Art conference to explore creative spaces in Aberdeen and beyond

The conference, named Space & Spatiality in Creative Practice, will address the idea of differing spaces – public and private – being used for creative and cultural activities. This theme is timely, as Aberdeen seeks to re-invent itself as a creative hotbed, through a number of public arts festivals and the growth of independent creative practice in the city.

It will take place at Aberdeen Business School, on RGU's campus on Friday 5 October, between 10:00am and 4:30pm.

Dr Jon Blackwood, Reader & Research Lead at Gray’s School of Art, said: “It is a real privilege to see this conference come to fruition and I’m anticipating a lot of interesting discussions between creatively engaged parties from the university and across the city.

“The number of visual arts festivals we have seen across the North-east in recent years has brought our city into focus.

“Everyone attending this week’s conference will have an opportunity to shape discourse around just how we can capitalise on these spaces creativity, and the greater social engagement and cultural enrichment that they can bring.”

In addition to seven presentations from RGU lecturers across different creative disciplines, the university will welcome three distinguished guest speakers for the day.

Nuno Sacramento, director of Peacock Visual Arts, will focus on Aberdeen and Scotland’s recently devised cultural strategies; Jacqueline Donachie, visual artist and researcher based at Loughborough University, will talk about the interactions between art and science; whilst Dr Sarah Tuck, a researcher from Våland Academy in Gothenburg, will discuss her work with drone technology and the rupture in our sense of space that can result from it.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the conference and anyone looking for more information or to register their interest can contact Dr Jon Blackwood at: j.blackwood@rgu.ac.uk