The University of Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, or DJCAD, has opened to the public after two years of pandemic induced restrictions.
This years crop of some 300 graduates are now able to realise the culmination of four years of hard work as intended and present their artistic endeavours to loved ones, visitors, and industry experts.
The extensive show has something for everyone and covers subjects from animation, architecture, digital interaction and product design, jewellery, sculpture, fine art, and textiles.
The breadth of talent is staggering as you travel through the warren of corridors and rooms that make up the college and it seems an impossible task to take everything in.
However, after talking with the artists, it becomes clear that there are overarching emotions and approaches to the work that ties the show together beautifully, that of adaptability, transformation, and resilience during the pandemic.
Nathan Price, who is graduating with a first class degree in fine art, told us about his practice as an artist being one of repurposing found objects and the continual transformation of his own artwork.
His enthusiasm for documenting his practice online, which has attracted scores of fans to his Instagram account, is credited to the trials of lockdown and a way for him to get his work seen by the public when physical spaces were closed.
His show ‘High Voltage’ is a ‘by-product of the creative process’ where ‘prioritising the creation over the result’ allows his work a freedom bound only by the limitations of his own imagination.
Likewise, Alice Potter, who graduates with a degree in Interior and Environmental Design, has implemented the idea of reimagination to her project ‘The Production Stage’, a remodelling of the former site of Dundee Rep Theatre.
By considering the city of Dundee as a stage and the residents as performers, she has envisioned a space which is both elegant in design and functionality providing a ‘seamless flow from exterior to interior’ allowing for a ‘dynamic and multi-sensory site’.
Alice credits her hybrid online and in-person experience whilst studying as an opportunity to become more resourceful and creative, allowing her to be more abstract in her decision making.
Chloe Fitzpatrick, who has secured a first-class degree in jewellery and metal work, has taken the idea of being a mixed media artist to another level. Her other-worldly jewellery looks both sculptural and organic, an aesthetic achieved by using actual live bacteria.
Inspired by a module she took as part of her degree course that explored the relationships between art and science, Chloe embarked on a collaborative final year project in which she worked with the School of Life Sciences to cultivate bacteria taken from her own body.
By layering the bacteria she grew in the lab and trapping them in a hard resin, Chloe has produced a body of work which breaches the traditional boundaries of her craft and forged not only beautiful jewellery but a dynamic collaboration between laboratory and studio.
Dean of DJCAD, Professor Anita Taylor, says: “It’s fabulous to be opening our doors and welcoming our friends, champions and supporters to the degree show in person this year.
“The excitement of experiencing first-hand the creativity of our students is palpable across our community, the city and beyond.”
DJCAD’s degree show runs until May 29th and is free to enter, tickets are available here.
