Women and Celebrity Culture – Tuesday 6 June 2017, 6pm

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From the earliest days of the film industry, women have played key roles as both professionals and spectators. The division between the two has blurred today in the age of reality TV and social media – but the dynamic relationship between on- and off-screen worlds has always been in place.

Dr Ana Salzberg, from the University of Dundee, will explore the complex engagement between women and celebrity culture, discussing the evolution of stardom and fandom from early Hollywood to contemporary media.

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.

Meet the Dundee Degree Show Artists – Tuesday 2 May 2017, 6pm

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Each year, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design’s Matthew and Crawford Buildings are transformed into Scotland’s largest exhibition space to showcase the work of over 350 of the University of Dundee’s graduating art, design and architecture students. For 10 days visitors will have an opportunity to view the culmination of several years of creative development and hard work in an exciting show spanning the areas of design and craft, contemporary art practice, social digital, graphic communication and architecture.

Join us on Tuesday 2 May 2017, 6pm at The McManus Galleries, for a sneak peek at what this year’s University of Dundee Art, Design & Architecture Degree show has to offer, when five students take to the floor to discuss their work, in advance of the show opening on 19 May 2017.

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.

Scottish Politics in Brexit Britain – Tuesday 14 March 2017, 6pm

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The Brexit vote has sent shockwaves through British and European politics.

We know that the UK is almost certain to leave the European Union, but not how or what effect this change will have. We also know that this decision makes a second referendum on Scottish independence more likely. Yet, we don’t know much else.

In this talk, Paul Cairney examines what might happen next.

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.

Jamming in Dundee: The Art of Making Games – Tuesday 7 February 2017, 6pm

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20193 Dundee Arts Cafe - Jamming in Dundee FEBRUARY SLIDEDundee is central to the story of the computer games revolution. In this fast-paced industry, designers and programmers have created decades of innovation and opportunity. And to keep up with a relentless pace of change, game makers need to be flexible, playful creators who thrive on discovery.

So what could be better than getting people in a room together, giving them 24 hours and asking them to come up with a game before the time runs out. These ‘Game Jams’ have gradually become an new approach to creative challenges and their success means they are used with hobbyists, educators and policy makers.

In this talk Ryan Locke (Abertay University) will discuss how Dundee, a city long regarded for game making, is making games accessible to all through playful thinking, bringing together communities of artists, makers and people who just want to play.

Minecraft: A Shift in Learning – Tuesday 6th December 2016

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Minecraft is fast becoming one of the world’s most popular computer games, especially amongst children, allowing them to freely express, share and celebrate their inherent creativity.

Derek Robertson from the Poster image used University of Dundee will explore the wondrous simplicity and complexity of the game, and discuss the challenges of introducing games like Minecraft into the formal world of the classroom. Will the rich learning continue, or is there a danger that the Minecraft phenomena
will collapse?

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.

Creating Comics: A Celebration of H.G. Wells – Tuesday 1st November 2016

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H.G. Wells is one of the most influential science fiction writers of all time. Among his many works are The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The ImageInvisible Man, which brought futuristic, new ideas to life and showed us glimpses of today’s, and tomorrow’s, World.

Prof Chris Murray, University of Dundee, will explore the adaptations of H. G. Wells’ stories in comics, and will give an insight into the creative process behind comics. There will also be an opportunity to have a sneak peak of the new comic featuring adaptation of H.G.Wells’ stories being created at the University of Dundee. The talk and discussion will finish at 7pm. This event will be followed by a 30 minute special  session demonstrating how to create your very own comic strip (no drawing skills necessary).

This event is part of ‘H G Wells at 150: Hope and Fear’, a series of events that celebrate the great writer’s 150th birthday and is supported by the University of Dundee as the Scottish hub of the national Being Human festival (17th – 25th November).

Everyone is welcome. This event is free and non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.

Memories of Food in Dundee – Tuesday 4th October 2016

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Food plays an essential part in our everyday life, but is much more than a necessity, as we create culture and places where food takes centre stage. From trusted food shops that visit time after time, to our favourite eating places where we spend time with friends and family, our experiences and memories of food help us build a sense of belonging to the places we live in and call home.

This talk explored the social, space and time aspects of food and show how food acts as a trigger for memories, focusing on the city of Dundee and its people.

Jackie Malcolm, University of Dundee, discussed her research with elderly people who lived in sheltered housing across the city. Their shared memories provide insights into Dundee life, past and present, and the relationships formed through food.

Hosted at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum this fascinating talk reached out to new visitors to Dundee Arts Cafe from our local communities.

 

Games Consoles – A New Voice in Music – Tuesday 6th September 2016

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Gameboy music 4 cropComputer gaming and games design are one of Dundee’s modern success stories, with the city shaping some of the World’s most successful games (Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto and Minecraft to name a few). New games were designed for the latest game consoles and the explosion in gaming culture led to gaming growing in to an industry that brings in more money than the music and film industries. With games console technology moving fast, some of our favourite consoles, like millions of Nintendo’s much-loved Game Boy, were left behind.

However, a new life beckons for some old consoles. Musicians are reusing Game Boys to create lo-fi electronic music (chip tunes) and other consoles are being rediscovered, reused and recycled in all manners of different ways.

Over 50 people came to see Dr Kenny McAlpine (Abertay University) for this discussion on the chip tunes movement and other creative ways to recycle electronics, as Dundee Arts Cafe returned for a new series at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum.

Summer break

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2014 Dundee Arts Cafe logoA big thank you to all who came along to our Dundee Arts Cafe series 2015/2016.

The Dundee Arts Cafe team are taking a well earned rest over the summer holidays, as well as planning an exciting new series starting on Tuesday 6th September 2016, at our usual venue of the McManus cafe.

Sign up for our mailing list to find out more about upcoming talks and events by emailing dundeeartscafe@dundee.ac.uk with ‘Subscribe’ in the subject box.

Have a lovely Summer!

Power to the People – What Happens When The Lights Go Out – Tuesday 7th June, 6pm

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Poster image usedDuring the winter of 2014 the UK was hit by an exceptional run of winter storms, leading to serious coastal damage and widespread flooding. This extreme weather caused disruption to electricity supply across the country, with over 100,000 people facing several days without power.

The loss of power affected remote and urban communities, with vulnerable people considered to be at a greater risk. The companies responsible for maintaining and repairing the electricity infrastructure asked themselves how they could improve their support communities before, during and after power cuts.

Join us for a talk from Dr Irena Connon and Dr Ed Hall from the University of Dundee, who will discuss stories of vulnerability and resilience collected from four very different communities. Irena and Ed’s research will help energy companies to plan and respond effectively when future storms reach our shores.

Everyone is welcome. Free. Non-bookable. Places are limited so please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Doors open at 5pm.