Talks and projects

While studying BA Art and Contemporary practice at Perth UHI, we attend regular talks online by inspiring people and projects.

Image: https://www.sessionlab.com/blog/team-building-ted-talks/

29 Nov 2021

We are required to go on a placement while studying our degree in February next year. This afternoon we had a talk from Heather Boag who works at Perth College UHI in the Business Support Team in regard to our placements. Placements are of key importance due to work experience and building contacts and networks. I have been employed for many years but a placement relevant to my practice is invaluable and could lead to future employment or volunteer opportunities. Heather discussed key issues such as ethics, conduct and GDPR and the importance of remembering we are acting on behalf of Perth UHI organisation. I have made contact with a few people and one is not possible but I am pursing other opportunities and hope to secure a placement soon.

1 Nov 2021

Today we heard from a speaker close to home - Christabel McGarvey (Study Skills Supporter) based at the learning zone at Perth UHI. This was a really useful talk as we have two academic essays to write this year and were given great tips on how to break up the assignment questions and how to structure an essay. We also covered Harvard Referencing and although I have used this a few times now, there is always something that I haven't been doing quite right. It's good to know that Christabel in on campus and has provided links to her presentation and links to other really useful information.

Image: https://sites.google.com/site/technologytoolboxforeducators/academia/writing

25 Oct 2021

Chris Kelly (Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust)

Creative engagement through the arts is a huge benefit to the health and wellbeing of people recovering from or living with long term conditions.

Programmes are delivered in partnership with NHS Tayside, the three Health and Social Care Partnerships in Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross, national organisations or autonomous local groups. THAT is charitable organisation who employs professional Lead Artists to run programmes and input to their creative engagement content. Volunteer Artists support to the Lead Artists and gain valuable experience of Arts in Health work.

Finding from their reports show that combined benefits recorded by Art Form shows the most significant response is to the Visual Arts with around 93% willing to participate in further Art Programmes. Not only do the engagement activities improve the participants health and well-being but it brings benefits to carers/staff and family. Chris stressed that a great deal of patience and flexibility is required from the artist creating a participatory programme for certain groups, as everything can change as soon as it begins. Great work has taken place with participatory and non-participatory activities such as music and art programmes visiting care homes, hospitals with colourful and illustrative murals created in hospital corridors and colour coded art to assist with memory in sheltered accommodation.

Image: https://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/OurServicesA-Z/TaysideHealthcareArtsTrust/PROD_210415/index.htm

27 Sept 2021

Scott Hudson (Dundee Print Collective)

Dundee Print Collective (DPC) was formed by artists based in Dundee in 2013. DPC’s ethos is to encourage and engage both artists and individuals with no formal art training, to participate in the collective’s projects. The collective is growing and currently has over one hundred active participating members, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Their principles are to promote printmaking as a creative and collaborative medium of expression, which is inclusive and socially engaging to a wide and broad demographic.

I happened to be in Arbroath just before this talk and picked up a local art newspaper and lo and behold, here are the designs discussed by Scott, featured in brightly coloured print. I love the simplicity of the design and the symbolic references to the local area. Very eye catching. Sadly, the festival had taken place a few months earlier and I couldn't see the flags in their location.

Image: https://dundeeprintcollective.com/

20 Sept 2021

Deveron Projects - Robyn Wolsley

Deveron Projects is an arts organisation based in Huntly, a market town in the north east of Scotland. The small team have worked with the history, context and identity of the town since 1995. They work with the idea that The Town is the Venue, and create socially engaged projects that connect artists from around the world with communities and places. Invited artists are encouraged to live in the community while creating their projects - as being part of local life, provides a better understanding of the culture, its strengths, its problems and how they can be solved.

Image: https://www.deveron-projects.com/home/

20 Sept 2021

Tinsel Edwards

Tinsel Edwards is a fairy!...really!...she has just semi-retired her wings for now. She is also a Glasgow-based artist who works with paints, printmaking, installation and public art stunts.

In her work, she makes references to her everyday experiences and responds to a variety of social and political issues with humour, emotion and honesty.

Working with fellow fairy Twinkle as a duo they have collaborated in a series of stunts such as kidnapping a banker, posing as Traffic Wardens - always with a message and often a theme of interaction. Tinsel is brave and opinionated, but wants to find out what the public are thinking too by creating debate - often controversial. I enjoyed her honesty and revealing what didn't work and the fierce determination to continue to wear her fairy wings despite people ripping them off or burning them. I believe her wings will re-appear again when the time it right and she will emerge as a grown up fairy.

Image: https://artistscollectingsociety.org/news/artist-spotlight-edwards/ © Lady Ray of LRC Photography

13 Sept, 2021

Anthony Schrag

Dr Anthony Schrag is Senior Lecturer of Arts Management and Cultural Policy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He is also a practising artist and researcher. He uses performance art to challenge what we are used to thinking is art and does this by working with people in a participatory manner instead of making things to put in galleries. His performance work (often involves himself) where he climbs on walls, inside cupboards, on fences and generally seeks to draw the attention of a curious crowd using the element of surprise and sometimes involving the audience. He is brave and puts himself in vulnerable situations which shows how passionate he is to engage with the public or is he just showing off? His work is engaging (whether we know why he is doing it) and a very likeable character which is maybe why he gets away with some of his controversial performances. Through his work he doesn't claim he can fix social, political or culture issues but he certainly instigates conversation. I think in certain works, the public may be confused but curious about his intentions - a bit like how we view street performers at the Edinburgh Festival - we usually stick around to see the outcome and walk away with a smile or are just baffled. Socially engaged success one way or another?

Image: https://dewarawards.org/fifteen/introduction/