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Dundee pub ‘regulars’ take centre stage at 2024 art degree show

The annual degree show gives DJCAD students the chance to showcase their hard work - including an unusual piece about the city's pubs.

DJCAD student Joe McCowan was inspired by regulars in the pubs he worked at for his 2024 degree show project.
DJCAD student Joe McCowan was inspired by regulars in the pubs he worked at for his 2024 degree show project.

Every Dundonian has a local, and every local has a regular.

That’s the simple fact which inspired DJCAD student and budding furniture designer Joe McCowan as he created his final year project – bespoke bar stools for frequent visitors at Dundee venues he has worked in.

These include the George Orwell, Phoenix and DJCAD fave the Art Bar.

Joe explains: “The inspiration came from sitting down and having a laugh with these people over a pint.

“The unique character of these regulars, the jokes and stories that came from them, are what informed the designs.”

Now that the thirsty work of putting together the 400-student-strong degree show is over, Joe’s ready to raise a glass to Blind Derek, Wise John and John The Piles (who probably does not suffer from haemorrhoids), along with all the unique personalities that make our pubs so special.

And he’s not the only one.

Departments from graphic design to architecture are opening to the public on Dundee University’s Perth Road campus, with much ingenuity on show.

For nature lovers, Robyn Scanlon, already a mum and final-year student, opened City Flowers Garden Studio in Dundee’s Keiller Centre in February.

Robyn Scanlan at her City Flowers garden studio in the Keiller Centre. Image: Supplied.

This inspirational gallery and learning space informs her work, along with a community trail running during degree show week.

Painter incorporated late father’s ashes

Carrie Anne Doherty has devised some of this year’s most sombre work, having faced the loss of her father, who passed away on Christmas Day 2022 following struggles with alcoholism.

Carrie Anne Docherty dug deep for her final project, which pays tribute to her late father. Image: Supplied.

With support from her mother and siblings, Carrie has incorporated her dad’s ashes into a series of paintings alongside a film work that reflect on the relationship between grief and her Catholic upbringing.

She adds the process also memoralises her father’s own passion for art, saying: “He was always extremely supportive of my creativity, so I knew I wasn’t doing anything he would disapprove of.

Carrie Anne Docherty’s paintings incorporated her late father’s ashes. Image: Supplied.

“The process made me feel a lot closer to him, because I had to face my grief. I had to think about him often, the good and the bad, all of it.

“I hope the audience understands that this was my way of immortalising him, but done in a way that reflects how important art was to us both.”

Coos or yooths? Sculptor Ewan takes on the dark side of the shortbread tin

On a lighter note, the university featured Ewan Douglas‘s six-foot sculptures of Highland coos last month to launch this yearly showcase.

Ewan Douglas as his character Savage McTavish, for part of his installation. Image: Supplied.

The former social care worker now reveals they appear in his carnivalesque installation Albaland, an examination of Scottish stereotypes, with the cows representing youths often unkindly branded as ‘neds’.

“I wanted to show two contrasting stereotypes in one image,” he says.

Ewan Douglas’ 6ft Highland coos are surrounded by bottles of Buckfast. Image: Supplied.

“The cutesy Highland cow that adorns so many houses and coffee shops with the uneasy presence we experience when seeing a group of hooded teens. It highlights the real-life problems of youth gang culture in Scotland.”

Scots identity in question from designers

Scottish identity crops up across other departments, with Mairi Noonan in textile design exploring threats to Scots Gaelic.

Brought up in Fintry, Stirlingshire, Mairi doesn’t speak the language herself, though as a traditional music fan adds references to it in her work, including lines of poetry.

Textile designer  Mairi Noonan is exhibiting at the DJCAD 2024 Degree Show. Image: Supplied.

On jewellery and metal design, Leah Faulks has updated the sgian dubh, the traditional Highland dress dagger, using loose interpretations of tartan.

Leah remembers when seeking one for herself, the student found examples poorly crafted or relying on overly romantic motifs unsuitable for her “kilt and Doc Martens” style.

Leah Faulks is inspired by traditional Highland dress. Image: Supplied.

“They didn’t represent the rich and interesting history I had learned about,” she says. “I visited workshops of some wonderful and incredibly supportive makers. But few were my age and none that I could find were women.

“I found myself crafting the reimagined Scottish objects that I wanted to see and hope others can relate to them too.”

The DJCAD Art & Design Undergraduate Degree Show 2024 runs from May 25 to June 2.

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