Arts
Exhibition explores social networking
A new art exhibition, curated by current students, aims to explore the
growing popularity of social networking websites.
Socially Active, which opens on 24 April in the University
Gallery, is an interactive exhibition inspired by the use of Facebook,
MySpace and Twitter. It features work by internationally-acclaimed artists
to explore how modern technology impacts on socialising.
The exhibition has been curated by a group of six MA
students from the Department of Art History and Theory as part of their MA
Gallery Studies and Critical Curating.
A piece by New York-based artist Paul
Notzold
Vivian So Hyun Choi explained the inspiration behind
the exhibition: 'With the emergence of new social technologies people are
able to connect and communicate with each other faster and in more
efficient ways than ever before. Socially Active is inspired by the
debate that surrounds the use of these technologies.'
She added: 'By encouraging visitors to interact and
communicate with each other through the artworks, Socially Active
will transform the Gallery into a vibrant social space.'
The exhibition features works by Aram Bartholl, Cao
Fei, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Paul Notzold and Thomson and Craighead. There
will also be a series of events including film screenings, flash mobs and
multiplayer gaming nights.
Further details about the exhibition are available:
www.sociallyactive.org.uk.
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Drama students
work with actors
Six
second-year drama students from the University have completed their
practical exam working with actors from the Mercury Theatre in Colchester.
The
students, studying BA Drama, took the Early Modern Drama module and
worked for eight weeks with the Theatre’s Community and Education
Associate, Tony Casement and Mercury Practitioner Rebecca Hall.
After exploring several early modern play texts including Thomas Kyd’s
Spanish Tragedy, Shakespeare’s Richard
III,
and John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore with their tutor, Professor
Gabriel Pearson, the students attended physical theatre sessions to work
on bringing the text to life with actors from the theatre.
Tony
Casement said: 'It is great to share our skills with the students so that
they get a deeper understanding of the texts they have been studying.'
Theatre Studies administrator Penny Woollard said: 'The sessions were
insightful and engaging for the students, helping them understand how the
characters in the plays developed and to engage more readily with the
sometimes difficult language of early modern drama.'
Participant Genine Sumner said: 'So many courses are very text based, this
has given us the opportunity to work with the Mercury actors in a purely
practical way.'
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Also in the printed April edition of Wyvern:
