Red Hot Pecker Presents... ‘Jokerman’

Sorry you are too late, this event has been and gone!

Red Hot Pecker presents Jokerman: the culmination of years of work and a busy year for subversive local cross-disciplinary artist James Alexander McKenzie!

About Red Hot Pecker Presents... ‘Jokerman’

Listed Under Arts and Crafts Events / Books Events / Film Events / Nights Out Events

Red Hot Pecker presents Jokerman: a film, a book, and an art exhibition - the culmination of years of work and a busy year for subversive local cross-disciplinary artist James Alexander McKenzie.

In August, McKenzie (30) and a team of performers and musicians presented JEST FEST: a pair of pop up performances which was essentially McKenzie’s ‘poetry-play’ Jimmy Mack the Shapeshifting Jester staged across two dates, at two different sites. The first part was at The Scotsman Steps, the second at The National Monument on Calton Hill – both happened at sunrise. McKenzie worked alongside filmmaker Chris Cook to document these performances, and the resulting film will premiere, and screen regularly, at Jokerman.

Jimmy Mack the Shapeshifting Jester is an absurdist comedy in which we get to know Jimmy Mack the Jester across a string of monologues wherein he performs as a motley crew of anti-hero alter-egos performing spoken word. The play is set in an imaginary lair beneath Arthur’s Seat called ‘The Auld Reekie Echo Chamber’. Jimmy Mack cannot leave this enclosure, and he is performing for a non- existent audience: probably as a coping mechanism for his alienated condition. Although the play is absurd and comical, it is also melancholic, existential, and personal. The monologues are characterised by wry humour, parody, absurdity, self-absorption, meta-theatrical devices (self referentiality; drawing attention to its construction and artificiality), references to Edinburgh, and reflections on art.

In addition to filmmaker Cook, McKenzie has worked alongside graphic designer Maddie Lennon to realize the play as an illustrated publication published by Red Hot Pecker. Jokerman will mark the release of this book and visitors will be able to buy copies. The exhibition will present the complete framed series of the original illustrations within in the book, and these are also available for purchase.

In September, McKenzie spent three weeks in the USA with the focus of expanding his Jimmy Mack cosmos beyond Scotland to address international themes such as greed and the abuse of power, and to operate in a different cultural context and present his work to an American audience. The varied work that he made in America which encompasses painting, writing, and drawing, is exhibited in the show too and is a supplement to Jimmy Mack the Shapeshifting Jester. It builds loosely on the premise that somehow Jimmy Mack has escaped The Auld Reekie Echo Chamber and has made it to the USA. McKenzie seems to have developed an interest in iconic kitsch Americana artist Norman Rockwell across the work, although we wonder how sincere this interest is, and whether McKenzie is mocking Rockwell.

McKenzie is grateful to Peggy and Alice Marra, and Gordon McLean for their permission to use Michael Marra’s music in JEST FEST. Jokerman is generously supported by Creative Scotland. The JEST FEST performances were presented by Sett Studios and part of the Edinburgh Art Festival programme.

James Alexander McKenzie (from, and working in, Edinburgh) moves between performance art, poetry, and theatre. His work blends poetry, painting, theatre, spoken word, performance art, installation, sculpture, and stand-up comedy. He is dedicated to subversion and pushing the boundaries. In 2023, McKenzie founded Red Hot Pecker: a shapeshifting vehicle that moves between classifications as ‘arts-organisation’ and ‘theatre company’, allowing him to publish, collaborate with other artists, and put on events and exhibitions.

Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!

Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!

Similar events you might like...

Family Print Club

Selected dates between 26th January 2025 - 30th November 2025

Edinburgh Printmakers, Edinburgh East

Edinburgh Printmakers' Family Print Club is perfect for children as they explore lots of different printmaking techniques and have fun as well!

Crafts, Games, Soup!

Selected dates between 31st January 2025 - 19th December 2025

Priestfield Parish Church, Edinburgh South

Enjoy crafts? Or enjoy a boardgame? Or simply would appreciate being in the company of others in a warm, relaxed space with a bowl of soup? Then this is the space for you!

Men Drawing Men Edinburgh

Selected dates between 1st February 2025 - 12th December 2025

The Salisbury Centre, Edinburgh South

This monthly untutored life drawing group at The Salisbury Centre gives men the opportunity to come along and draw a male Life model in a friendly, supportive drawing group.