Latest news from Loughborough University
| 3 March 2004 | PR 04/21 |
Loughborough University Scientists help out local artists
Scientists at Loughborough University have joined forces with a local group of artists to create a gallery of their work on campus.
Staff from the University’s Department of Human Sciences have offered Artspace the use of the Wavy Top Building to display their work. The group is keen to take their art out of traditional galleries and present it in unusual locations, and is delighted to be able to use part of the campus as a showcase for their creations.
To celebrate the partnership between the University and Artspace a special reception is being held tomorrow (Thursday, 4 March).
This will feature a talk by Professor Ciaran Benson, who is based in the Psychology Department at University College, Dublin. Professor Benson is a former Chair of the Irish Arts Council and recently was curator for an exhibition by Irish Amnesty in Dublin. Using resources from philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, Professor Benson will explore what actually happens when artists produce visual art.
It will also include a laboratory experiment examining the physical reactions people have when viewing art. Members of the Artspace group will provide slides of their work which will be projected onto a wall in the lab. Guests at the evening will be asked to look at the images and to talk about what they are seeing. Whilst they do so they will be wired to a Galvanic Skin Response machine (GSR). This measures their bodily response to what they see, providing a rough indication of how they are feeling. The GSR results will also be projected onto the wall next to the artwork so that spectators and the participant can see how their bodies respond to the images.
Dr Charles Crook, who has helped organise the event said: “We are delighted to be able to provide Artspace with a place to display their work, and which staff at the University can enjoy. It is also hoped in the future that members of the public will be able to come and view the art.
“The celebratory evening will be a fantastic way to mark the start of what will be a very enjoyable partnership between the University and Artspace. It will also enable us to show how artists and scientists can work together to illuminate human experience - in this case the experience of emotion in relation to art.”
Ends
For further information contact:
- Judy Smyth, Publicity
Officer,
T: 01509 228697, E: J.L.Smyth@lboro.ac.uk
Notes to editors
- Photograph/media opportunity - Members of the media are welcome to attend the evening at 5.30pm at the Wavy Top Building.
- For further information about Artspace visit: http://www.artspace-lboro.co.uk
- For further information about Professor Ciaran Benson visit: http://www.ucd.ie/psydept/benson.html
- Loughborough has an established reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry, and unrivalled sporting achievement. Assessments of teaching quality by the Quality Assurance Agency place Loughborough in the top flight of UK universities, and industry highlights Loughborough in its top five for graduate recruitment. Around 30% of the University’s income is for research. The University has been awarded four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes: for its collaboration with aerospace and automotive companies such as BAE Systems, Ford and Rolls Royce; for its work in developing countries; for pioneering research in optical engineering; and for its world-leading role in sports research, education and development.