Degree Show films to be screened at DCA

Published On Tue 20 May 2014 by Grant Hill

Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) will this Friday help to celebrate the 2014 Degree Show at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) by screening films created by students exhibiting at this year’s event.

Twelve graduands from the Time Based Art & Digital Film (TBADF) and Art, Philosophy and Contemporary Practices (APCP) courses will have their work screened back-to-back at the 80-minute showcase from 3pm on Friday, 23rd May. The films will continue to be available to view individually at the Degree Show until Sunday.

Gair Dunlop, TBADF Programme Director, said, “Highlighting the exciting work of Dundee's brightest emerging artists and film makers, this show-reel celebrates the wide-ranging nature of the artist's moving image from this year’s graduating students. Working collaboratively as well as individually, these artists have produced a diverse range of work featuring a broad spectrum of artistic styles and interests.”

Graduates from the Time Based Art & Digital Film have gone on to have successful careers in the media, including working for the likes of BBC, Microsoft, Electronic Arts as well as establishing their own production companies. Last year’s star documentarist, Pawel Grzyb, won the Royal Television Society award for best factual film. This year, Alan McIlrath and Jeppe Nielsen’s ‘Corpach’ has made waves at the Creative Scotland/BAFTA student awards.

APCP Course Director Philip Braham said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for our graduating students to experience the thrill of seeing their work screened in an internationally renowned arts centre and I’m sure visitors will appreciate the skill, complexity and creativity they have demonstrated.”

APCP is a unique course in Scotland that combines the richness of philosophical enquiry delivered by the School of Philosophy at the University, with the interdisciplinary opportunities that Fine Art at DJCAD offers, supported by tutors of international standing in both disciplines. Graduating students are equipped to pursue theoretical or artistic careers, or both, as is increasingly the expectation in contemporary art practice.

The DJCAD Showcase at DCA takes place at 3pm on Friday, 23rd May. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance by calling 01382 909 900.

More than 245 exhibits are on display at the DJCAD Degree Show 2014, the city’s largest annual exhibition of art and design which remains open until Sunday, 25th May.

Students from all 11 undergraduate programmes are exhibiting the fruits of their labours across the two buildings and fourteen floors that comprise DJCAD, with every spare space exhibiting art and design. The show attracts thousands of visitors each year and is seen as a springboard for some of Scotland’s most exciting emerging artists.

DJCAD has a reputation as one of the leading art schools in the UK and many of its students go on to be world-renowned artists. Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz and nominees David Mach, Louise Wilson and Luke Fowler are all DJCAD alumni, as are photographer Albert Watson, fashion designer Hayley Scanlan, film director David Mackenzie, video games pioneer Aaron Garbut and the late painter Alberto Morrocco.

The DJCAD Degree Show is one of the highlights of the city’s cultural calendar, attracting some 10,000 visitors each year and generating in excess of £1million for the local economy in the process.

It is part of the Ignite Dundee festival, which runs from 16-31 May and showcases the very best of Dundee’s creative talent.

More details can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/degreeshow.      

Ignite Dundee is a partnership between Abertay University; Dundee Contemporary Arts; Dundee – One City, Many Discoveries; Dundee Rep Theatre; Leisure & Culture Dundee; University of Dundee and V&A Dundee.