7 March 2008

Exhibition: The Home Office

Cooper Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee

Press opportunity: 2pm, Mon 10 March
The Home Office
Gavin Renwick
8 March - 11 April
Evening event: Thursday 27 March, 6-8pm

A new exhibition showing the work of a Dundee researcher with the First Nation people in Canada explores land us, ownership and home will be launched tomorrow in the Cooper Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone.

The exhibition, called The Home Office, will be supported by a series of discussions based on the same topic.

Gavin Renwick has spent a decade working as an artist-researcher in Canada’ s Northwest Territories where he has helped facilitate cultural continuity for traditional communities. Part of this exhibition shows Renwick's engagement with First Nation ideas of home, space and society within the context of post-colonial self-determination and land claim. The exhibition will include a documentation of his work with pictures, video and papers from the last ten years.

With Gavin Renwick making the gallery his work space for most of the project, his ‘office’ becomes a place for discussion with the public and invited representatives. Individuals invited to contribute to this lively discussion programme come from the fields of law, anthropology and art. Broadcaster and writer Lesley Riddoch is one of the contributors on Thursday 27 March at 2pm.

We also welcome Alistair McIntosh, his best-known work including Scottish land reform especially with the islanders buyout of the Isle of Eigg (1990 - present) and the Harris superquarry battle (1992 - 2004). He will talk with Gavin on Tuesday 18 March at 2pm. Patrick Scott and Alison de Pelham will also be guests - both with experience of working with First Nations communities, they are based in Canada and undertaking PhDs at University of Dundee.

Gavin Renwick is Professor and Chair of Art & Policy at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.

For more information about the discussion events please see our website www.exhibitions.dundee.ac.uk.

Gavin Renwick’s research has been supported by:
Dundee City Council, Leisure and Communities; School of Fine Art, DJCAD; Visual Research Centre, University of Dundee; The Edzo Institute, Yellowknife; Northwest Territories Arts Council; Chief Jimmy Bruneau School, Edzo

The exhibition has been sponsored by: Total Business Solutions; No 25; R.W.L Ltd. Civil Engineers/Builders/Utilities/Developers

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

For media enquiries contact:
Anna Day
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk