Arts

Sainsbury Centre show for UECLAA

Art fans have a rare opportunity to view selected works from the University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art (UECLAA) in an exhibition at the renowned Sainsbury Centre in Norwich.

The exhibition, entitled Latin American Art: Contexts and Accomplices will include re-created ancient stone idols in the form of modern icons such as Mickey Mouse and Homer Simpson, portraits, and textile art based on the rich fabric traditions of Latin American peoples. This extraordinarily diverse show will explore relationships between contemporary and ancient art in Latin America.

As part of the exhibition, Professor Valerie Fraser, of the Department of Art History and Theory, who has co-curated the exhibition, will be giving a talk and tour on Tuesday 10 February. Gabriela Salgado, Curator of UECLAA, will also be giving a lunchtime talk on Thursday 19 February in which she will use selected items to illustrate how conceptual concerns as well as material choices reflect Latin America's multi-layered visual histories.

Latin American Art: Contexts and Accomplices will be in the Lower Gallery of the Sainsbury Centre, at the University of East Anglia, from 27 January to 21 March. A second show, Machu Picchu and the Camera, featuring photographs of the ancient Inca city, will be on show during the same period in the Special Exhibition Gallery.

Express your dreams

Whether you dream of owning an Aston Martin, travelling around the world in 80 days, or simply finding love, your dreams can become part of a striking new exhibition on show at the University Gallery.

A Map of Latin American Dreams by acclaimed Argentinean artist Martin Weber opened at the Gallery on12 January and runs until 14 February and explores the human desire to dream both for attainable and unattainable things. Weber's beautiful series of black and white photographs focuses on Latin America but highlights that dreams are in fact universal and that no matter where we live, we all dream. Those who visit the exhibition will be encouraged to do the same as the subjects in the photographs, and will also have the opportunity to become part of the exhibition.

The full collection of images which make up A Map of Latin American Dreams consists of over 100 photographs, taken since 1991, which chart the dreams of ordinary people across South America. In his attempt to externalise what is essentially an internal act, Weber asks his subjects to answer the simple question: 'If you could chose to have, do, or be anything in the world, what would that be?' Their answers, chalked on a small slate and visible in every photograph, reveal personal dreams that range from the modest and the inspirational, to the heartbreaking. But above all, they emphasise the fact that we all dream. No matter where in the world you live, and in what conditions, you can dream.

Weber encourages us all to take the time to dream: 'Through this work I have realised that dreams and desires are not commodities, they are not predictable, and that there are few spaces where ones' desires are asked for, and paid attention to. The opportunity to stop and think about them is valuable, and the more they are represented, the more faithful we may remain to ourselves.'

Jessica Kenny, Director of the Gallery, said: 'We hope that people will visit the exhibition and think about their own dreams. Those that want to can write what they dream for on a slate and have their photo taken. All those taken will be on display in the Gallery window so this really is your opportunity to express your dreams and put them on show.'

The exhibition will be at the Gallery until 14 February. Admission is free and opening times are as follows: Monday to Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm.

An image from the exhibition

To be or not to be

The Theatre Arts Society (TAS) is to perform Shakespeare's most loved and tragic play, Hamlet, in February.

The story of the doomed Danish prince will be presented on 11 and 13 February and promises to be an exciting interpretation.

Directed by third year Drama and Literature student Lyndsey Steed, the cast is made up of a broad mix of student actors from the Departments of Law and Psychology as well as Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies. James Leonard, a first year Psychology student, steps into the role as the young Prince Hamlet who is troubled by the ghost of his father and driven to avenge his 'most foul and unnatural murder.' The part of Queen Gertrude, who has married her late husband's killer and brother, Claudius, will be played by Helen Stoddart, a third year Drama and Literature student and seasoned TAS actor. Paul Fowler, also in his third year of a Drama and Literature degree, will play Polonius. He was last seen as Dr Dysart in the recent TAS production of Equus.

Lyndsey Steed explained why the group had chosen Hamlet over other well-loved Shakespeare plays: 'The more I study Hamlet the more I seem to love it. There are so many levels on which the play can work, and no matter how many times you I the play, there is always something new that I have missed before.'

She continued: 'Hamlet also offers the opportunity to explore similarities and parallels between characters. I have particularly focussed on the close relationship between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the two gravediggers. In fact, these four parts will be played by just two actors, Anna Turner and Nicole Widdersheim.'

Hamlet will be at the Lakeside Theatre from 11 to 13 February. Performances will start at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £4 (£3 for concessions) and are available from the Box Office, telephone 01206 873261 or e-mail arts@essex.ac.uk.

Students discover German humour

The University’s German Drama Group is staging a selection of sketches by Vicco von Bülow, alias Loriot, to celebrate the 80th birthday of the popular comedy writer.

Performances at the Lakeside Theatre will be in German, marking the third year that students from the Department of Language and Linguistics will have staged a production in a foreign language.

The show, which runs from 28 to 30 January, is directed by Teaching Fellow Emma Hopper, who said: 'Loriot is one of the most successful and popular comedy writers and performers in Germany. In his sketches, cartoons, and movies he proves that Germans do have a sense of humour, after all!'

Loriot’s sketches parody the German way of living and thinking, and the show features some of the most popular, including such classics as Der Fernseher ist kaputt and Der Lotteriegewinn.

80 Jahre Loriot: Sketche und Slapstick will run at the Lakeside Theatre from 28 January until 30 January, at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £4 (£3 concessions), or £2 on 28 January. For bookings and more information, contact the University Arts Office on 01206 873261.

A sketch from the German Drama Group production. Pictured, from left are Wolfgang Fauser, Martin Briers, and Arianna Ricotti.
Photographed by John Moore.

Also in the printed January edition of Wyvern:

• Liverpool's dancers to put on show