Students from Dundee take to Venice to showcase Scotland’s landscapes and architecture

The Scotland + Venice partnership is delighted to announce that Evie Rose Thornton and Charlotte Convery from DJCAD/University of Dundee are participating in the Professional Development Programme supporting Scotland’s collateral event A Fragile Correspondence – at La Biennale di Venezia in 2023 the world’s most prestigious architecture festival.



They are also joined in Venice by Charlotte Cole, who is originally from Dundee, who has recently completed her third year as an architecture student at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA).

Since its founding in 2003, the Scotland + Venice partnership has been committed to delivering a learning and professional development programme, creating opportunities for over 150 students and early career practitioners to experience La Biennale and the international world of contemporary art and architecture first-hand.



Evie Rose Thornton is a multidisciplinary artist studying Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design. She said “My practice centres around landscapes, exploring the connection that people have with the land they live on and looking at how climate change is affecting these environments. […] my practice explores the idea of hope, looking for solutions in science and new technologies that have been invented to help stem the ravages of climate change.



Reflecting on the opportunity of working in Venice, Evie Rose says “It is such a brilliant opportunity to meet new people, make new connections and really immerse myself in the entire Biennale. I am looking forward to gaining some confidence in working abroad and some experience in how to put together an exhibition. I am really interested in curation, so I will be paying close attention to how each pavilion and exhibition has tackled it.”



Charlotte Convery is a 3rd year architecture student at the University of Dundee. She says the themes of A Fragile Correspondence align with her personal experience. “Growing up in a rural place I have always been interested in creating a strong connection between the built environment and natural landscape. I believe uniting the two is a key step forward in addressing the global climate emergency. I hope to grow my knowledge of the Scottish landscape and learn how to explore this connection within my own architectural designs.”



Kirsty Macari, Co-Head of Undergraduate Programmes (Architecture and Urban Planning / Contemporary Art Practice), DJCAD, said “DJCAD are delighted to have again successfully partnered with the Scotland+Venice team in the 2023 Professional Development Programme. This is an exciting opportunity for students which has seen interest across our programmes including, but not limited to, Architecture, Fine Art, Art & Philosophy and Graphic Design. The successful students will gain valued curatorial experience whilst establishing their professional networks.



“We look forward to seeing the creative relationships that develop between the students and the Scotland + Venice team during their time in Venice. This is the beginning of a continued exploration of the intricate connections that A Fragile Correspondence creates between art, culture, language and architecture.”



The participants will work on the exhibition A Fragile Correspondence which is commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership, and created by the Architecture Fringe, -ism magazine and /other.  The exhibition will be on public show from 20 May - 26 November 2023 at the _docks_cantieri cucchini, S. Pietro di Castello, 40, 30122 situated between the festival hubs the Giardini and Arsenale.

With funding from Architecture and Design Scotland, with support from the British Council Scotland, the PDP programme participants are backed by 11 colleges and organisations.

ENDS