THE COURIER BUSINESS AWARDS RETURNS WITH A BANG
The Courier Business Awards 2021, in association with Henderson Loggie, took place on Saturday 30th October.
The event, which is the biggest in the Tayside and Fife business calendar, returned with a bang after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
The awards reflect the diverse nature of the business landscape in Tayside and Fife with categories including technology, innovation, retail, community and tourism and hospitality.
More than 400 guests dressed to the nines for the black-tie ceremony at Apex City Quay Hotel, which was hosted by television presenter Mark Durden-Smith.
A total of 20 awards were presented at the ceremony, including the coveted Business of the Year trophy.
The top Business of the Year prize was awarded to Hutchison Technologies, with the judges remarking on the firm’s bravery in completely changing direction to secure vital PPE for Scottish hospitals. They were also awarded the Covid resilience award, a new category for this year.
Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules exhibition opens
Somerset House’s blockbuster autumn exhibition Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules opened in spectacular style on Wednesday night.
Somerset House’s Director Jonathan Reekie welcomed a host of famous faces from the worlds of art, fashion and comedy to the exhibition that celebrates the world’s longest-running weekly comic – Beano – and its mix of mayhem, mischief and fun, led by its beloved band of characters, such as Dennis and Gnasher, Minnie the Minx and Bananaman.
Special guests included comedian Frank Skinner, actress Lily Newmark and broadcaster Zezi Ifore and many of the exhibition’s contributing artists, such as Turner Prize winner Martin Creed.
Curated by artist Andy Holden, the exhibition took guests on a trip through Beanotown itself with larger-than-life recreations of Beano’s most iconic backdrops, as if stepping inside the pages of the comic. Hanging on the colourful walls of Bash Street School, the homes of Gasworks Road and Bunkerton Castle, and situated outside on the streets of Beanotown, invitees discovered an eclectic collection of contemporary artworks from over 50 of today’s greatest creative rule-breakers, inspired by Beano’s spirit of rebellion and sense of playfulness. In an exhibition that is just as unconventional as its content, their audacious artworks are shown alongside over 100 comic artworks from the Beano archive, including original drawings never previously seen in public, exploring its lasting impact on the contemporary cultural landscape and upcoming generations of creatives.
After viewing the exhibition, guests then entered an exclusive reception in Somerset House’s Seamen’s Hall and followed a bright yellow carpet onto its River Terrace, with its sweeping views of the capital, decorated with red and black neon illuminations, in homage to the style-staple striped red and black jumpers of Dennis and Minnie. Inspired by the antics of Beano’s mischievous heroes, whoopee cushions were also placed on seats along the River Terrace.
The exhibition received fantastic coverage and reviews following the opening night, with write-ups in The Guardian, awarding the exhibit 5 stars (Somerset House’s first 5-star exhibition review!!), i and The Londonist, to name a few.
