Schooled in Cold War Russia, a Dundee student’s weekly lessons highlight just how close to nuclear conflict the world’s superpowers came.
Dina Mackins’ teachers offered her and her classmates instruction in how to use firearms and don a gas mask, as they prepared for global meltdown.
Those childhood experiences have coloured her life and her studies, inspiring the artwork unveiled at the Duncan of Jordanstone Masters Show.
She has used gunpowder mixed with handmade ink, ash and charcoals to stage a series of controlled explosions and create some striking images.
The works which are part of a wider project exploring conflict and the Second World War in particular are just one element of the Masters Show, which is on at Dundee University.
Senior students in a variety of disciplines including forensic and medical art and animation are showcasing their talents.
The opening of the show this week was marked by a visit to Dina’s exhibition by the Russian vice-consul Timofey Kunitskiy of the Consulate General in Edinburgh.
Dina, who is graduating from the MFA Arts & Humanities programme at Duncan of Jordanstone, said: “My childhood in Russia was overshadowed by the Cold War to the extent that I was trained at school to shoot a gun and don a gas mask.
“My grandfather was a decorated veteran and my uncle had been in action in Russia’s war in Afghanistan, so it was something that surrounded me for a long time.
“I have an inherent dislike of war and when the conflict in Ukraine started it inspired me to express this and raise awareness of current world conflicts and show their direct connection to past historical events.
“I have worked with injured veterans of previous conflicts, as my uncle always used to tell me that the best ambassadors for peace would be people who had been to war, because they have seen the full terror it can bring.”
The Masters Show is open from 10am to 8pm Thursday and Friday and from 10am until 4pm on Saturday.