University of Dundee

Ellen K Levy – Seeing Through exhibition #dundeewestend


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :
The ideas and collections of D’Arcy Thompson, the University’s first Professor of Biology, have profoundly influenced many artists and writers who re-interpret natural history, projecting it through the lens of evolution, fantasy, consumption, fear or desire.

This unique exhibition features site-specific prints and video work in the Tower Foyer Gallery with additional interventions in the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum.

“Seeing Through” proposes tours of Thompson’s collection visualised as if through the lenses of futurist author J G Ballard and pop-artist Richard Hamilton. We visit the collection through dizzying perspectival renderings of merged organic/machine hybrids, eco-catastrophes and space travel, as alluded to by Hamilton and Ballard. Levy’s speculative exhibition explores our synergistic relationship with technology, including our aspirations and its threats. Our notions of evolution are, themselves, evolving.

Dr Ellen K Levy is a multimedia artist and writer based in the US. Her works explore complex systems and some of the unintended consequences of technology. Levy highlights these issues through exhibitions, educational and curatorial programmes and publications. She has exhibited widely in the US and abroad. 

With Charissa Terranova, she is co-editor of D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson’s Generative Influences in Art, Design: From Forces to Forms (2021, Bloomsbury Press) and she co-edits the Science and the Arts since 1750 book series for Routledge, Taylor & Francis.

The exhibition in the Tower Foyer Gallery until 29th June.   Additional elements in the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum may be seen on our monthly Saturday openings on 11th May and 8th June – and on Friday afternoons from 7th June.

Dundee University Swing Dance #dundeewestend

Dundee University Swing Dance is a student-run society which teaches different styles of swing dance.

It meets on Thursdays 7pm to 9pm at the drama studio in the Dalhousie Building – all welcome!

Further details at :
www.facebook.com/events/304959249053228/304959259053227

Join the Futures Collective Dundee

Young people aged 12-16 years are invited to take part in a free 3-hour hands-on design and make workshop during the Easter holidays.

Led by local designers and researchers from the University of Dundee, more details are available at https://sites.dundee.ac.uk/futurescollective

📅 – 2 dates available (April 3rd or 4th)

📍 – Steam Hub, Central Library

🎟️ – Free, booking essential

☕ – Light snacks and refreshments will be provided

Sign up for a place on Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/futures-collective-dundee-tickets-859372164277

Un-Earthed #dundeewestend


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

The latest exhibition in the Lamb Gallery is “Un-Earthed” and features art and artefacts exploring our connections to the land.

As human beings we are all dependent on the land and the resources it provides. Yet we are increasingly becoming disconnected from the natural world around us and our overexploitation of the land is causing an environmental crisis.

This thought-provoking exhibition looks at ways in which we have explored, represented and exploited the land and how artists in Scotland have responded to these themes over the years.

The exhibition is divided into various inter-related themes, including Representing the Land, Urbanisation, Exploiting the Land, Returning to Nature, Environmental Crisis and Evidence of the Past. All of the artworks, artefacts and specimens on display come from the University’s Museum Collections.

The Lamb Gallery in the Tower Building is open Monday to Saturday and the exhibition will be on until 27th April.

You can read more at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/un-earthed

Discovery Days 2024

All are welcome to join the University of Dundee’s Discovery Days 2024 from Wednesday 10th to Friday 12th January 2024.

Listen to short talks from award-winning researchers, teachers and communicators.

Discovery Days offer a fascinating exploration of a wide range of important topics, from health and wellbeing, human rights, and ground-breaking scientific research and arts practice.   All speakers are helping to transform lives locally and around the world.

Everyone is welcome to join the talks at the Dalhousie Building on Old Hawkhill. Come to listen to 10-15 minute presentations and ask speakers questions about their work.

Read more and book your free tickets at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discovery-days-2024-tickets-757824151437

The Art of Sydney Jordan : Dream Pedlar

Dundee-born artist Sydney Jordan is best known as the creator of Jeff Hawke, whose fantastic adventures appeared in the Daily Express from 1955-74.

Popular in the UK as the first regular science-fiction comic series to appeal to adults, the strip was even more highly regarded in European countries, where it had a significant influence on the development of science fiction and fantasy comics.

The exhibition currently taking place in the in the Tower Foyer Gallery at the University of Dundee features a feast of original art from Jeff Hawke and more, revealing Sydney Jordan’s extraordinary skill and visual imagination.

The exhibition runs until 6th January 2024 – Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm and Saturday 11am-4pm.

Please note the exhibition is closed for Christmas – 23rd December – 2nd January.

For more information : www.dundee.ac.uk/events/art-sydney-jordan-dream-pedlar

Pattern Play at the University of Dundee #dundeewestend


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee : 

Pattern Play is currently on display in the Lamb Gallery, the University of Dundee’s Tower Building, exploring patterns in art, design and science.

Patterns are all around us. The physical world depends on regularity and repetition. A large part of scientific research involves the identification and understanding of patterns, either physical or theoretical. What may seem random and chaotic often still depends on underlying, predictable patterns. 

Art too is all about patterns. The mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead described art as “the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.” The influential art critic Herbert Read defined works of art as “pattern informed by sensibility”. 

In this exhibition we reveal different ways that patterns have been explored, interpreted and sometimes disrupted by artists, designers and scientists. All of the objects, artworks and specimens on display are from the University of Dundee Museum Collections.   There is limited time left to see this as the exhibition runs until next Saturday – 4th November – and more information is available at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/pattern-play with opening times.

Still Moving – Capturing Motion in Art and Science #dundeewestend

From the Curator of Museum Services, University of Dundee :

Our new exhibition in the Tower Foyer Gallery is now open.

‘Still Moving – Capturing Motion in Art and Science’ will be on display until 30th September and is open Monday to Saturday.

The world is constantly in motion around us. One of the challenges for both artists and scientists is how to capture movement in order to understand and express it, whether through still images or sets of data.

This exhibition explores some of the ways that motion has been captured in time both in art and science. All of the objects and artworks on display are drawn from the University of Dundee’s Museum Collections. We guarantee a moving experience!

Further details can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/still-moving-capturing-motion-art-science

Robert Leishman – The Poet’s Dreams

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

The current exhibition in the university’s Tower Foyer Gallery invites you to enter the dream-like world of painter Robert Leishman SSA RSW (1916-1989), who was highly acclaimed for his magical paintings featuring floating figures, birds, flowers and other symbolic imagery.

Born in Inverkeithing and trained in Edinburgh, Leishman taught art in various schools in Fife before coming to Dundee in the 1960s to teach at Kirkton High School.

He exhibited widely and was nationally renowned, yet this is the first significant exhibition of his work in over 30 years. It features a range of oils, watercolours and drawings from throughout his career including works never before seen in public.

The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday until 24th June – for further details visit www.dundee.ac.uk/events/robert-leishman-poets-dreams

Tayside’s Treasures


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

On behalf of the Tayside Museums Forum, we’re delighted to invite you to attend the third annual Tayside’s Treasures online event, taking place on Wednesday 31st May at 3pm.

What do a Pictish stone, a bus driver’s badge and a design for a public urinal have in common? They’re among the many thousands of unique and fascinating objects held in museums around Tayside.

This special live online event features a series of short presentations from staff and volunteers in 17 different museums across the region, in which you’ll discover that even the most ordinary looking object can have an amazing story to tell!

Find out more and book your place at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/taysides-treasures-a-cornucopia-of-objects-from-across-taysides-museums-tickets-633961956277

Got the message? #dundeewestend

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Our new exhibition Got the Message? in the Lamb Gallery at the university is now open as part of our contributions to Dundee Month of Design.

The exhibition explores the power of graphic design to change your life!

Featuring posters, product packaging, public health promotions and other material from the University of Dundee Museum Collections, we explore how text and images combine to influence the way you think or feel.

The exhibition also celebrates Dundee’s notable contributions to graphic design and advertising through the stories of many successful alumni from the Graphic Design course at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design.

The shows runs until 29th July and will be open Monday to Saturday.

Further details can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/got-message

Musical Chairs workshop #dundeewestend


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

This Saturday – 20th May – from 2pm to 4pm at the University of Dundee Tower Building there’s a Musical Chairs Workshop.

Join community musician and composer Claire Gorman to create a collaborative sound piece inspired by the shapes, colours, textures and stories of the University’s collection of 19th and 20th century chairs.

This is a chance to get up close with the University’s iconic chair collection and get creative in an afternoon of sound making.

Claire will guide participants through a collaborative process involving sound-making, mark-making, movement and creative writing to produce a final piece to be performed at the end of the session.

Expect a playful afternoon of creativity, sonic exploration and appreciation of chairs!

You can book at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/musical-chairs-workshop

Ian Kennedy – Celebrating a Comics Legend


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Ian Kennedy – Celebrating a Comics Legend

Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee

Ian Kennedy (1932-2022) is a legend in British comics. Acclaimed and respected by fans and fellow artists alike, his career in comics spanned over 70 years.

Born and educated in Dundee, Ian began work as a trainee illustrator in the Art Department at DC Thomson & Co in 1949. In 1954 he became a freelance artist and began doing work for Amalgamated Press in London as well as Thomson in Dundee. He became particularly known for his work in war comics, which led to his long association with DC Thomson’s Commando, illustrating well over a thousand covers between 1970 and 2022. 

In the late 1970s he moved more into science fiction and fantasy, creating work for 2000AD and Starblazer as well as drawing Dan Dare for the relaunched Eagle. Although semi-retired from 1997, Ian continued to work on Commando and other projects up until his death last year.

Ian leaves behind a huge legacy that will continue to inspire comics fans for generations to come. We are delighted to present this exhibition featuring a selection of original art from Ian’s studio and from the collections of DC Thomson. It features work from throughout his career as well as fascinating insights into his creative process.

More details are available at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/ian-kennedy-celebrating-comics-legend

Now on and runs until Saturday 6th May 2023.   Open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 7pm and 11am to 4pm on Saturdays.

Uncertain Territories and Museum Mooches


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Our programme for 2023 starts with a new exhibition, Uncertain Territories – Women & Nature, in the Tower Foyer Gallery.

The exhibition celebrates a variety of women artists and scientists from Dundee and beyond who have explored the natural world and left tangible traces through the artefacts, specimens and artworks in the University of Dundee Museum Collections. Whether through pioneering research, collecting or creating, these women have helped us to understand nature and the world around us.

The exhibition runs until 1st April and is open Monday to -Friday 9.30am-7pm and Saturday 11am-4pm.

Further details at www.dundee.ac.uk/events/uncertain-territories-women-and-nature

We’re also delighted to announce our latest series of Museum Mooches, part of our Museums for Wellbeing initiative. Each time we meet at the Enquiry Centre at DUSA and take you to a different part of the campus to explore some interest displays and collections.

Our upcoming programme is :

Friday 20th January, 2pm – Dalhousie Building Art Tour
Friday 3rd February, 2pm – Hawkhill House Tour
Friday 17th February, 2pm – Museum Mystery Tour!
Friday 3rd March, 2pm – Artists’ Book Collection Tour
Friday 17th March, 1.45pm (or meet at Ninewells at 2.30pm) – Medical History at Ninewells Tour

The Mooches have been designed mainly for students and staff but anyone is welcome to attend.

Full details on how to book for these and other events can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/events

Swing dancing taster class #dundeewestend

Dundee University Swing Dance is continuing the academic year with a new semester of classes and share the joy of swing dancing with you.

This class will be a taster of swing dance, perfectly suited to those new to swing or even new to dancing. 

It is also a great chance for the more experienced dancers among us to brush up on the basics and get back into the ‘swing’ of things! 

All welcome – and find out more at www.facebook.com/DUSwingDance

Make your own Arctic animal decorations #dundeewestend


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

You can make your own Arctic animal decorations at the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum at the University of Dundee on the final day of West End Christmas Fortnight – Saturday 10th December – from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Come and visit some of the Arctic and Antarctic animals found in the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum. Discover Narwhals, Penguins, Puffins, Walrus and Polar Bear skulls. 

There are many other amazing specimens from around the world for you to be inspired by as well. 

After exploring the Zoology Museum, you can have a go at making your own Christmas tree ornaments out of recycled papers and cards. 

We will be adding moving parts to bring your Polar animals to life!

You can book at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/make-your-own-arctic-animal-decorations-tickets-469845218697

Festival of the Future 2022

Festival of the Future is the University of Dundee’s flagship festival programme that celebrates and enhances collaboration between science, arts, and culture.

The festival this year is all about sharing experiences, connecting with nature, health, and wellbeing, and celebrating and protecting our spaces and places.

During the festival, you will be able to experience the sensations of forest bathing, design and build your own mini garden, top up your happiness supplies and explore the tranquil and natural spaces that we have right here on our very own doorstep.

There’s lots of great events next week and more details are available at www.dundee.ac.uk/festival-future/events

Woven Together – Dundee’s Slavery Connections

Woven Together Dundee is a community-based research project exploring Black and ethnic minority history in Dundee.

For this special live event as part of Black History Month, some of the project volunteers will discuss the stories they have uncovered about the city’s links to slavery.

Run in association with the Abertay Historical Society, the event will be held in Lecture Theatre 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee on Wednesday 12th October at 6.30pm.

The event is free to attend and full details including booking are available at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/woven-together-dundees-slavery-connections-tickets-403567339777

Dundee Community Music Festival

With thanks to Ed Muirhead of Face the Music here’s information from him about the community music festival next Saturday 8th October – featuring a variety of local musicians, choirs and bands.

It is running from 3pm to 9pm in the University of Dundee Chaplaincy Centre – and promises to be a great celebration with music of all kinds.

There’s sets from Tayside Makaton Choir and The Noteables choir – who will also both collaborate with a unique performance. There’s bagpipes, a folk duo and a performance from a school trad music group.

Plus, there’s songwriters circles showcasing popular artists taking turns singing their songs. And to round off the night, established Dundee band The Cundeez and new young band illiterate will each perform an acoustic set too.

If you can help spread the word, that would be great. To make it as inclusive and accessible as possible, entry by donation – with all proceeds going towards performers and enabling more community music in Dundee.

Further details are available at https://facemusic.co.uk/gigs/ – and on Facebook at :

www.facebook.com/FaceMusicUK

Dundee University Swing Dance Society #dundeewestend

The Dundee University Swing Dance Society recently contacted us, advising us :

“We teach and dance timeless vintage dances like lindy hop, charleston and solo jazz.

We are hoping to reach out to the people in the local community and last time we were dancing at the Magdalen Green jazz band concert, a few ladies have reached out to us for more information.”

We have assisted the society to get publicity about its classes onto local community noticeboards in the West End.

The society’s taster class is tomorrow – Thursday 29th September – at 7pm at DUSA on floor 5.

This event is open to everyone – both students and non-students. You don’t need a partner and you don’t need any special equipment.

Just bring yourself, clothes/shoes you can move in and some water as swing can get pretty warm.

All welcome and more details at www.facebook.com/events/1119493702013955

Public Art & Design Walking Tour – Blackness #dundeewestend

Tomorrow – Wednesday 6th July – at 2pm!

Dundee has an exceptional collection of over 600 sculptures, murals, mosaics and other forms of public art.

As part of the Public Art Dundee initiative, university museum curator Matthew Jarron will lead an informal walking tour round artworks in the Blackness area, including ceramics, murals and mosaics, many created as part of the pioneering Blackness Public Art Programme 1982-85.

Please meet outside the School of Life Sciences at the top end of Old Hawkhill.

Participants take part in these walks at their own risk. Please wear appropriate footwear. There may be uneven surfaces and occasional stairs.

Please contact museum@dundee.ac.uk or 01382 384310 in advance if you have any access requirements.

More information is available at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-art-design-walking-tour-blackness-tickets-360402041207

World View – Travelling the Globe through Art & Design

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

World View – Travelling the Globe through Art & Design

Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee

Running now until 22nd July 2022

Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm

Over the past two years the pandemic has prevented most of us from travelling. At the same time, we are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of travel.

This exhibition presents an opportunity to see the world remotely through the creative eyes of previous travellers over the past 200 years – artists who used different cultural experiences as inspiration for their work, though often seen through a western, colonial viewpoint.

The exhibition also features a range of traditional and modern designs from other parts of the world – from Korean ceramics to Scandinavian textiles and beyond. All of the objects and artworks on display are drawn from the University’s own Museum Collections.

See more at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-view-travelling-the-globe-through-art-design-tickets-330492330457

Let’s Go Round Again


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Our new exhibition is open in the Lamb Gallery :

Let’s Go Round Again

Runs until 22 April 2022, Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm

Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee

This exhibition features a selection of work by artists and designers who studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee in 1968-72.

Since graduating they have followed many different paths, in art education and administration, social work, graphic design and photography among others.

Now they have reunited to show new work alongside some of their original student pieces. The show features a diverse range of paintings, textiles, jewellery, photographs, prints and ceramics.

More information and booking details – www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-go-round-again-tickets-258613870047

The Marvellous Menagerie of Alex Heywood

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Our new exhibition in the Tower Foyer Gallery features digital prints by the artist Alex Heywood.
Alex studied Animation at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, graduating in 2017.

He has since attracted international attention for his unique digital artworks, featuring an extraordinary menagerie of curious yet familiar animals.

Each of his illustrations creates an imaginary world teeming with quirky details. The exhibition features a selection of his work alongside some unusual animals from the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum. 

It will be open Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm until Friday 17th December.

Booking is not essential but is encouraged – see booking details here.

Comics and Creature Curation – Creative Workshop


From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

This Saturday (20th November) from 2pm to 4pm at the Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, University of Dundee, you can join us for a comics workshop imagining the lives behind the animals in the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum. 

Learn more about comics and create your very own comic strips inspired by the inhabitants of the museum, hosted by comics artist Cat Laird.

We’ll start in the Lamb Gallery where you’ll see both comics and animals in our Drawn exhibition, before heading over to the Zoology Museum.

Places must be booked in advance at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/comics-and-creature-curation-creative-workshop-tickets-199030404297

‘Drawn’ exhibition at the Lamb Gallery #dundeewestend

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

We’re pleased to announce that now that semester has started, our main museum venues are re-opening! The Tower Foyer & Lamb Galleries are open Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm (we hope to resume Saturday openings in the future) and we’ve just created a new exhibition for the Lamb Gallery, entitled Drawn.

Drawing is often seen as the fundamental basis of art, as well as being an important tool in other forms of creative thinking.     This exhibition presents highlights from the University’s wide-ranging collection of around 2,000 drawings. 

It includes rarely seen work by many renowned artists including Thomas Gainsborough, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, W Q Orchardson, David Foggie, James McIntosh Patrick, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, David Mach, Will Maclean, Stephen Sutcliffe, Annie Cattrell and many others. 

Come along to see portraits, life studies, topographical drawings, scientific diagrams, drawings for sculpture, fashion illustrations, comics art and much more!

The exhibition is on until 21st January but will be closed on Fri 22nd October and for Christmas Monday 20th December until Tuesday 4th January. 

Further information, and details of COVID safety, can be found at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/drawn-an-exhibition-of-drawings-tickets-178684499147

The Nature of Empire – Decolonising the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

The Nature of Empire – Decolonising the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum – being presented on Wednesday 26th May from 6pm to 7.15pm

Like many natural history museums, D’Arcy Thompson’s zoology collection was largely acquired during the colonial era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Many of the museum’s specimens come from colonies and dominions of the British Empire as well as the colonies of other European countries.

Often, these animals were killed by trophy hunters or by the agents of professional natural history dealers who exploited other countries in order to collect animals for profit.

Some of the specimens in the museum are from species that are now extinct or endangered because of colonial activity, and the scientific research that such specimens were collected for often reinforced racist or colonial beliefs.

This live online event explores some of the previously hidden stories of the museum’s connections to empire, slavery and racism, as part of an on-going project to decolonise the collections. We are also delighted to welcome guest speakers to provide further context to the project.

Speakers –

Matthew Jarron, Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee

Philomène Dubrun, MPhil student in Museum & Gallery Studies at the University of St Andrews

Sheila Asante, Project Manager for Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums at Museums Galleries Scotland

Rebecca Machin, Natural Sciences Curator at Leeds Museums & Galleries and a PhD student at the University of Leeds

The event is free and places can be booked here.

In D’Arcy Thompson’s Footsteps : Science, Technology and the Classics

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

I’m delighted to advise of this special event on Tuesday 16th February at 5.30pm.

It is a free online event co-organised by the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum, University of Dundee and Tufts University, Massachusetts

D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson is best known for his ground-breaking book On Growth and Form, which laid the foundations for the science of mathematical biology. However that was just one of his many publications, and this special live event focuses on an exciting interdisciplinary project led by Tufts University in Massachusetts, exploring D’Arcy’s 1895 book A Glossary of Greek Birds. 

This extraordinary book combines his deep knowledge of natural history with his love for classical studies and mythology. Building on D’Arcy’s own belief in fostering diversity and dialogue among disciplines, this unique project brings together a team of humanists and scientists to uncover the contemporary relevance of a forgotten classic.

Speakers:

Matthew Jarron, Curator of Museum Services, University of Dundee

Marie-Claire Beaulieu, Associate Professor, Classical Studies, Tufts University

Michael Reed, Professor of Biology, Tufts University

Anthony Bucci, Lecturer, Computer Science, Tufts University

Jennifer Burton, Professor of the Practice, Drama and Dance, Tufts University

Zachary Fletcher, Senior Software Developer, Perseids Project, Classical Studies, Tufts University

The event will be held live on Zoom and to book a place, please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-darcy-thompsons-footsteps-science-technology-and-the-classics-tickets-139945455625