Author Archives: UoD Web Team

Designing Cities for Post Riot Britain – Mike Press, 6th March 2012

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Riot police confronting by rioters in 2011 riots in EnglandHow should design respond to the challenges facing our cities today, particularly in the wake of the recent riots?

Should we be ‘designing against rioting’ or designing more inclusive communities?

This talk draws directly on research, undertaken for government departments, that examines design’s contribution to crime reduction and counter terrorism, and presents a new vision for design and the city.

Join us at the McManus Cafe for this free talk from Prof Mike Press, DJCAD, University of Dundee that will last approximately one hour. Not ticketed.

Everyone welcome.

Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. The McManus remains open all day up to the start of this event.

Tasty hot snacks, hot and cold drinks, wine and beer are all available from the Cafe before the talk starts.

How Online Audiences Influence Digital Design – 7th February 2012

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We’re back with our first talk in 2012 from Gregor White, from the University of Abertay. Gregor is the Director of Academic Enterprise at their Institute of Arts, Media and Computer Games.

This short talk will identify and discuss a number of examples of digital media productions that have harnessed the online audience to contribute to the co-creation, performance or dissemination of the work, such as Life in a Day, a documentary produced by Ridley Scott which was made from over 1000 user submitted videos.

Gregor will also explore the potential of collaborative creativity and the contribution of online communities including social phenomena in virtual worlds and social games.

Join us at the McManus Cafe for this free event that will last approximately one hour. Not ticketed.

Everyone welcome.

Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. The McManus remains open all day up to the start of this event.

Tasty hot snacks, hot and cold drinks, wine and beer are all available from the Cafe before the talk starts.

Videos of Previous talks online

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We have recently added Dr. Kenny McAlpine’s talk on preserving musical instruments through digital recordings and Prof. Yolande Muschamp’s talk on the Scottish ‘Curriculum for Excellence.

Visit our You Tube channel and subscribe. We will be uploading more videos soon!

Does Humanitarian Intervention Work? – 6th December 2011

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Over recent years the idea of humanitarian intervention has never been far from media attention.  On one hand the so-called ‘CNN effect’ has put pressure on – often reluctant – governments to ‘do something’ when graphic accounts of violence across the world are projected into their voters’ living rooms.

On the other, less reputable hand, governments themselves have found it useful to claim the status of humanitarian intervention for military actions with suspect motives.  If Kosovo and Libya were humanitarian interventions, what about Afghanistan – or even Iraq?   Perhaps all interventions are driven ultimately by self-interest?

It’s no surprise then that it’s often not clear exactly what ‘proper’ humanitarian intervention is – nor whether it serves any useful purpose.  In short, before we can say whether it works, we need to know what ‘it’ is.  And, of course, we need to know what we mean by ‘works’.

H.G.Wells and Cinema – Turning Science Fiction into Science Fact – 1st November 2011

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An illustration of George Pal's 1960 model of the Time MachineThe  McManus Cafe, Dundee hosted this  short talk and discussion on science fiction and the dawn of cinema.

This event covered H.G.Wells’s most famous story The Time Machine and a range of his other short stories.

Dr. Keith Williams from the University of Dundee discussed how each text imagined the visual technology of the future. Drawing on the cutting-edge science of the late 19th Century, Wells was able to predict the development of new media including cinema, television, virtual reality…..even the internet!

In particular Wells’s writings on how we observe the World influenced one of Britain’s pioneering film-makers, R.W.Paul at the very dawn of the cinematic age.

Dundee Science Festival logoThis event was proud to be part of the 2011 Dundee Science Festival programme.

The V&A at Dundee – A Cultural Collaboration – 4th October 2011

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V&A at Dundee will be an international centre for design housed in a world-class building at the heart of Dundee’s waterfront. It will host major exhibitions of international design, celebrate Scotland’s design heritage, inspire and promote contemporary talent, and encourage design innovation for the future.

Kengo Kuma's winning design for the V&A Dundee

 

Come along to The McManus at 6pm on 4th October 2011 to join Philip Long, recently appointed director of the V&A at Dundee, in conversation with James Brining, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dundee Rep Theatre. Philip and James will discuss the cultural collaboration underpinning the V&A at Dundee, and how cultural institutions can work together in innovative ways to strengthen and grow the City’s cultural offering for the benefit of all.

The recently opened exhibition ‘Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee’ – the first in a series of partnership projects between The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London as part of the pre-opening programme for the V&A at Dundee -will also be discussed. The exhibition will be open at the end of this event, with the building closing at 8pm.

This event is free, open to everyone and will last approximately one hour.

Contrary to reports in the media this event is non-ticketed and non-bookable. There is limited seating that will be allocated on a first-come first-serve basis.

Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. The McManus remains open all day up to the start of this event.

First Talk of the New Season – Dundee and Globalization, 1850-2010

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The new season of Dundee Arts Cafe starts on Tuesday 6th September at 6pm in the McManus Cafe. Our first speaker this year is Professor Jim Tomlinson, a lecturer in History from the University of Dundee.

By the first world war Dundee was one of the most economically globalized cities in the world, above all because of its striking dependence on one industry, jute, which drew its raw materials from Bengal and found its markets across the globe.  But as jute declined the city’s dependence on the rest of the world decreased, and there followed a long process of ‘de-globalization’, most recently evident in the huge rise in employment in the public sector. This means that today Dundee’s economic fortunes rest much more on political decisions in London and Edinburgh than on international events.  This talk will explore how and why this change came about, and ask what significance it has for the city’s prosperity in the face of the current world economic crisis

This talk will take place on Tuesday 6th September at 6pm in the McManus Cafe, Albert Square.

Dundee Arts Cafe talks are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm in the McManus Cafe, inside the McManus at Albert Square, in the City Centre of Dundee. The McManus is Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, and the cafe is located at the entrance and will be open before and throughout the talk serving hot drinks, wine or beer and snacks.

This is a FREE talk and everyone is welcome, there is no requirement to book, but there is limited seating for 60 people so please arrive early to ensure a seat.

The McManus Cafe will be open before the event serving hot meals and snacks. If you want to have a meal in the McManus before the talk you have to pre-book by calling 01382 307 201. You can view the menu at http://www.themcmanus-dundee.gov.uk/sites/default/files/cafemenu.pdf

2010/2011 season now finished – new programme coming soon for 2011/2012

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Our first season of Dundee Arts Cafe events concluded last night with an intriguing talk from Dr Kenny McAlpine based on using technology to simulate harpsichord sounds. We would like to thank everyone for making this series such a success, thank you to everyone who has helped us run these events, and especially to all of you who came along to listen to our talks and give us your feedback.

The Dundee Arts Cafe committee are preparing the new series for 2011/2012 and we’ll be back on Tuesday 6th September in the McManus cafe. More details to follow on this website so stay tuned for updates on the new season, and more video postings from last seasons talks.

Next talk – Striking a chord: bringing old musical instruments back to life

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Musical instruments have long proved a source of fascination for adults and children alike. Who amongst us hasn’t felt the urge to reach out and tap a drum or rattle off a quick rendition of ‘chopsticks’ when confronted with a keyboard? However, for curators and custodians, musical instruments present something of a challenge. On the one hand, they have a duty of care to preserve historical instruments for future generations, but if this is achieved from behind the safety of a glass case, the very things that make the instrument interesting are stripped from it and it becomes just an ornate piece of furniture.

This is where music technology can lend a hand, and in this talk Dr Kenny McAlpine will explore a method for capturing and repackaging the sound and playing characteristics of historic keyboard instruments, and how the resulting digital models might complement a traditional music collection.

This talk will take place on Tuesday 7th June at 6pm in the McManus Cafe, Albert Square.

Dundee Arts Cafe talks are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm in the McManus Cafe, inside the McManus at Albert Square, City Centre Dundee. The McManus is Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, and the cafe is located at the entrance and will be open before and throughout the talk serving hot drinks, wine or beer and snacks.

This is a FREE talk and everyone is welcome, there is no requirement to book, but there is limited seating for 60 people so please arrive early to ensure a seat.

The McManus Cafe will be open before the event serving hot meals and snacks. If you want to have a meal in the McManus before the talk you have to pre-book by calling 01382 307 201. You can view the menu at http://www.themcmanus-dundee.gov.uk/sites/default/files/cafemenu.pdf

Next Talk – ‘The World and Us: How Globalisation Affects Everyone’ – 3rd May 2011

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Our next Dundee Arts Cafe Talk is at 6pm on Tuesday 3rd May by Catia Montagna from the University of Dundee. Catia will be discussing some of the key aspects of economic globalisation, including how they affect the way we live.

Very few trends have generated as much debate as the increasing amount of economic globalisation, with opinions ranging from extreme praise to extreme criticism. Catia will explore the origins of both sides of this argument and reflect on why, what is seen as a source of opportunities to enhance national prosperity by some is perceived as a threat to our individual and collective security by others, and on the role of government policy in balancing these positions.

Dundee Arts Cafe talks are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm in the McManus Cafe, inside the McManus at Albert Square, City Centre Dundee. The McManus is Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, and the cafe is located at the entrance and will be open before and throughout the talk serving hot drinks, wine or beer and snacks.

This is a FREE talk and everyone is welcome, there is no requirement to book, but there is limited seating for 60 people so please arrive early to ensure a seat.