Students get to the art of the matter

As Dundee University is transformed into Scotland’s largest exhibition space for the 2017 Art, Design and Architecture Degree Show, Gayle Ritchie takes a sneak peek

Apsychedelic shed that transports you to an other world, a giant steel rocking horse and an interactive installation that triggers classical music.

These are just three among thousands of works that will be on display when Dundee University is once again transformed into Scotland’s biggest exhibition space.

The annual Dundee Art, Design and Architecture Degree Show begins its 10-day run tomorrow night.

Almost 350 final year art students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and the department of architecture, within the School of Social Sciences, will showcase their work across a range of disciplines, including fine art, jewellery, animation, architecture, illustration and product design.

This year’s cohort will be hoping to emulate the success of the likes of Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz, illustrator Jo Basford, photographer Albert Watson, fashion designer Hayley Scanlan, film director David Mackenzie, video games pioneer Aaron Garbut, Star Wars animator Matt Cameron and the late painter Alberto Morrocco, who are all Duncan of Jordanstone alumni.

One of the star exhibits is an eightand-half-foot tall, 47-stone, steel rocking horse, depicting oppression and class tension within Scotland.

The giant Clydesdale was created by fine art student Ulrika Kjeldsen, 23, who is originally from the Aland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland.

She was inspired to study Scotland’s history after watching the play The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil at Dundee Rep last year.

“The Clydesdale represents the workforce of Scotland,” she said.

“The proud working horse is reduced to a plaything. I make art which the audience can touch and interact with in order to reflect on their own role in Scotland.”

An exhibit that evokes nostalgia and fun is Lucy Buchanan’s colourful installation, which focuses on being “uncool” and embraces the likes of Donny Osmond.

“Most things at art school are centred around being cool but I’m interested in stuff that’s not particularly cool,” said Lucy, 21, from Aberdour.

“I love the warmth, detail and imperfection of British stop-motion animations of the 1960s and 70s, such as The Clangers and this inspired me to create a pair of unworldy creatures, The Rumplesnumps, which feature in an animation.”

Meanwhile Zoe Gibson’s alternate world full of stories, colour, magic and dark humour has as its star attraction a psychedelic “red shed” which challenges perception and “overloads the eyes”.

Zoe, 22, from Edinburgh, explained: “A lot of my work is about colour and looks at perception. Inside the red shed, your eyes flicker and when you come out, you see different colours. It’s about creating another world.”

Keiran Connelly’s installation, Symphonic, encourages the public to reimagine their perception of classical concerts and invites people to play different parts of his “orchestra”.

“Going to classical concerts can be seen as elitist,” said Keiran, 22, from Dundee.

“Symphonic mixes traditional music with new technologies to create a new classical sensory experience which blurs the lines between audience and orchestra. It’s triggered by sound waves and amplification.”

Jewellery and metal design student Aimee Cargill, 21, from Glenrothes, designed some stunning neck pieces inspired by Scottish and Irish landscapes.

“I explored the Highlands and Islands and the mountains, seascape and lochs had a big impact on me,” she said.

Fossils found on beaches at East Wemyss and Crail form part of Joanne Hall’s installation.

“Fossils are a shadow of our ancient world – life forms inside rocks,” said Joanne, 29. “I wanted to explore the relationship with our past before humans existed and I also ground down some fossils into ‘fossil dust’ to make prints.”

Elsewhere, art philosophy student Mhairi Anton’s photos and prints are inspired by the 23-year-old’s experiences of anxiety and depression, while Mairi-Claire MacDonald’s Materialising Memories owes a debt to her grandfather’s love of storytelling.

“As a dementia sufferer, my grandfather’s fragmented memories are illustrated in my designs through collaging photography, texture and text,” she said.

Professor Paul Harris, dean of Duncan of Jordanstone, said visitors to this year’s exhibition were in for a treat.

“There’s a wide range of work, from cutting edge design to some very philosophical and haunting fine art,” he said.

“Many of these students will follow in the footsteps of top artists who studied here but they are big footsteps to fill.”

The Degree Show is a highlight in the city’s cultural calendar, with up to 15,000 visitors expected to attend over the course of the 10 days, generating in excess of £1.5 million for the local economy.

The preview takes place from 6pm-9pm tomorrow. The show opens to the public on Saturday and runs until May 28.