Two kinds of artist discuss the different sides of Edinburgh
Craigo is a fine art painter known for his impressionistic scenes of the city; Eleanor Morton is a stand-up comedian and writer who has performed at the Fringe for over a decade. On the night of Craigo's August exhibition launch, they discussed Edinburgh as a city of contrasts, certain perceptions of their respective art forms, and the creeping influence of AI.
During their conversation, Morton captured the full August atmosphere, describing the Fringe as a “comedian's Christmas”. She said it was a privilege to see work from every culture and country in her home city, something “you don't appreciate until you're older”. But for performers, the festival is also intense: “It is like freshers’ week and exam week all in one.”
Craigo also views Edinburgh as a city of contrasts, drawn to its changing light, sunrises and coastal setting. He sometimes feels there’s a snobbery towards certain kinds of art. But, rather than avoid those familiar settings, he sees it as a challenge: “There’s a lot of people doing it really badly, so I'll try and push myself to transcend that a wee bit.”
The tension between the creative and the commercial carried into a discussion of AI. Craigo spoke about illustrators already feeling the impact of AI-generated images. For Morton, live comedy offers some protection – “until they get robots to do live stuff, we're fine” – yet AI is already appearing in flyers, show artwork and also in scripts. Both hoped that people would continue to be drawn to creativity made by real people.
The conversation ended with Craigo presenting Morton with an original artwork inspired by her 2026 Fringe show The Mermaid.
The Light and the Dark was held at The Shop with No Name, Edinburgh, 20 August 2026.
