Press release
River Deep, Mountain High – archives to artworks
Published on 7 February 2020
An exhibition of art, design and creative writing inspired by the natural world and our relationship with it will open at the University of Dundee this weekend
An exhibition of art, design and creative writing inspired by the natural world and our relationship with it will open at the University of Dundee this weekend.
‘River Deep, Mountain High – archives to artworks’ was conceived to mark Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters and challenged participants to respond to the University's rich archive, museum and rare book collections on the themes of rivers, seas, coasts and mountains.
The exhibition, taking place at the Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, will be open to the public from Saturday 8 February until April.
Dozens of University staff, students and external contributors took inspiration from photographs, journals, plans, models and specimens to create jewellery, artwork, sculpture and poetry and other exhibits.
University Archivist Caroline Brown, who curated the exhibition, said, “This has been such a great opportunity to display some of our fascinating archive and museum collections. We’ve been amazed by how inspired the participants have been and how their varied responses have brought to life the material on show. The rivers and mountains of Scotland are such an interesting subject and we’re delighted that the collections have allowed such talented artists and designers to create new pieces.”
Archive and museum material on display will include log books and photographs from Dundee’s whaling industry, specimens from D’Arcy Thompson’s zoology museum, a relief model of the Tay Estuary, photographs and bothy books from mountaineering collections, rare 18th century natural history books, photographs of the building of the Tay Bridge, and drawings and sketches of local plant life.
The artists, designers and writers whose work features in River Deep, Mountain High include Reinhard Behrens, Sandra Wilson, Patricia Ramaer, and Suzanne Scott. Within the University contributors come from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, the Library and Learning Centre and the Schools of Humanities and Education and Social Work.
River Deep, Mountain High – archives to artworks is open in the Lamb Gallery each Monday-Saturday until April 11. Admission is free.