19 April 2011

Kengo Kuma 'The Answer is Architecture', Saturday May 21st - Extra lecture added due to demand

Kengo Kuma, the lead architect on the V&A at Dundee project, will now present a double lecture at the University of Dundee due to unprecedented demand for tickets.

Mr Kuma was originally scheduled to give his first public lecture in Scotland at 6 pm on May 21st. Now an earlier presentation of the same lecture has also been scheduled for 12.30pm the same day to allow as many people to hear it as possible.

'We have literally hundreds of requests for tickets already for the evening lecture and it quickly became apparent that if we were to meet demand then we would need to invite Mr Kuma to give the lecture twice,' said Judith Barnard, Director of External Relations at the University of Dundee.

'Mr Kuma has very generously agreed to do this, so we are delighted that now hundreds more people will get to hear him speak.'

Kengo Kuma & Associates won the design competition for the V&A at Dundee building, which is set to transform Dundee and reconnect the city to the water.

A Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Tokyo, Mr Kuma also holds the prestigious Architectural Institute of Japan Award (1997).

His public lecture is titled 'The Answer is Architecture' and will be presented at the University's Dalhousie Building on Saturday May 21st, from 12.30 pm and then again from 6pm. The events are open to all and admission is free, but entrance is strictly by ticket only, due to demand. Overspill theatres may also be in use to accommodate as many people as possible - seating in the main auditorium will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tickets are available through the University’s online store - www.buyat.dundee.ac.uk - or by calling the Events Office on tel: 01382 385564.

In this exclusive lecture, Mr Kuma will explore the role that architecture has in connecting people to their environment. He will discuss how a well-designed building acts as an operating system for society and can mark a defining moment of civilisation.

The title of the lecture answers the question of whether a building can enhance our relationship with the environment rather than detracting from it.

For more on the V&A at Dundee see www.vandaatdundee.com

The V&A at Dundee is being delivered by Design Dundee Ltd, a partnership between the V&A and Dundee City Council, the Universities of Dundee and Abertay Dundee, and Scottish Enterprise.

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
MOBILE: 07800 581902