From its title, Olivia Laing’s book The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone might give the impression of being some solemn self-help manual or brooding biography; instead, it is an honest and heart-wrenching exploration into one of life’s inexplicable plagues: loneliness. Finding herself alone in an altogether unfamiliar and alienating city, Laing Read More
For the second year running the Jewellery and Metal Design Degree Show takes place in the department’s spacious and luminous south-facing studio. Entering like a kid in a sweet shop, everything captivates, this being after all the outcome of three years of intensive learning and discovery. This year’s exhibition, in general, shows a great strength Read More
Traversing the checkered corridor of the Crawford building feels like stepping onto the chessboard in Alice in Wonderland. You will encounter a dazzling play of light and shadows alongside moments of wonder, considered tenderness, magic imbued with striking symbolism. Linda Bolsakova’s exhibition registers on your body first; the climate of the room is cooled by Read More
How do we measure our success today? When do we know our lives have been fully lived? Amidst the noise of constant communication, what does it mean to whisper? Rachel Elliot’s cacophony of social anxiety throws these questions in our lethargic faces. Whispers through a Megaphone is the author’s debut in the written word. She Read More
The Fine Art course at Duncan of Jordanstone allows its artists creative freedom and the opportunity to work in an array of different mediums. Never is this more evident than in the annual Degree Show, where experimentation is on display and pushed to the limit. Upon entering an almost pitch-black studio near the stairwell on Read More
The 2016 DJCAD Undergraduate Degree Show will be displaying, amongst others, pieces by the Time Based Art and Digital Film soon-to-be graduates. This review will be looking at the works of three artists in that course. James McMaster’s work focuses on wildlife, more specifically the way animals are observed and portrayed in culture. The first Read More
The quality of printmaking in this year’s Degree Show is superb. Students’ work showcase a multitude of approaches to this art form, with many of the exhibitions containing printed elements in some form such as posters, zines and artists’ books. There are works which incorporate printmaking into sculptural assemblages. In Anna Wallace Reid’s installation on Read More
When Degree Show time of year rolls around, a peculiar mix of emotions seem to linger within the walls of University art buildings. The sense of release is almost palpable; an enormous bubble of built-up tension and stress over the last few months having finally burst, leaving the products of true inspiration, hard graft, creative Read More
Tucked away in a corner of the Matthew building, the Final Year sculpture was worth the long walk from the main entrance. Behind unassuming doors, imposing pieces lie silently waiting to be discovered. All of the above pieces of work share common themes: they are all monochrome; they all make us think about life and Read More
Sheri Benning’s first full poetry collection consists of previous publications with several new pieces. Her new title, The Season’s Vagrant Light, is a beautiful and sensuous collection, addressing interpersonal relationships, place and memory and showcases Benning’s growth as a poet. Benning’s ability to conjure vivid and beautiful images from the seemingly ordinary or mundane infuses Read More