News
Fine Art lecturer exhibits at the Guggenheim
A ‘cabinet of curiosities’ will be shown at this prestigious museum in Bilboa.
An iconic installation by fine art principal lecturer Robert Williams, and his American collaborator Mark Dion, will be shown this autumn at the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
Theatrum Mundi: Armarium is a cabinet of curiosities containing collections of objects and documents that explore the cosmologies of two famous alchemists, Robert Fludd (Williams) and Ramon Lull (Dion) the characters of whom were adopted by the artists. The piece was made in 2001 at the Caldewgate site, with the help of sculpture technician John Mitchell.
Originally commissioned by Professor Lord Colin Renfrew, then Master of Jesus College, Cambridge and Director of the
MacDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, the cabinet has been shown all over the world.
Robert commented: “Both Mark and I are honoured and thrilled to have our work at this amazing museum. Carlisle to Bilbao, having gone through an astonishing set of metamorphoses at Paris, Hamburg, Athens, and other cities, this piece remains one of our favourite collaborations.”
Robert is currently working on his alchemical building Opus Magnum: Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum at Dion’s Mildred’s Lane Project, an art foundation in Pennsylvania, USA.
The image was taken in situ at Jesus College Chapel at the biennale in 2001.
Vikki volunteers to help Peruvian orphans
University graduate Vikki Playforth knows all about hard work. Not content to simply tackle the years of intense study necessary to become a primary teacher for children with special educational needs, at the same time she put in an amazing 782 hours of voluntary service.
Vikki explains: “Throughout my course at university I did a range of volunteering activities, from running a local youth group for young people aged 12-18 (the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints Youth Programme) and working as a voluntary teaching assistant in various nurseries throughout Lancashire, with the Bethan Francis Lancashire Early Years Service, through to supporting Signpost ‘Empowering the Community’ (a Morecambe-based company) running Travelling Tots for children aged 0–5 whilst their parents attended courses.”
And Vikki’s activities weren’t confined to the UK. She volunteered in an orphanage in Peru and also helped set up and financially support a special educational needs school while she was in the country. “I also did
a bungee jump and various fundraising activities which gave me money to buy toys for the orphanage in Peru.”
Back home, Vikki was also vice president of the university’s special educational needs society for three years, raising money for cystic fibrosis charities, and organising courses and social events, and she also worked with children who are members of the Young Carers group. So what drives Vikki to give up so much of her precious spare time to help others?
“I really enjoy volunteering. Throughout my course I felt that the spare time I had was best spent doing something that gave back or gave somebody the chance to succeed. I really enjoyed building up fantastic friendships not only with the children and adults but also with my volunteer organisers.”
Vikki completed her BA Hons QTS Primary 4yr with Special Educational Needs at the Lancaster campus.
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