Celebrating Dundee’s magnificent seven

7 Cities art installation will showcase Dundee’s place on the international stage as opening of V&A museum approaches

A new art installation will celebrate Dundee’s links with its seven sister and twinned cities around the world.

Dundee’s 7 Cities will launch at the Overgate centre next Saturday, showcasing West Dundee and Alexandria in the USA, Orléans in France, Zadar in Croatia, Germany’s Würzburg and Nablus in Palestine as well as Dubai.

Centre bosses said they wanted to highlight the city’s place on the international stage ahead of the opening of the V&A in the autumn.

Large white cubes will feature line drawings of iconic Dundee landmarks such as the V&A, The Law and Tay Bridge, as well as attractions from the seven other cities.

Malcolm Angus, Overgate centre manager, said: “We are delighted to be announcing the Overgate Dundee’s 7 Cities campaign.

“Over the next eight weeks, the installation within the centre will highlight the wonderful connectivity and stories between Dundee and our sister and twinned cities internationally.

“Ahead of the opening of the V&A in September, Dundee’s 7 Cities is a timely opportunity to celebrate these shared global connections and we look forward to welcoming everyone.”

Artists from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design will conduct live decoration of the giant cubes in the Overgate on July 14 and 15.

As each line drawing is completed, shoppers will be invited in to the area to begin personalising them with colour and details.

Once complete, the cubes will contain a wealth of information and will serve as a virtual tour for the consecutive days of the campaign.

Elsewhere on the cubes, members of the public will be able to read heartwarming pen pal letters sent between pupils of Ancrum Road and Clepington Road Primary Schools in Dundee and their friends overseas.

A cube with fun facts about the seven cities and an optical illusion selfie station will be installed, while a “this is my Dundee”wall will allow the public to express what the city means to them.

On July 28, a storytelling event about the seven cities will take place in the Overgate between 11am and 4pm.

Aspiring artists are being urged to submit their ideas for a tribute to Dundee’s iconic RRS Discovery as part of the twinning installation.

One of the cube panels will be devoted to the Discovery, which is the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain, designed for Antarctic research and now a centrepiece visitor attraction in the city.

The successful artist will be invited to creating their own visual interpretation of a tribute on the panel.

The successful artist will also have their end result featured in a major art display at Overgate in September.

To enter, an example of artwork should be delivered either by hand to the customer service desk in the Overgate or by email FAO Metta Ramsay to info@overgate.co.uk. Entries must be submitted by July 11. The successful artist must be available to complete the RRS panel next Saturday.

The RSS Discovery cube would be a chance for Dundee to show off its heritage to its international friends in the twinned and sister cities.

George Laidlaw of Dundee Wurzburg Twinning Association said: “Dundee 7 Cities is a brilliant initiative and Dundee Würzburg Twinning Association are delighted to have engaged youngsters in our twin city exchange. We are looking forward to developing the displays and congratulate Overgate in coming up with such a great idea involving the whole community.”

Dundee’s 7 Cities is a timely opportunity to celebrate these shared global connections

Dundee’s 7 Cities school pen pals.