Arts

Our blurred perceptions of reality explored

In today's world news coverage is more often than not presented in the media as entertainment, and entertainment as news resulting in our perception of what constitutes reality constantly being thrown into question.

On 11 September 2001 the traumatic events in Washington DC and especially those in New York were played out on our television screens, in our homes, over and over again. Whilst sat in our living rooms we lived the events time and time again. This has become commonplace in today's world where we are constantly bombarded by a vast amount of information through the mass media. The result is a blurring of what is reality and what is spectacle and it is this that forms the subject of the newly installed exhibition at the University Gallery.

Curated by the second group of MA Gallery Studies students from the Department of Art History and Theory, the exhibition, entitled Specta Real: Media in Your Mind, will explore the impact of mass media on our perception of reality.

The blurring borders of reality and spectacle will be examined through a selection of contemporary artworks including photographs, video and projections from a selection of international artists such as Matthieu Laurett from France, Mauricio Guillen from Mexico and Benyamin Alfariah from Israel.

The exhibition will be supported by a series of events including a panel discussion, a gallery tour and gallery talk. There will also be an educational programme for local school children who have been invited to attend a workshop where they will produce art collage works with the help of participating artist Mauricio Guillen.

The exhibition will be at the University Gallery (Square 5) between 27 May and 21 June. Opening times are as follows: Monday - Friday 11 am to 5pm and Sunday 1pm to 4.30pm. For more information about the exhibition or any of the support events please contact Elli Davaki on 0798008726 or Daria Koskoru on 07816368128 or email spectareal@hotmail.com

Lucy laps up the limelight

The Lakeside Theatre will soon welcome the second play written and directed by rising star in the world of theatre and current Essex student Lucy Traube.

The new play, entitled Ribbon, is both written and directed by Lucy who met with her first success this time last year when her play Sharp Edged Emotion was warmly received, also at the Lakeside Theatre. Following on from the success of this earlier work it is expected that Ribbon will take her to new heights of success thanks to its inclusion in the internationally recognised Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Ribbon is a post-modern glance inside a dance college. It is a funny, honest portrayal that will leave you saddened and asking 'why?' As a former student of The London College of Dance Lucy draws on her own experiences to create a fictional world dominated by pirouettes into which she adds a pinch of satire.

The play will be performed for just two nights in Colchester before heading north for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it will play at the Underbelly Venue in the city. It will run for 24 shows and is expected to meet with rave reviews.

Ribbon will be performed on 7 and 8 June at the Lakeside Theatre on campus. Performances will start at 7.30pm and tickets cost £4 (£3 for concessions). For more information please contact the Arts Office, telephone 01206 873261 or e-mail arts@essex.ac.uk