26 January 2001
Stunning Textile Design for new Macmillan Centre
A competition for students in the Printed Textile Department of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art has produced a spectacular concept for a wall hanging, which will now be commissioned for the entrance foyer of the soon-to-be-completed Macmillan Day Care Centre at Roxburghe House, Dundee.
The competition was held for 3rd and 4th year textile students during the last academic year and three finalists were chosen during the summer to develop their initial design ideas to create proposals for the wall hanging.
The two runners-up, Alison MacLeod and Monica Paton, will each receive a small award in recognition of their time and work on the project.
The winner, Cara Noble, 22 from Balmullo in Fife, will now follow through her original concept and create the work of art, which will be permanently sited within the new centre at Roxburghe House.
Cara Noble graduated in July 2000 with a first class honours degree in printed textiles. She has already exhibited in London and Glasgow and has had designs purchased by top American fashion houses.
"Bringing the outside in" is the theme of Cara's design. The combination of handpainting on natural slate found in nature and the colour and mix of spontaneous mark-making represents the cultivated countryside. Cara, spurred on by this recognition hopes to pursue public art as she believes in the worth of art for everyone's aesthetic enjoyment.
Liz Goss, Speciality Manager in Palliative Care in Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust and Angela Jameson, Fundraising Manager for Macmillan Cancer Relief in Tayside presented the awards.
"This piece of work vividly demonstrates the very real partnership between health services, the community and Macmillan," stated Angela Jameson. "We have endeavoured to incorporate art into the very fabric of the new centre from the beginning, to create a special place for those who will benefit from the care provided there. We are delighted that Cara's design will soon become a reality and we'd also like to thank all the finalists for their wonderful ideas and designs."
Chris Kelly is the Arts Development Adviser to the Roxburghe House project.
"As part of the design of the environment of this new building, we have developed a programme using art and artists to help create a unique identity for the unit," Chris explained. "This has meant purchasing artworks, commissioning professional artists and now involving a student project within the programme. The winning design will look stunning and really enhance the entrance to the new building."
Andy Taylor is the Course Director, Printed Textiles Department, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.
"This has been a great opportunity for all the students who took part to apply their design ideas to a real site. The three finalists all worked hard on their submissions and gained valuable experience from it. It's also very good for us here at the college to show that we can be involved with the community in Dundee and particularly with this new facility."
The printed textiles department at the University of Dundee is one of the best in the country continually producing graduates that go on to commercial success in both the fashion and the public arts industries.
Stunning Textile Design for new Macmillan Centre.
---ends---
Note to editors: Reporters/photographers invited to attend photocall on Friday January 26 at 2pm in the Printed Textile Department, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Perth Road, Dundee.
Contact:
Julie Bell
Communications/Press Officer
Tel: 01307 464551
Mobile: 07740 937365