30 August 2013
Three-tonne vehicle to roll in and bring The Big Print to a conclusion
A three-tonne roadroller will this weekend be deployed to put the finishing touches to 10 new artworks celebrating Dundee's history, culture and landscape as the inaugural Print Festival Scotland (PFS) draws to a close.
'The Big Print' brought professional artists, students and local school and community groups together to create a series of 190 x 90cm lino tiles inspired by themes as diverse as the demolition of Tayside House, pioneering social reformer Mary Lily Walker and urban foxes.
The volunteers will congregate in the car park of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) on Saturday, 31st August to see The Big Print Roadroller print the designs on to paper and bring the eight-month project to a dramatic conclusion.
The resulting 10 new artworks will go on display in the Creative Learning Suite at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum, to coincide with the Modern Masters in Print Exhibition currently being held there.
The Big Print is one of more than 40 exciting projects, workshops and exhibitions taking place in Dundee and satellite venues across Scotland as part of the festival. PFS accompanies Impact 8, the world's largest and most prestigious printmaking conference which the University is currently hosting.
Examples of numerous types of printmaking techniques are showcased in the exhibitions, including etchings, screenprints, lithographs, mezzotints, monoprints and the latest digital printing technology.
The hundreds of volunteers who took part in The Big Print were introduced to traditional methods of printmaking as part of the project, which has been running since January. The project team initially worked with local schools and community groups in creating the tiles before opening the invite to anyone - professional or amateur - who fancied taking part.
Iona McCann, from Leisure & Culture Dundee's creative learning team, said, "We are very excited about Saturday's event and I'm sure everyone involved in the project can't wait to see the final prints.
"This is a city-wide project that we've initiated to introduce groups and individuals to printmaking. We began working with St Joseph's Primary, Blackness Primary, Victoria Park Primary, Morgan Academy, Monifieth High School, High School of Dundee, the International Women's Centre, Grey Lodge Settlement and the McManus Youth Action Group, and these groups created nine of the tiles, with the last one being created by the volunteers who have been coming in since May."
Each group was given a different theme, ranging from the women of Dundee to the city's history and landscape, and asked to produce a series of drawings inspired by them. The drawings were then incorporated into the final 10 lino-cuts.
Scott Hudson, a printmaker who is part of the Creative Learning Team, said, "We had a rotation with the schools, bringing them to the McManus and round the exhibitions for inspiration. There have been a couple of hundred people involved. The whole idea was to show the fun side of Dundee and people who have not done art in years are now interested in taking it up as a hobby."
Notes to editors:
Print Festival Scotland
Print Festival Scotland is the nation's largest ever celebration of print and printmaking. It has been organised to coincide with IMPACT 8, the world's most prestigious printmaking conference, which is being hosted by the University of Dundee in conjunction with partner organisations.
Forty events will be held in Dundee and at venues across Scotland from August 23rd to September 1st 2013. Print Festival Scotland is a celebration of interdisciplinarity and exploration through the medium of print brought to the nation by partners including:
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design
The University of Dundee
Abertay University
Dundee City Council
Dundee Contemporary Arts
V& A at Dundee
DC Thomson & Co Ltd
The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery and Museum
Scottish Print Network
The full programme for IMPACT 8 and Print Festival Scotland can be found at www.conf.dundee.ac.uk/impact8/exhibitions
UK City of Culture 2017 bid
Dundee is bidding to become the UK City of Culture in 2017. The first stage of the bid was submitted in April and it was announced in June that Dundee had been shortlisted, along with Hull, Leicester and Swansea.
Dundee's strengths in the arts and creative industries is underlined by the fact that there were 2,414,362 attendances recorded at cultural venues in the city last year. This will be enhanced by the V& A at Dundee, which will not only be the iconic centrepiece of the regenerated waterfront but will take Dundee into a global circuit of cultural destinations, generating 300,000 visits per year and creating 200 jobs.
Dundee is a creative city with a huge amount to offer and designation as UK City of Culture would provide a perfect stage to do it on at national and international levels.
More information about the bid and how you can play your part in supporting it can be found at www.wedundee.com
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 |
