welcome to DES Talks, a podcast that celebrates creative ideas and energy. In this episode Susanna meets the artist Clare Woods in the garden of her studio in north Herefordshire. They talk about her recent collaboration with Edinburgh's Dovecot tapestry studio to weave three tapestries. Entitled The Smotherers, The Take Over and The Volunteers, the tapestries are woven in a wondrous array of greens and depict intensely beautiful undergrowth and weeds. They are soon to go on display at London's Garden Museum. Clare who initially studied sculpture is a celebrated artist. Her luscious…
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E21 · 9 Sep 2026 · 46 min
Exploring Dovecot, Edinburgh
Welcome to DES Talks, a podcast that celebrates creativity and people from across Scotland. In this episode Susanna visits Dovecot, a tapestry studio in the heart of Edinburgh. Founded in the early 20th century and very much inspired by the Arts and Crafts powerhouse William Morris, today Dovecot is celebrated for its ambitious collaborations with leading contemporary artists, such as Linder, Alberta Whittle and Chris Ofili to create outstanding tapestries. Susanna chats to Dovecot's director, Celia Joicey and master weaver, Naomi Robertson. They discuss Dovecot's early history and its…
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E20 · 26 Aug 2026 · 46 min
Exploring Hospitalfield, Arbroath
Welcome to DES Talks. In this episode Susanna explores Hospitalfield, an extraordinary 19th century Scots Baronial cum Arts and Craft house with a glorious walled garden that is dedicated to contemporary art and ideas. Located on Scotland's east coast a skip away from the North Sea and the town of Arbroath, Hospitalfield was built by Patrick and Elizabeth Allan-Fraser as their home. Arbroath-born Patrick who studied art at Edinburgh of College of Art was determined that Hospitalfield become a home for artists, building light-filled studios in 1901. Over a 100 years later, Hospitalfield today…
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E18 · 12 Aug 2026 · 52 min
Louise Bennetts + Laura Lees talk urban fabrics
Welcome to our conversation with two artists who work with fabric, thread, form and colour. The Edinburgh-based Louise Bennetts and Laura Lees both delight in textiles and stitching, frequently inspired by the architecture that surrounds them, weaving in memory of place and the urban landscape. In their conversation with Susanna, they share stories from their early years - Louise studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Royal College of Art; Laura studied tapestry at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee - and how moving from Scotland to London and back to Edinburgh has inspired a delight in…
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E17 · 11 Jun 2026 · 59 min
Hutton 300 | Earth Matters at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Welcome to a recording of a discussion held at the National Galleries of Scotland, celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of the Edinburgh-born geologist, writer and farmer, James Hutton (1726–1797), and the exhibition inspired by Hutton, Earth Matters at Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The panel discussion explores Hutton's influence on contemporary creative thinking and art. Glasgow-based designer and maker Stefanie Ying Lin Cheong who works with found rocks and soil and Dr Katie Strang, curator of rock and minerals at The Hunterian, Glasgow, discuss their ideas and…
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E16 · 29 May 2026 · 54 min
Tania Kovats + Siobhan McLaughlin talk landscapes
Welcome to this conversation with Tania Kovats and Siobhan McLaughlin, two outstanding artists who have a deep curiosity in land and sea. We explore their ideas and influences and talk mapping, colour, geology, landscapes and the past and the present. And in particular we chat about their work in two exhibitions currently on in Edinburgh - Tania is showing in Earth Matters, an exhibition inspired by the life and work of the Edinburgh born geologist and farmer who was born 300 years ago this year, which is at Inverleith House Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, while Siobhan is showing…
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E15 · 12 May 2026 · 1 hr 18 min
James Hutton - Glancing backwards into a time . . .
Catch up with a panel discussion recorded at Edinburgh's Fruitmarket last month marking Earth Day. Chaired by Susanna 'glancing backwards into a time that far predates us' is a lively conversation celebrating two exhibitions: Ilana Halperin's What Is Us and What Is Earth (Fruitmarket) and Earth Matters (Inverleith House Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) and the life and work of James Hutton, the Edinburgh-born geologist and farmer who was born 300 years ago this year. Artists Ilana Halperin and Louise Bennetts , writer and performer Karine Polwart , and soil scientist Colin Campbell…
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E14 · 29 Apr 2026 · 45 min
Celebrating the artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Welcome to DES Talks, our podcast exploring creativity across Scotland, presented by Susanna Beaumont. She looks forward to sharing with you inspiring conversations with some of the most adventurous, curious and brilliant designers, artists, makers and curators. We talk ideas and inspiration, challenges and influences, the contemporary and the historic. In this episode, we explore the life and work of the brilliant artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham with Rob Airey, director of the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust and Mark Cousins, the renowned Edinburgh-based Northern Irish filmmaker. We discuss…
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