Seat of learning
Philip Long, director of the new V&A Museum of Design in Dundee, tells us why a visit to the re-energised city should be on everyone’s bucket list
I am the director of the new V&A Museum of Design Dundee, now rising on the city’s waterfront and the first V&A museum in the world outside London. We’re hard at work constructing our new home, designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, and planning for our first years, getting ready for opening in 2018.
V&A Dundee is located in the Waterfront area of Dundee, all of which is being redeveloped to help re-energise the city, its life and its economy. In a beautiful setting on the Tay, Dundee has an extraordinary history. In the 19th century it was an industrial centre known around the world for the production of jute, used for everything from wagon covers in America to sandbags in the trenches. Like many other cities, its traditional industries have since declined, heavily affecting its economy and wellbeing.
But Dundee is a city undergoing a remarkable transformation, thanks
to the ambitions of its council, universities and colleges, its cultural organisations, and the energy of its businesses and citizens. The addition of V&A Dundee will help transform it even further, attracting attention from around the world. Already the city’s design achievements have been recognised – in 2014, Dundee was awarded City of Design status by UNESCO.
The Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design [dundee.ac.uk/djcad] is one of the best in the UK, while Abertay University [abertay. ac.uk] is a centre for excellence in computer game design: the best such course in Europe. More generally, this is a city with a thriving creative scene, where the creative economy plays an important role in turning around the city’s fortunes. Every day we see more restaurants, cafes and bars opening.
Of note is Dundee Contemporary Arts [dca. org.uk], a fantastic contemporary arts venue with a cinema, galleries, print studio, bar and restaurant. It acts as a cultural hub in a very interesting building, a former garage warehouse, designed by Richard Murphy. They also have a great shop selling design books and works from the print studio. Dundee is also home to the Dundee Rep Theatre [dundeerep. co.uk] and Scottish Dance Theatre, our national contemporary dance company [scottishdancetheatre.com], whose work always inspires and impresses.
The McManus art gallery and museum, housed in a remarkable 19th-century building designed by George Gilbert Scott, displays the city’s collections, which are very impressive [mcmanus.co.uk]. It was refurbished by Page\ Park Architects, a well-known Scottish practice. Generator Projects is another exhibition space showing interesting contemporary art [generatorprojects.co.uk], and Wasps Studios often have open days where you can buy work directly from the artists [waspsstudios.org.uk].
While discussing Dundee, it’s hard not to mention Newport-on-Tay, just across the water
Every day we see more restaurants, cafes and bars opening
in Fife. The Tatha Gallery recently opened there, showing 20th-century British art as well as emerging artists [tathagallery.com].
Not far away is Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, a fascinating and in part ancient country house revitalised in the 19th century for the ‘promotion of education in the arts’ by the romantic figure and collector Patrick Allan-Fraser [hospitalfield.org.uk]. Ever since then it has played a role in supporting the work of artists and designers, no more so than today with its re-energised programme. Check ahead to find out about its special open days and exhibitions.
Finally, for anyone interested in Scotland’s history, architecture and its connection with the monarchy, Glamis Castle, near Kirriemuir [glamis-castle.co.uk], is unmissable. A fairytale castle set at the head of the Angus Glens, full of wonderful art and design from across the centuries. It’s an exciting time, both for the team working on V&A Dundee and for the whole city. At the heart of our new museum will be galleries telling Scotland’s incredible and international design story, from the 15th century to the present. We want to make a major contri-bution to Scotland ’s culture, bringing great exhibitions to people that they might not otherwise see. We want to raise the profile of our country’s outstanding design history, which is not well known, and get people involved with creative design, which is part of everybody’s daily lives.