Debate and Distraction

Overloading of information inevitably leads to frustration and madness. The first critical burn-outs are happening. The Shimmy is struggling to keep up. It's a short term solution, but the introduction of our web presence - www.theshimmyskinny.co.uk and our tweet feed theshimmyskinny - will get the overload out of the office and into the public domain.

Even if the old idea of The Critic as Absolute Authority has died, the multitude of reviews and critiques in Edinburgh serves to take performance beyond a distraction or entertainment. Many works - from 2Faced's dubstep inflected dance to the EIF's Peony Pavilion - provoke debate. Sometimes, as with Smallpetitklein's Falling Man, the artist is deliberately sending a message. Other works - including those in the Chinese government's sponsored selection - incite debate by the circumstances of their creation.

Regardless, art and politics are never separate. Art might be an opium, a distraction. It might be a gentle alternative forum for social progress and debate. The Fringe is a rare occasion where there are enough critics on the ground for the ideas to be carried beyond the stage.

There's plenty of opinion out there - ignore the star ratings and find out what the critics have to say. Compare and contrast, decide who you trust. The web has made it possible for everyone to have their say. And, just like the artists on show, the critics can be critiqued.