The art of surprise

Creative Writing students from the University of St Andrews will join forces with Fine Arts students from Duncan of Jordanstone College tomorrow (Friday May 23rd) to produce a show full of surprises.

The exhibition / performance, which is open to the public, will feature various examples of verbal and visual art that have grown out of a collaboration between the students.

Professor Douglas Dunn of the University’s School of English said:

“This is the second year that we’ve run the project. It seems to work very well. Last year one group of artists and writers chose to collaborate on interpreting Hokusai’s famous painting, “The Wave”. The writers produced poetry in a Japanese style. The artists made a wonderful version of “The Wave” using bread. We admired it and then we consumed it.”

The show has been dubbed ‘M & M’ because it features Masters students from the M. Litt in Creative Writing at St Andrews and the MFA (Master of Fine Arts) at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art.

Different groups of students this year have again chosen different themes and approaches for their joint works. One group is producing an offbeat version of the kind of inhouse magazine normally found on a railway train. Another group is making ‘a book-in-a-box’.

Perhaps the most unusual collaborative effort promises to spread ‘art objects’ around St Andrews for people to find – a kind of treasure hunt where the only prize is the pleasure of perceiving a pattern. Yet another group of students has refused to give anything away – their contribution to the show will be a complete surprise.

Professor Dunn continued: “We never know what the students will come up with, but everyone is invited to come along and share in the interest of finding out.”

The show of students’ joint literary and visual work will be held in Kennedy Hall Room 1 in the School of English from 6-8 pm. All members of the university and of the public are welcome to attend.

ENDS

Issued by Beattie Media On behalf of the University of St Andrews Contact Gayle Cook on 01334 467227, mobile 07900 050103, or email [email protected] Ref: m&m english event pr 220503.doc View the latest University news at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk