Author Archives: UoD Web Team

Rethinking the Recession and our Role in its Making – 16th April 2013

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A blogpost discussing the topics covered at this event and written by Kirsteen is now available at the Bright Green Scotland website.

In the brutality of the recession we have an opportunity to redesign our society for the better. In order to do so however, we must recognise the causes of the recession rooted in law and in our relations with each other, which are often shaped by law. Only then might we stop fuelling economic inequality and invest in a fairer and more sustainable future. This talk by Kirsteen Shields from the School of Law at the University of Dundee, offered a beginners guide to public power and how any individual may influence it.

 

An audience listening to a talk in a cafe in Dundee

Stories from the Past: Women working in Dundee – 5th March 2013

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real rosie woman factory

This arts cafe talk by Laura Paterson used oral history recollections to explore aspects of women’s work in Dundee from 1945 to 1970. With the audience, Laura reminisced on Dundee’s past, particularly memories of homes, housing conditions, housework and the effect of labour saving devices.

“I’d a’ liked tae been a Teacher, But I never got the chance” – Mary Brooksbank.

A copy of the video of Laura’s talk will be available shortly.

 

Performance within Portraiture – 5th February 2013

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This talk by Clare Brennan, from the University of Abertay, discussed how her large scale oil paintings and small scale drawings seek to create performance within portraiture, using realism to portray the unreal. She finds the notion of creating fantastical narratives and portraying unattainable beauty within a single image an exhilarating challenge. Her paintings look at life as a series of little performances, short stories and dramatic plays.

Clare’s art is about story telling, holding the viewers attention, compelling them to unravel the tale.

You can view Clare’s talk including copies of her artwork below

 

From Lord of the Rings to the Hobbit: How Peter Jackson Draws in an Online Audience – 4th December 2012

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The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books have a huge fan base who have watched carefully as Peter Jackson has turned these iconic works into engaging films.

This presentation by Professor David Finkelstein – University of Dundee, examined how Jackson and his team have created a space for an online community to engage directly with Jackson, watch these films take shape, and ultimately feel part of the production process. As The Hobbit prepares to hit our screens, we ask how Jackson has used online, digital media to draw in and keep such fans on-board and engaged with his vision of JR Tolkien’s work.

You can view a full version of David’s talk by clicking on the video below.

 

Shipwrecks: Visualising Disasters at Sea – 6th November 2012, with Dr Chris Rowland

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Major disasters at sea such as the explosion and subsequent oil spill on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, and more recently, the partial sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise liner of the Italian coast have hit the headlines. The loss of life and damage to the environment are of significant concern to international governments, industry and the general public. When the news interest subsides, what happens next? How do we improve our understanding of these events and ensure that the locations are restored to their previous natural state. One of the first steps is to carry out sonar surveys of the site to better understand the condition of the wrecks and wreckage on the seabed. This presentation described how new 3D visualisation techniques developed in the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews is revolutionising this process, delivering unprecedented imagery to assist in disaster management and salvage.

This talk by Dr Chris Rowland – University of Dundee, was part of the Dundee Science Festival.

 

 

Learning from Leonardo: The lasting influence of Leonardo da Vinci on Medical and Anatomical art – 2nd October 2012

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Dr Caroline Erolin from the University of Dundee looked at who Leonardo da Vinci was and why he has come to be known as the archetypal Renaissance man.  A brief overview of the history of medical and anatomical art helped explain where Leonardo sat amongst his contemporaries.  His influence on medical and anatomical art was also examined by looking at where these fields are today and what future students can learn from this great master.

Negotiating the Past:Shakespeare’s Medieval Inheritance – 4th September 2012

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A portrait of William Shakespeare - close-up This  superb and topical talk on Shakespeare’s legacy was timed to coincide with the World Shakespeare Festival, which had been all over the TV screens.

Dr Jo George, from the English dept at the University of Dundee, discussed the medieval mystery and morality plays that inspired Shakespeare. Short scenes from these early dramas were performed by members of the JOOT Theatre Company.

This event was kindly hosted by the cafe at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum.

You can view the full talk as a playlist of six shorter clips here on YouTube.

Losing Focus on Sustainable Development – 12th June 2012 with Andrea Ross

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Our audience really enjoyed this thought provoking talk from Andrea Ross, Professor of Environmental law at the University of Dundee.

In May 2010, the UK Coalition Government set itself the objective of becoming the ‘Greenest Government yet’. But in July 2010 it  announced it was disbanding the Sustainable Development Commission.

By May 2011 it was being criticised in an open letter from 15 diverse organisations of losing its way on environmental issues and the ‘green economy’ and by May 2012 it had still failed to produce a new sustainable development strategy.

Moreover, while the Government appears fixated on using the term ‘sustainable’ regularly, it does so with little regard to the long term health of the planet preferring instead to focus on the ‘sustainability’ of the economy.

In her talk, Andrea highlighted this lack of leadership for sustainable development at the UK level. She also explored various ways of challenging short term thinking as well as promoting and supporting concern for the Earth’s limits.

This event was kindly hosted by the cafe at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum

Should Humanities Be Taught At University? – 1st May 2012 with Prof. Nicholas Davey

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On Tuesday 1st May 2012 Nicholas Davey, Professor of Philosophy in the School of Humanities at the University of Dundee presented this thought provoking discussion on the value of humanities education.

The Humanities tradition in British Universities is facing a serious challenge with regard to its relevance and financial viability within contemporary society. This talk covered some critical reflections on how the Humanities have become so badly misunderstood and what might be done to remedy this.

To view the talk in full see our playlist on YouTube

The Stuff of Life – Embracing the Everyday Through Art with Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen

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On Tuesday 17th April 2012 we hosted this talk from local artists from the University of Dundee.

Professor Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen’s diverse and creative practice is a site for production, social engagement, participation and reflection. They focus on key issues that affect our daily lives and will talk about projects such as:

WAR as Ever! that combined a unique set 16th century collection of prints about a 400 year old war and news coverage of the Iraq war,

http://www.mackenna-and-janssen.net/mackenna-and-janssen/WAR_AS_EVER!.html

The Poem Pedlar, a specially developed character based on the historical figure of a street vendor engaging a range of publics through visual responses to poems for StAnza 2012, Scotland’s poetry festival hosted in St. Andrews.

http://www.mackenna-and-janssen.net/mackenna-and-janssen/The_Poem_Pedlars_Blog/The_Poem_Pedlars_Blog.html