What's On Scotland 16-23 Jul: Cryptic's Signal-on-Sea + more

You might have noticed that the Scottish summer can be a tad temperamental. Therefore, when a warm and reasonably sunny spell like this one we’re experiencing right now comes along, you best make the most of it. And there’s no better way to spend a scorching July weekend than at the beach – and if you can experience some culture while you’re there, all the better.

To Ayrshire, then, because Signal-on-Sea offers both a seaside setting and the opportunity to soak up an inventive sound installation as well as the sun. Developed by Glasgow-based art house Cryptic – the team who brought you Sonic Bites – and created by Dutch soundscape artists Jeroen Strijbos and Rob van Rijswijk, Signal-On-Sea takes place on the bonny beach of Irvine just north of Ayr.

The sound installation uses two dozen long-throw speakers to beam its evocative sounds across the sands. Extracts from operatic performances interweave with a soundscape that connects the land and sea with music, capturing the wildness of the Ayrshire coastline and the Isle of Arran in the distance. You might even get a suntan too. Don’t forget the Factor 50!

16-25 Jul, Irvine Beach Park, Irvine, 12pm-10.30pm, free

Off-Kilter
Out of the Blue, Edinburgh. 16-29 Jul
Head to Out of the Blue for Off-Kilter, an exhibition showcasing works by Jeanne Blissett Robertson and David Gray made during their residencies at Out of the Blue Abbeymount Studios based Edinburgh Ceramics Workshop. Both artists work with lengthy ceramic processes such as slip-casting, hand-building and extruded ceramic to create structural forms that are reminiscent of design and nature. Image courtesy of Out of the Blue

Tomoko Konoike: Stories Stitched and Sewn
CCA, Glasgow. Until 24 Jul
Last chance to see this display of embroidered placemats by Tomoko Konoike telling stories Konoike heard while travelling around Akita Prefecture, Setouchi, Tasmania and Finland. “My project was to sew these people's stories into craft objects,” says Konoike. “I listen to people's stories and let them run through my imagination.” Image courtesy of artist and CCA

ADVERTISEMENT | Live, outdoor gigs at the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh Park. 7-29 Aug
The Edinburgh International Festival brings award-winning artists to a custom-built outdoor venue at Edinburgh Park from 7 to 29 August. Experience unforgettable gigs from local and international artists such as Damon Albarn, Laura Mvula, Fatoumata Diawara and Tune-Yards. Journey through an eclectic range of music, from The Comet is Coming’s new London jazz, through Richard Dawson’s modern Northumbrian folk, to the avant-garde Edinburgh-based Neu! Reekie! featuring Edwyn Collins.

Explore the programme and book now at eif.co.uk/contemporarymusic

Image: Fatoumata Diawara © Aida Muluneh

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Assembly Roxy + online. 16-25 Jul
This year’s Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival takes place both online and at socially distanced gigs in Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy, making it the perfect event whatever your current isolation status. Highlights from the programme include jazz and hip-hop fusion by the acclaimed Soweto Kinch Trio, a collaboration between Nicole Smit and Grainne Duffy Band, and the authentic trad jazz vocals of Ali Affleck (pictured)

ADVERTISEMENT | Doonhame Festival
The Crichton, Dumfries. 30-31 Jul
Doonhame Festival is ready for its return, taking place at The Crichton, Dumfries 30 and 31 July 2021. The two-day music festival features names such as Kaiser Chiefs, Bad Manners, Kyle Falconer, The Feeling, Skerryvore, Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5, Shambolics, ONR, Franky's Evil Party, and Tom McGuire & the Brassholes.

Only one-hour drive from Glasgow, 1hr 30 from Edinburgh; 30 mins from Carlisle.

Weekend tickets, day tickets and camping options are available at www.doonhamefestival.co.uk/tickets

Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival
Various venues + online. 16-25 Jul
Scotland’s largest rural performing arts festival returns with over 60 digital and in-person events spread over ten days. Rooted in the diverse culture found among Dumfries & Galloway's creative communities, each piece directly engages with artists and audiences from the area – highlights from the programme include live comedy from Mark Nelson, music from the critically acclaimed Kate Kyle (pictured), and travelling theatre and music with Townsend Theatre Productions. Image: Ruari Barber Fleming

Show Up
Walking tour, Glasgow. 16-31 Jul
An alternative degree show featuring work by over 150 students from art schools and colleges spanning across Scotland, Show Up – run by Design Weans C.I.C. – spotlights the amazing talent coming out of this year’s various graduating classes in the form of a COVID-friendly walking trail that starts near St Enoch and snakes through the city towards the Barras. More on Insta. Image: Grey Area by Michael Tran

City Breakz
Various locations. 16 Jul-14 Aug
Roll out the linoleum for City Breakz, an outdoor hip-hop tour that takes the classic scenarios of hip-hop throwdowns and repositions them in unusual city locations and everyday urban structures. Kicking off at Glasgow’s Platform, the tour takes in locations across Glasgow, St Andrews, Falkirk and Edinburgh for a dance-based commentary on space, place and identity. Image courtesy of Room 2 Manoeuvre

ADVERTISEMENT | Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Online + Assembly Roxy. 16-25 Jul
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival kicks off today, with an exciting ten-day programme showcasing the amazing talent coming out of Scotland! With 42 online concerts, we've got something for all tastes from modern jazz, trad and swing, blues and funk.

Check out the full programme at edinburghjazzfestival.com

Miyu Kurihara: Miniature Masterpieces
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh. Until 24 Jul
Make sure to catch the last week of The Scottish Gallery’s exhibition Miniature Masterpieces. Miyu Kurihara uses porcelain and stoneware to create intimate, playful works that take inspiration from Kimono design and ancient Asian ceramic forms. This solo show features a menagerie of creatures from owls and peacocks, to tigers and leopards. Image courtesy of The Scottish Gallery