14 February 2008

General Foundation Showcase 2008 - Preview - Friday 22nd February 2008, opening 3.30pm

The work of over 160 of Scotland’s brightest young artists will go on show at Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee later this month.

The General Foundation Showcase 2008 offers the chance to see the creations of the 1st Year students from Fine Art, Design, and Media Arts and Imaging as they embark on their chosen specialism at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University of Dundee.

Now a successful annual event, this year’s exhibition promises to be a celebration of creativity and diversity, with evocative work that challenges both students and audience, all illustrating how artistic talent continues to be successfully developed through the General Foundation programme.

"On the General Foundation course in Art and Design we are developing the skills that our students can not only use throughout their time at Duncan of Jordanstone but in their future careers," said Course Director Roderick Chisholm.

"Our students have the ability to think laterally and solve complex problems. The work on show in this exhibition demonstrates their capacity for expressive interpretation and formulation of ideas , their ability to embrace innovation and originality, and proves they are equipped with the resourcefulness to confidently deal with new concepts, technologies and materials."

Design students are presenting work from their ‘Film Fantasia’ project which involved developing a concept for a film and working with materials to create a key costume, prop or promotional campaign for their production. The students have been challenged to consider all aspects of their film and come up with an inventive piece of work for the exhibition.

The Fine Art students’ brief focussed on "The Seeing Body". This project is an introduction to the practice of Fine Art research, investigating a cross fertilisation of ideas, images and disciplines in relation to the use of the figure or body within the student's work that will manifest itself as paintings, drawings, prints, objects and sculpture, sound and video works, performances - both live and documented.

For the students entering into the School of Media Arts & Imaging, their project aim was to investigate the broad skills shared by Animation, Illustration and Time-Based Art. The students, working in teams, have created arresting imagery in various media for display in both static and moving sequences. The teams’ outcomes will be shown in a variety of forms including installation, projection and performance.

The annual General Foundation self-portrait exhibition will also be on show in the Bradshaw Art Space. This project is a long-standing part of the course, spanning at least three decades, where students are asked to make a self-portrait over the Christmas period. The students and staff portraits will be on show together displaying an exciting range of approaches to the classic subject of self-portraiture. With over 160 interpretations in one space this promises to be an impressive display.

Preview - Friday 22nd February 2008, opening 3.30pm
Both exhibitions run from Saturday 23 Feb - Friday 7 March 2008
FREE ADMISSION

General Foundation Showcase 2008 - Matthew Gallery, Matthew Building, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, 13 Perth Rd, Dundee. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am - 5.00pm, Sat 10.30 am - 4.30pm

General Foundation Self-Portrait Exhibition 2008 - Bradshaw Art Space, Crawford Building, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, 13 Perth Rd, Dundee. 23 Feb-7 March Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am - 5.00pm, Sat 10.30 am - 4.30pm

For further information or images please contact Jenny Brownrigg or Laura Simpson on 01382 385330 / j.brownrigg@dundee.ac.uk

Notes to Editors:
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and The University of Dundee must be mentioned in any articles. Thank you.

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, 13 Perth Rd, Dundee DD1 4HT Free Admission Gallery Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 10.30am-4.30pm

T: +44 (0)1382 385330 E: exhibitions@dundee.ac.uk

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk