Dundee’s past has been re-explored in a brand new art exhibition by the University of Dundee archives.
The university has opened up its archives and asked artists, designers, and creative writers to make new art based on the materials.
Tales Of The Unexpected showcases how the artists responded to the items they saw in the archives and tells the stories of local jute workers, doctors, explorers, scientists, and more.
Caroline Brown from the University of Dundee Archives tells us more about how the exhibition made by the artists and designers have breathed new life into these old tales.
Tales of the Unexpected
Caroline said: “Exhibition 208 by Suzanne Scott is all about the jute industry.
“In particular, it’s about Mary Brooksbank.”
Mary Brooksbank was a mill worker in the early 1900s and wrote many mill songs while working in the jute mills of Dundee.
Suzanne, who is also known as Whimsical Lush, has created exhibit The Golden Thread to tell Mary’s story.
Suzanne said: “Mary began working in the Baltic Mill at a young age as ‘a shifter of bobbins’.
“She was still sporadically attending school, but was often found looking after her siblings whilst her mother went to work in the jute mills.
“In these difficult times, terrible overcrowding, poor sanitation, and disease was rife.
“Mary describes her life as being very typical of many in Dundee back in the early 1900s.”
Dundee was often referred to as “women’s town” in the 1900s as the work was predominantly completed by women who went to work in the city’s jute industry.
Suzanne added: “It was an incredibly hard life.
“But written in amongst some very difficult stories, Mary also wrote about her friendships and the happy moments too.
“She always highlighted life’s little positive treasures.
“Maybe that’s why she was such a great campaigner for the rights of the mill workers.
“She could see that there was always a bit of hope.”
Suzanne said: “In reading Mary’s book, No Sae Lang Syne – A Tale Of This City, I found many stories of her life and of the lives of those around her.
“In particular, her words about golden threads really stood out to me; moments of happiness in tough times that she never forgot.
“It was those words that inspired me to create my piece.”
But there were golden threads woven into the grey fabric of our existence. There were the rambles to Windmill Park at Newport, Johnny light-heartedly playing his melodeon in the den, chasing and teasing the lassies…”
Mary Brooksbank, No Sae Lang Syne – A Tale Of This City
Mary’s words have been represented by a golden thread which weaves its way through the jute strands in Suzanne’s piece.
Suzanne said: “After I found Mary’s words, IÂ started looking through photographs of mill life in the Dundee University archives.
“I was inspired by the endless lines of bobbins, threads, and great rolls of jute.
“I tried to translate those images using my grandmother’s old threads and bobbins that she left me in her big wooden sewing box.
“Then I stacked them up against my illustrated stone mill walls, with a rolled piece of jute.”
What Unexpected Tales are told at Dundee University archives exhibition?
Alongside Suzanne’s piece for Mary Brookshank, several other artists have designed pieces based on the tales of local doctors, explorers, soldiers, scientists, campaigners and merchants.
Caroline said: “Exhibit 210 is an allegorical theatre made by lecturer Gair Dunlop.
“It is in response to an illustration in Sir Walter Ralegh’s History of the World.
The History of the World was written while Ralegh was prisoner in the Tower of London in 1603.
It was published in 1614.
Caroline added: “We also have a monoprint by Ashley Nieuwenhuizen.
“The extinct Huia bird from New Zealand is preserved in the university museum.
“Ashley has created a monoprint of the birds gathered together in their final days.
“They have also designed a bell jar which contains feathers and emits the cries of a bird.
“It’s a real archive to the lost species.”
Exhibit 217 is in response to the case books of Dundee Lunatic asylum.
The case books contain details and photographs of patients.
The patients were often photographed in front of a cloth backdrop and artist Katie Potapoff has used Scottish Linen from the last linen mill to recreate it.
The University also has several items of taxidermy in its collection.
The Window to the Soul by Kayley Forbes is in response to the taxidermy birds in the museum’s collection.
Caroline said: “Kayley felt that the birds eyes remained lifeless.
“She wanted to rectify that.”
Suzanne said that the exhibition featured a range of fantastic work.
She said: “The other work at the exhibition really is wonderful.
“It’s stuffed full of fascinating stories!
“I’d highly recommend a visit. I’ll certainly be returning.
She added: “It’s always a pleasure working with everyone in the archives.”
- The Tales of the Unexpected archives exhibition is running in Dundee University’s Lamb Gallery until October 28.
Conversation