‘Real Unicorns and Other Strange Tales’ – public lecture on 11th August

Published On Wed 6 Aug 2014 by Grant Hill

Renowned art historian Professor Martin Kemp will next week question the truthfulness of words and images during a public lecture at the University of Dundee.

‘Real Unicorns and Other Strange Tales’ takes place on Monday, 11th August. It forms part of the Triennial Conference of the International Association of Word and Image Studies (IAWIS/AIERTI) being hosted by the Universiy-based Scottish Word and Image Group (SWIG).

SWIG Chair Dr Keith Williams explained, “Since the Renaissance, more and more convincing techniques for picturing reality have allowed artists to claim their works are made ‘from life’. Eyewitness accounts could be translated into forms using words and images to make us believe what was pictured was the truth, as if we too were seeing it with our own eyes. Over centuries, illustrators have worked continuously to disarm or outflank our sense of disbelief.

“Martin will examine these issues using some classic case studies such as the unicorn, Dürer's rhinoceros and the duck-billed platypus, as well as everyday examples such as signs on toilet doors.  In the age of the internet and digital manipulation, the question of whether we can ever truly trust the truthfulness of images is more important than ever.”

Martin Kemp is Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at University of Oxford. He is considered one of the world's leading experts on visualisation in art and science.

From Monday 11th to Friday 15th August, SWIG will be hosting the Triennial. Dundee is the first UK destination for the conference, following previous conferences in Montreal, Philadelphia, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Zürich.

This year’s theme is ‘Riddles of Form: Exploration and Discovery in Word and Image’, and the conference will examine representation of science and technology in text, poetry, art, popular culture, film, print and digital media. More than 100 academics from all over the UK, Europe and the Americas will visit the University for the event.

Dundee’s history and reputation in both sciences and arts means the location is ideally suited to the theme, and the conference will specifically invoke the city’s scientific and cultural legacy through the foundational work of D'Arcy Thompson and Patrick Geddes.

‘Real Unicorns and Other Strange Tales’, takes place at the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre from 6pm on Monday, 11th August.

A drinks reception will follow this lecture, and free tickets are available online at www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets.

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