[T]he head of the University of Cumbria’s Institute of the Arts has swopped working alongside colleagues in Carlisle for a public performance in the centre of Dundee.
For the next month Roddy Hunter will be wearing a placard inviting passers by in City Square to consider the question ‘what is peace’ as part of a contemporary artwork now underway.
An established international performance artist, the project is Roddy’s latest piece of work and will form part of research underway as part of his PhD.
“This research, entitled ‘Curating The Eternal Network After Globalisation,’ takes the work of artist Robert Filliou as a starting point to develop ways of curating post-avant garde network art practice after the net,” Roddy said. “I am the self-appointed curator of the Art-of-Peace Biennale 2015-17 to resume the project conceived by Robert Filliou and René Block in its inaugural, sole edition of 1985.”
For the next three Fridays (11, 18 and 25) Roddy will be appearing in the square inviting comment and opinion and confesses to having no idea what people will make of the project.
“That’s the beauty of this form of art – it will make people think,” Roddy, who has spent five years working on his PhD, said. “Peace is very much in the news at the moment. Without doubt this is the most challenging work I’ve been involved in and I’m excited at what may emerge.”
As well as the outdoor exhibition, work curated by Roddy is also on show in an exhibition in the Centrespace within the Visual Research Centre in Dundee until June 2.
Pictured: Director of the Institute of the Arts Roddy Hunter in City Square, Dundee.