23 April 2013

Portrait pays tribute to DJCAD patron

A spray-paint portrait on the grounds of Duncan of Jordanstone College of the Art and Design (DJCAD) has paid tribute to the philanthropist whose name the college takes.

In 1909, James Duncan of Jordanstone and Drumfork bequeathed £60,000 (more than £5million in today's money) for the teaching of industrial art in Dundee. Daphne Percy-Chorafa (19), a First Year student at DJCAD, created her portrait of Duncan after carrying out research into the city's history for her course.

Having painstakingly created stencils for the piece, Daphne sprayed the 2m-squared portrait, which takes the best-known image of Duncan as its source and uses a vivid combination of blue paints to depict the college's patron. With permission from the college, it has now been sprayed on a wall adjacent to the Crawford Building, one of the two buildings that comprise DJCAD.

Daphne, originally from Greece, said she was inspired to create the portrait after learning about the history of DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee.

"I was intrigued by how an industrial city like Dundee was at the time came to have such a good art school," she said. "Our illustration module asked us to create a large scale illustration that was somehow connected to Dundee, so I chose to research the history of the art school, which was more relevant to me.

"Fortunately, my tutors liked what I did and I got permission to spray the work behind the Crawford building. The aim of the piece is to inform DJCAD students of the founder of the college, who they wouldn't be here without. Making the stencils was the most difficult and time-consuming part. Once I got beyond that, spraying the portrait was relatively easy."

DJCAD is currently gearing up to celebrate its 125th anniversary later this year. The former Dundee Technical Institute in Small's Wynd, now part of the main University of Dundee campus, was created in 1888.

The art school went through several guises and formed part of several different institutions before being officially renamed Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in recognition of the bequeathal in 1974, and merging with the University 20 years later.

Tens of thousands of talented artists and designers have trained at DJCAD over the past 125 years, and the management team are to mark the anniversary with a commemorative book, exhibition and other events scheduled for later in the year.

In preparation for this, they are seeking to engage with as many members of the DJCAD community, past and present, as possible. Anyone who wishes to share their memories of Dundee's famous art and design college can do so by joining the 'DJCAD Memories' Facebook page, www.facebook.com/DjcadMemories, completing the form at www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/125th-form/, or emailing m.s.macdonald@dundee.ac.uk

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277