Dundee Contempo rary Arts Annual Report 2018 – 19 Contents Welcome from Beth Bate, Director 3

DCA 20 4–5

Exhibitions 6–9

Cinema 10–13

Print Studio 14–17

Learning 18–21

Discovery Film Festival 22–25

Editions & Publications 26–27

DCA Shop 28–29

Audiences & Communications 30–33

Support 34

DCA Team 35

This page: Photograph by Erika Stevenson Opposite: Photograph by Alberto Bernasconi Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 3 Welcome In a remarkable year for Dundee, when the Our international reach expanded with DCA cultural landscape has shifted and grown, Print Studio staff presenting papers at the and the eyes of the world were upon us, renowned IMPACT 10 Encurentro, the we were thrilled to celebrate DCA20, our International Multidisciplinary Printmaking twentieth birthday. Conference in Santander, with research playing a key role in the studio, alongside affordable It has been inspirational to look back at the early access to outstanding equipment and expertise days of DCA, the ambition and determination for artists at all stages of the careers. of the pioneers and politicians, the staff and supporters, who made it all possible. Widely The range of projects delivered by DCA’s seen as kick-starting Dundee’s rebirth from post- Learning team continues to have incredible industrial decline to becoming an internationally impact across Dundee and the wider Tayside renowned city that has placed culture at its region. From hosting two PhD researchers, heart, DCA is now one of ’s most loved exploring the impact of creative activity on cultural centres, with over 409,000 visits a year. families with young children to delivering Rooted in the city and international in vision, creative workshops with people in the DCA has delivered on its early vision year after Hilltown and Stobswell areas, from working year, thanks to our fantastic audiences, artists with schools and teachers developing creative and staff. The opportunity to celebrate everyone’s skills to our long-term partnership with Tayside successes has been seized enthusiastically Healthcare Trust on the ST/ART project, DCA’s and we’re delighted to continue our DCA20 ethos ‘see, think, make, do’ continues to enrich programme throughout 2019. people’s lives. 2018 saw some of the busiest exhibitions ever All of our work is made possible by our held at DCA, with Santiago Sierra’s Black Flag stakeholders Creative Scotland and Dundee and Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead attracting City Council, as well as the many partners, over 13,000 visits, and we are pleased that our trusts, foundations, sponsors and donors who gallery numbers have continued to increase. support our important work. We are grateful to With media attention focused on Dundee, we all of them. As part of DCA20 we were pleased were delighted to attract such positive national to launch our first patron scheme and my and international press, including reviews in particular thanks to the individuals who have The Observer and Frieze , as well as coverage started on this new and exciting journey with us in The Art Newspaper , The Financial Times , The and for sharing our commitment to art, artists, New York Times and the South Munich Times . audiences and Dundee.

Our rich and diverse cinema programme Beth Bate, Director continued to delight audiences and it was a pleasure to host so many events, with special guests, directors and producers visiting DCA. Lively debate, conversation and connection helps make our cinema, programmed in-house, so successful and relevant to our audiences. Top: Vinyl Dreaming wall at our DCA20 open weekend Bottom: State of Print at our DCA20 open weekend Photographs by Erika Stevenson Annual Report Page 5

“Dundee’s cultural successes and continued aspirations were founded upon, and can very clearly trace themselves back DCA2 0 to, important cultural milestones such as the creation of DCA.”

Cllr John Alexander

We launched a long weekend of specially programmed In March 2019 we kicked off our 20th birthday events and activities, starting with Gallery 2 being programme of events, celebrating two decades of being completely taken over by the exhibition. bold, open, meaningful and magical, enriching people’s State of Print This interactive artist-led nation was a makeshift state built with lives through art, creativity and culture. ink and recycled cardboard. Complete with border control, Cllr John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, said, currency exchange, maps, laws, national anthems, a TV “Dundee’s cultural successes and continued aspirations station, films and music, audiences immersed themselves in were founded upon, and can very clearly trace themselves this wildly creative response to national identity and power. back to, important cultural milestones such as the creation of DCA. DCA has and continues to play a pivota l role; culturally, Community groups from across Dundee were amongst the socially and economically and I’m very proud of what the first to visit State of Print when we welcomed our community team at DCA has achieved over those 20 years. Given the partners for tea and a slice of our wonderful DCA20 cake. city’s current position and vibrancy, I think we owe a large DCA’s acclaimed cinema has enjoyed bringing a range of thanks and congratulations to an institution which is as fantastic films, both home-grown and international, to our passionate about Dundee as it is about art and culture.” loyal audiences over the years. We launched the big birthday Our celebrations launched with an artists’ talk between weekend with a sneak preview of mid90s , Jonah Hill’s new Royal Academicians Jane and Louise Wilson, and DCA coming-of-age drama, the perfect film to remind us of

DCA’s former life as Dundee’s unofficial skatepark. This was Director Beth Bate. Jane and Louise graduated in 1989 from Newcastle Polytechnic and Duncan of Jordanstone followed by a specially curated programme of best-loved College of Art and Design (DJCAD) respectively; their final films from the last two decades, with cinema tickets rolled degree show comprising a joint exhibition held in Newcastle back to 1999 prices. Audiences flocked to these sell out and Dundee. In 1999, they were nominated for the Turner screenings, which included modern classics such as Pan’s Prize and in 2012 exhibited at DCA with a show that brought Labyrinth , Ratcatcher and The Illusionist . Our ever popular film quiz was a special birthday edition, with people putting together two bodies of work: Atomgrad (Nature Abhors a their film knowledge from the last 20 years to the test. Vacuum) and Face Scripting – What Did the Building See . Artists continued to play a central role in our celebrations, Our open weekend provided plenty of opportunities to get with the symposium Artists in Print. This day-long event was creative, with free, drop-in workshops and events happening a celebration of print making and was an opportunity for across the building. These busy days were thriving with artists, academics, theoreticians and historians to consider creative activity, with visitors screen-printing DCA20 tote issues around print and contemporary art in Scotland. bags, creating a collaborative vinyl wall collage, making Through artists’ talks and chaired discussions with Tessa birthday badges and short animated films, and celebrating Lynch, Scott Myles, , Helen de Main, Edwin our ‘see, think, make, do’ approach in exciting and fun ways. Pickstone and Jacqueline Butler, DCA Print Studio DCA Print Studio was packed with workshops for visitors to celebrated its twenty-year history of working with cutting take part in, from traditional printmaking techniques such as edge and traditional print technologies. This was a rare Japanese woodblock printing and shadowgraphs to newer opportunity to hear how practitioners think about using technologies including 3D printing and laser cutting. We held print processes in innovative and inventive ways, a display of the brilliant work created through ST/ART, our connecting to its social histories, collaborative processes long-term partnership project with Tayside Healthcare Arts and technological materiality. Trust, and a team from DCA’s Young Photo Club were on hand to document the whole weekend. Top: Eve Fowler, what a slight. what a sound. what a universal shudder. Photograph by Erika Stevenson Bottom: Mike Kelley, Mobile Homestead Photograph by Ruth Clark Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 7

Exhibitions

“This is how her mind In a year that has seen the cultural offering of Dundee grow exponentially, DCA’s exhibitions programme has gone from works, through metaphor, strength to strength, developing a mix of Scottish, British and international art projects across the galleries for our deep thought and delicate audiences. We welcomed 3 7, 487 visitors to the galleries across transformation: so much 2018/19 and are happy to report that this figure once again reflects a steady increase in attendance from previous years. like that of poet.” We devoted our entire summer season to the incredible work of American artist Eve Fowler with what a slight. what a sound. what Laura Cumming in The Observer on a universal shudder. This was the first solo exhibition of Fowler’s Lorna Macintyre: Pieces of You Are Here practice in Europe, and drew together a body of work focusing on the queer, experimental writing practice of Gertrude Stein. The exhibition in the galleries took the form of posters, prints, paintings, and installations employing materials such as vinyl, “The artist’s new film neon, collage, print, painting and film. Fowler’s work also reached explores unprecedented beyond our walls to appear as temporary public artworks on billboards, bus stops, and poster sites, spreading art and poetry levels of intimacy and across the city over the summer months. empathy with its subjects.” Over autumn, as the city around us was transforming faster than ever before with the opening of V&A Dundee, we developed two Eliel Jones in Frieze Magazine on distinct presentations of work by major international artists that Margaret Salmon: Hole in unique ways reflected on ideas of citizenship, nationhood, ownership and agency within very different parts of the world.

In Gallery 1, Santiago Sierra’s Black Flag project enacted an inversion of ownership at both the North and South Poles, asking “So lovely, one of my us to perhaps reconsider certain historical expeditions to the polar regions developed right here in Dundee. This exhibition favourite contemporary comprised an immersive photographic and sound installation art spaces in the UK.” documenting the process and performance of planting the universal symbol of the anarchist movement at the two most #helloDCA card review extreme points of the earth. At the same time in Gallery 2, as part of our annual Discovery Film Festival and in partnership with Artangel, we were delighted to stage the Scottish premiere of Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead film trilogy. This mammoth project, which was Kelley’s last major work before his untimely death in 2012, saw the artist create a to-scale replica of his childhood home in Detroit that travelled across the city in 2010. The conversations between and experiences of other dwellers of this urban space captured in these films created a deeply complex and moving portrait of a city in flux, which resonated strongly with visitors to and citizens of Dundee this past year. Lorna Macintyre, Pieces of You Are Here , 2018 Photograph by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 9

Exhibitions As we moved into December, American artist and filmmaker Margaret Salmon brought us warmth in winter, creating a new installation in Gallery 1 to step into using film, heat, light, and sound to explore ideas of contemporary love and intimacy in today’s society. In Gallery 2, Scottish artist Lorna Macintyre debuted a new exhibition “Loved David Austen’s of photographic and sculptural work, beautifully pushing materials to develop in unexpected ways across the space. This exhibition included exhibition! Superbly silver gelatin photographs, cyanotypes, and digital prints on silk, helpful guides, who installed alongside new sculptural forms such as crystalline structures grown from cyanotype chemistry on ceramic surfaces. As part of the explained the exhibition project we also worked with colleagues in The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, as Macintyre drew inspiration from an ancient – what lies behind object within their collection, pulling a fragment of our past into the these powerful images! present to consider anew. Most recently, we brought the breadth of British artist David Austen’s Will be back!” multifaceted practice to Dundee for the first time. Since the 1980s #helloDCA card review Austen has worked as a painter, sculptor, printmaker and filmmaker, and these stylistically diverse elements of his work come together to reveal an often dark yet endearing vision of the world. The artworks in this exhibition, from oil paintings on canvas and delicate watercolour works on paper to suspended sculptural objects and cinematic film projects, created an otherworldly space to step into, inhabited by “Landmark show of Austen’s strange and lovelorn characters. [Eve] Fowler’s is a All of these exhibitions were further brought to life through our public programme across the year. Within this strand of our curatorial work, major coup for DCA” we draw out and discuss many of the key questions and concerns within artworks on display in the galleries through talks, discussions, David Pollock in The List on Eve Fowler, what a slight. what a sound. what a readings, performances and screenings each season. As well as formal universal shudder. lectures and talks from experts across a range of disciplines over the year, during Eve Fowler’s exhibition we founded our ongoing feminist reading group to study the writing of Gertrude Stein whilst staging poetry walks and readings around the city; during Mike Kelley’s project we developed discussions and debate on contemporary cities and urban planning between Dundee and Detroit; we partnered with LUX Scotland to produce filmmaking workshops for artists with Margaret Salmon during the run of her show; and all exhibiting artists developed ‘Artist Choice’ film screenings each season in collaboration with our Cinema team.

At DCA we firmly believe that artists play a key part in developing and nurturing society, often asking more questions than providing answers; allowing us to pause and reconsider things we may have taken for granted or not thought worthy of appraisal before. The projects that have unfolded in our galleries over the past year have asked many questions of our audiences, but always in generous and open ways. Through engaging with these artworks and ideas in 2018/19 audiences have been invited to not simply be passive consumers of art and culture but to be active citizens of Dundee and the wider world. Projection booth tours DCA20 open weekend Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 11

Cinema

DCA Cinema continues to deliver the very best in new cinematic releases and a unique programme of world cinema, classics and alternative content to Dundee audiences. As Dundee's only independent city centre cinema, we welcomed 93, 904 audience “I love visiting DCA members to 3,091 screenings over the 201 8–19 period. Selected and programmed by the DCA team, the top 20 titles are indicative of just how diverse the tastes to enjoy alternative and interests of our audiences are. Looking back at our most well attended movies. I have seen screenings, the list includes UK box office hits with music at their hearts such as A Star is Born, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! and Bohemian Rhapsody (the many gripping foreign latter two titles brought back for sold-out special sing-a-long encore performances) as well as films which spoke to Dundee’s love of comics such as Captain Marvel, language films that Avengers Infinity War, Deadpool 2 . Audiences flocked to Oscar-nominated titles would have passed such as The Favourite, A Star Is Born, BlacKkKlansman and The Wife but also strongly supported the more challenging films such as Mike Leigh’s Peterloo , me by without this the literary bio-pic Colette , Peter Jackson’s extraordinary WW1 archival film They Shall Not Grow Old and the Palm d’Or winner Shoplifters. Films with Scottish links amazing cinema.” such as Edie and Mary Queen of Scots were also featured in our most popular films of the year, and we welcomed record numbers of audiences of all ages for Facebook review our family friendly films such as Mary Poppins Returns and Incredibles 2. Alongside new releases, we continue to offer a wide range of special film seasons and festivals, all increasing the vibrancy and dynamism of our cinema programme. Our cinema team are responsible for curating and delivering Dundee’s only “Streamed theatre dedicated Horror Film Festival Dundead, Discovery: Scotland’s International Film Festival for Young Audiences and for the film programme for Luminate: Scotland’s from the West End Creative Ageing Festival. We continue to be a host venue for touring festivals such as French Film Festival UK, Fokus: Films from Germany, Italian Film has transformed Festival, Japan Foundation touring programme, Canada Now and SQIFF my life.” (Scotland’s International Queer Film Festival) to name just a few. Partnership working is a key element of our programming which allows us to Facebook review access both new films and new audiences, enhancing our cinema offer and the breadth of our programme. In 201 8–19 these included new collaborative working with the newly opened V&A Dundee on two projects. Sharing our expertise around shorts programming for a young audience we curated a collection of Discovery Winter Shorts that screened across three evenings at the museum and a season of films including Titanic , Lady Eve and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes were screened to accompany the V&A Dundee‘s exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed and Style . Working with the , we examined the influence of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on film as part of the Being Human Festival and together with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society brought filmmaker Alex Bescoby to DCA to present his new film We Are Kings . For the first time, Film Jarman Awards came to Dundee, with a special DCA screening that featured a Q&A session with exhibiting artist Margaret Salmon.

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Cinema Screenings of arts and performance continued to be popular, with audiences enjoying a range of content including National Theatre Live, Live from the Met, Bolshoi Ballet, Glyndebourne, musical theatre events such as An American in Paris and Everybody Is Talking About Jamie , as well as “DCA means we watch Exhibition on Screen events. Participatory sing-a-long screenings such films we wouldn’t as The Greatest Showman and The Little Mermaid , sold out across the board. Dundee is definitely a city that likes a good cinema singsong. otherwise watch. A host of special guests visited DCA for talks and screenings. We were It’s what cinema is about. delighted to welcome filmmaker Mark Cousins for a Q&A session about his new film The Eyes of Orson Welles ; comedian Josie Long and Douglas It gets us to think about, King not only presented their new film Super November but also treated our audiences to a stand-up set; Jake Megkinsky presented his portrait and talk about, and take of jazz musician Milford Graves which came to us fresh from the Sheffield Doc/Fest; Grant McPhee presented Teenage Superstars his documentary us outside our comfort about the West Coast indie music scene in the 1980s and 90s. zones. We need DCA.” Scottish Encounters, our exciting showcase of new work from up-and-coming Scottish screen talent gives Dundonians the opportunity to interact with #helloDCA card filmmakers in post-screening Q&A sessions. This strand which features both shorts and feature length films continues to be one of the most popular in our programme. Lively debate, conversation and connection are an important element of these events and we were thrilled to be joined by “Relaxed screening great filmmaker Felipe Bustos Sierra for Nae Pasaran , and short filmmaker Alex Harron with The Racer. Working with the production company Iron Star, for a fidgety toddler + a we also hosted their short film competition showcase, a now annual event, stressed parent.” which features the work of many local up and coming filmmakers. Celebrating cinema’s rich heritage is an important part of our programme #helloDCA card and was showcased through many special events throughout the year. Film and live music events continue to be a vital element of our cinema calendar. We welcomed musician Stephen Horne for a rare screening the Louise Brooks film Prix de Beauté and composer Neil Brand celebrated "Best cinema in Dundee the genius that is Buster Keaton with The General ; Six piece Italian folk bank The Badwills provided the score for our Dundee Women’s Festival Bar none!!! Great Movie." screening of the 1915 film Assunta Spina and Graeme Stephen and Peter Harvey accompanied Lon Chaney in The Penalty . We had focused #helloDCA card seasons on the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock, Agnes Varda and Margarethe von Trotta and explored a moment of significant political change in the 1968 with Revolt She Said curated by Club des Femmes. Alongside the extensive work we do with young people and schools through Discovery (see p 23 for more details), we are also committed to enhancing access to cinema for all audiences. We keep our ticket prices low to ensure that our programme remains accessible to the widest possible audience. Our autism-friendly “relaxed” screenings with lower sound, increased lighting, and materials for quiet activities in the foyer if the screening experience is too intense have become an integral part of our cinema offer. We increased the number of subtitled screenings for the deaf and hearing impaired over the past year and our targeted weekly screenings for Senior Citizen Kane and Bring A Baby are still our most well attended slots of the entire programme. DCA Print Studio Photographs by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 15

Print St udio

“A clear, informative The Print Studio is an open-access workshop at the heart of DCA, where artists of all abilities and at all stages of their course, led in an careers can create new work using both traditional equipment and digital technology. Through courses, expert teaching, engaging manner. I’ve drop in days, residencies, collaborations, research and our found a new sense of hugely successful series of print editions, DCA Print Studio is at the forefront of Scottish and international creative practice control over the device and development. and hopefully over DCA Print Studio has enjoyed an active and exciting year, developing our strategic aims of foregrounding research and residencies, future creativity!” whilst maintaining our extensive and popular programme of courses and continuing to offer low cost open-access to users of all abilities. On Get Off Auto Our Get Creative workshops continue to be a huge success with nearly 700 people taking part in a huge range of creative sessions, from Signwriting to Screen Printing, Laser Cutting to Japanese Brush Calligraphy. New courses this year included 3D Books, “Best fun I’ve had in Advanced Etching, Nature Prints, Cyanotype Fabric Painting and Fold-your-own Pinhole Camera. ages! Excellent tutors – Doctoral Research is a key focus for DCA Print Studio. Artist very encouraging. Jacqueline Butler passed her second PhD Review at School of Art, who were impressed with the work she has done Would definitely do here, and the way she has forged a 'new intermedial practice another course!” that defies categorisation' . Artist Rachel Adams also passed her 1st year Review at College of Art, managing her On Nature Prints DCA research alongside her successful practice as an artist and exhibition profile at David Dale Gallery in Glasgow and the Jerwood Space in London. We were pleased to work for another year with the Cleveland Print Room on an Artist in Residence exchange programme, with April Bleakney arriving in Dundee to work for 6 weeks in the Print Studio and Katie Ravenscraig travelling to Cleveland from Dundee. Both artists found the exchange and the opportunity to expand their practices hugely rewarding. Experimental work has begun with artist Ilana Halperin on her new project in Japan: laser-cutting shapes for calcifying in a spring, laser-engraving marble and printing with malachite and clay. We were pleased to show project curator Naoko Mabon around the studio. We have been working with Anna Olafsson to research ‘electro-etch’ process – using a very low current with copper sulphate solution. The process is much safer and more environmentally friendly than traditional methods. Photograph by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 17

Print Studio

We were really well represented at IMPACT 10 Encuentro, the “This course is brilliant, International Multidisciplinary Printmaking Conference in Santander, with papers presented by DCA staff and researchers. The resounding I highly recommend so feedback referred to the intellectual rigour and critical integrity that our much, felt free to ask programme always conveys at these international events. Others were impressed by the fact that we maintain such high standards whilst questions, and had lots maintaining commitment to being affordable and open-access. of fun too. Thank you !” Two artist collectives who work in DCA Print Studio, Dundee Print Collective and Riso Soup, were also represented at IMPACT 10 with Feedback on Get Off Auto course an exhibition and a feature on the People of Print website. We enjoy welcoming groups of participants to DCA Print Studio and were pleased to work with the Institute of Conservators on specialist box making, with the University of St Andrew's Summer School on screen printing, with Dundee Women’s Festival on a riso workshop, as well as “Amazing afternoon hosting visits from Dundee University’s Festival of the Future, Creative @DCAdundee. Exchange, the Sainsbury Centre and British Council Philippines. The Scottish Print Network, of which we are a member, was awarded Printmaking taster Creative Scotland funding for a World War One project, with the arts organisation Lateral North appointed to co-ordinate across the country. course. For £10 the We engaged students from DJCAD at the University of Dundee, Abertay world slowed down for University and Dundee and Angus College to create this new work and the first exhibition from all five Scottish cities will be show at the Scottish three hours and I feel Parliament in 2019. like a different person .” We were delighted to be part of the new steering group for the National Network of Production Facilities in Scotland, along with colleagues from Twitter feedback Stills, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh Printmakers, Peacock Visual Arts, Scottish Sculpture Workshops, Highland Printmakers, Northlands, Glasgow Sculpture Studios, Glasgow Print Studio and Street Level Photoworks. This new network is working with the agency Vis-à-Vis to create a strategy to support profile-raising, fundraising, skills “Fabulous day – learned sharing and ensuring the highest quality wide access for artists and the public across the country. so much. Well paced, DCA Print Studio was once again home to Dundee Print Collective who interesting facts & created new work with the Barcelona-based group Yeswe Printers for the Postcard from Europe exhibition in the VRC space downstairs at DCA. practical all well explained. Plenty of hands on time and able to explore different techniques. Excellent. Thank you.” Feedback on Papermaking course Top: In our Create Space Photograph by Erika Stevenson Bottom: Workshop with Dundee International Women’s Centre Photograph by DCA Learning team Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 19 Lea rning “Following on from the DCA Learning team works with colleagues and external partners to fantastic opportunity design and deliver a wide range of learning experiences for all. The ethos behind all of our activity is ‘SEE, THINK, MAKE, DO’. We connect new you organised for our and existing audiences with contemporary art practice, a wide range Higher candidates... of making skills and the pleasure and creative challenges that these I just wanted to give activities bring. Throughout 201 8–19, DCA Learning team delivered a diverse programme, you the super feedback balancing a mix of free and low cost ticketed activity. Responding to requests that the recent prelim from community, specialist groups and charities, we created a new programme and research opportunities, engaged both new and returning visitors of all results are extremely ages and maintained important community links across the city. high in comparison to Some of our 2018/19 highlights include: previous years. The whole > 8,200 people engaged in creative activity both at DCA and offsite in total > 244 workshop sessions delivered over the year across all ages experience was beneficial to the group and has > 49 workshop sessions with our new Family Programme, 7 offsite in Dundee > 41 tours, workshops and talks in response to requests from schools, enhanced their critical community groups and Further/Higher education courses, 75% from within studies knowledge and Dundee and 25% from Scotland/wider understanding. We look > 2 tailored study days for Dundee Art & Design Higher pupils engaging 175 forward to future events pupils in exploring art at first hand to build confidence and understanding > 6 Career Long Professional Learning sessions for teachers/trainee teachers with you and the team > 6 in depth longer term projects with Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust, Craigmills at DCA.” Skills Centre, Sense One Giant Leap, Hot Chocolate Trust and School of

St John's Art and Design Department Life Sciences University of Dundee > 2 new PhD studentships in collaboration with University of Dundee Psychology department, researching the impact of creative learning on families “I had such a great > 300+ days of DIY art-making in our drop-in Create Space. > Presenting at a packed Scottish Learning Festival on Animating Science experience at the project, with the School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee workshop, getting to We are proud that our work continues to bring people in from all of the Dundee explore different ways postcodes, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, Stirling, Edinburgh and of making – things Glasgow. Every session we deliver is unique and has impact but some of our I had not tried before. key pieces of work for this year are: The staff were so helpful DCA Family Programme We targeted 2018 as a year to grow our Family Programme and were pleased and supportive. I’m sure to secure significant funding to increase our offer. DCA Family Programme I’ll make great use of features film screenings, open Create Space DIY sessions linked to each what I learned in future exhibition at DCA, Family Art Lab workshops, family taster days in partnership with community groups and hosting monthly sessions with Sensatronic Sound practice.” Lab. With both increased funding and increased marketing, participation and Adult on Making Memories Workshop visibility of what DCA offers is growing fast. Top: Craft Sunday: Spoon Carving with Object Company. Bottom: Advocating Together group visit at DCA.

Top: Amina Muslim Women's Group get creative in our Create Space Photograph by DCA Learning team Bottom: DCA Learning Team film workshop Photograph by Erika Stevenson

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Learning

““If you have not been Research with the University of Dundee do give it a go: you will We welcomed two PhD studentships via a collaborative initiative with the Psychology Department at the University of Dundee, running from 2018 to 2022. never look back. It is ‘Art at the Start’ is a long term piece of joint research exploring the impact of engaging great fun as well as an with the visual arts on infants well-being, development and attachment relationships. education in modern The aim is to create an evidence base for the social consequences of art making interpretation of art. and viewing in early childhood, for both vulnerable and non-vulnerable families. All exhibitions are Year of Young People 2018 different – variety is Developing our work with and for young people was a key aim for this year. Working the spice of life.” with our own DCA Young Photo Club and with Hot Chocolate Trust we ran a pilot project to learn more about presenting young people’s work in public, and engaging Heather, on Senior Citizen Kane Tours visitors. Both groups of young people explored being “a maker, a curator and being audience” across three separate weeks in the VRC space downstairs at DCA, in March, June and September. Feedback and evaluation from this work will inform “I really love this future activity and future funding applications to build on this pilot. session. I like making with diferent colours. ST/ART Our longstanding partnership project with Tayside Healthcare Trust saw forty-eight Watching the short participating adults with long-term health conditions once again working with DCA’s films and videos. Print Studio, Learning teams, freelance artists, filmmakers and artist volunteers to Lovely friendly lady celebrate equality of opportunity and creative engagement. from DCA helping us Artworks made were presented in three displays and a wonderful film-screening and explained really event, which brought together friends, relatives and NHS Tayside representatives to hear more about the project and its impact. well. Thank you.”

Childrens Art Week 2018 Dundee Offsite community engagement and activity International Womens’ Centre feedback DCA Learning team connected with community groups in the Stobswell, Maryfield and Coldside area of Dundee by going out and about to Picnics in the Park National Play Day, being ‘in residence’ at Dundee International Womens’ Centre and having “Thanks again for a mobile print making week during Children’s Art Week 2018. We delivered 8 days of offsite sessions and engaged 539 individuals in hands-on making and learning including us in your transferable print skills. study – we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience, Working with Schools and Teachers and learned lots in the Our important work with schools and teachers across the Tayside region continued and we were pleased to host another Art and Design Pupil Conference, which every process. The younger S5 class in Dundee attended, as well as Media Studies days and Discovery Film kids especially loved that Festival opportunities (see p. 23). We developed our Wellcome Trust funded we'd all listen to and Animating Science project across Angus with the University of Dundee, and we think about their thoughts were delighted to welcome Professional Graduate Diploma in Education students from the university to three sessions exploring critical skills, film education and and responses to art 'being more expressive', with incredibly positive feedback. just as much as we do to adults.”

Feedback from family research sessions with Art at the Start PhD student Holly Rumble Photographs by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 23

Disco very Film Festival

“A safe, comfortable, The 15th edition of Discovery Film Festival took place between Sat 20 October and Sun 4 November 2018, and straightforward, friendly, again offered the best in new world cinema for young well-supported opportunity to audiences and their families. watch wonderful films we A truly international line-up included four UK and three Scottish wouldn’t otherwise come across.” premieres, with fifteen features and 21 shorts representing Australia, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Spain, The Netherlands, “It was a great experience for the UK and USA. Highlight films included the Oscar-nominated pupils, some of them had not even Japanese anime Mirai, film adaptations of two hard-hitting literary heavyweights (Journey’s End , Un Sac de Billes ) and a sneak been to Dundee before!” preview of the teen zombie rom-com musical phenomenon that is Anna and the Apocalypse . “The chance to see foreign The festival remains a valuable resource for teachers across the language films in comfortable region. During the three weeks of activity we had 46 screenings for and interesting surroundings.” schools, with 4,302 attendees from 53 schools across Dundee, Angus, Fife and Perth & Kinross. “Thank you to all the team for your It is refreshing that in an era when it is growing harder for foreign kindness and welcome. Keep language films to find an audience in the UK, Discovery Film promoting foreign language Festival continues to successfully promote subtitled film to young audiences across the region. This year’s festival featured films in a opportunities for our youngsters!” total of ten different foreign languages (Arabic, Danish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Kikuyu, Portuguese, Spanish and “It introduces pupils to an Swahili) and remains committed to wherever possible screening the original dialogue with subtitles rather than versions dubbed alternative means of learning into English. The use of short films in the Modern Languages and enriches their experience classroom also continues to go from strength to strength as part of our ongoing partnership with the PanTayside 1+2 scheme. in education.” Over the 12 months, 649 primary pupils and their teachers had the chance to use their French language skills in our interactive Teachers' Feedback sessions in both the cinema and back in the classroom, based on watching a number of short films and then voicing their responses in the target language.

Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 25

Discove ry Film Festival

Media Studies students once again had the opportunity to “The film was funny and meet and quiz film industry experts as part of their annual entertaining. I also felt it was Study Day, looking at both the art of film directing and particularly relevant to our contemporary film exhibition as preparation for their exams. At weekends we offered 29 public screenings to a total current society, especially audience of 941. The Opening Gala of the festival catered to with its references to poverty everyone’s inner dog lover with the gorgeously snowy Belle and Sebastian , Friends For Life . Animation fans were well and single parents.” looked after too and had a number of opportunities to not French language student, La mélodie only watch brand-new animated shorts and features on the big screen but then also get ‘hands on’ with making their “Excellent films with lots of own micro-short films in post-screening family workshops. resources to go with them.” Our Discovery exhibition of Mike Kelley and Santiago Sierra’s work in DCA Galleries attracted 13,471 visitors, while over 1,000 people took part in one of 25 different Discovery on Tour “Pupils enjoyed the experience events that played in 10 partner venues across Scotland. – inspired lots of conversations Throughout the year, Discovery Family Film Club attracted about Mary Shelley and 1,157 attendances at 58 family screenings, offering a very broad range of fare including Ernest et Célestine , Spider-Man: Frankenstein. One pupil in my Into the Spider-Verse , Peter Rabbit and Ralph Breaks the higher class did further research Internet . In addition, archive Disney classics such as Robin Hood and The Little Mermaid (refreshed with onscreen into Percy Shelley’s death after a singalong lyrics!) proved to be very popular. conversation inspired by the film.” 3,810 more people were entertained during the school holidays with films including The Incredibles 2 , The Lego “Thank you for making it so easy Movie 2 , the new live action version of Dumbo and The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales . To complement our screenings of new for us and for providing such Irish animation The Breadwinner , we also revisited the earlier excellent films.” classic titles from the same filmmakers, The Secret of Kells and . Teachers' feedback Song of the Sea Over the year 10 schools brought a total of 434 students to “I asked Lewis about the film DCA for screenings of films in line with their studies. These included literature students coming to see The Great Gatsby but he said it was so funny I would in 3D, art students viewing the documentary McQueen , laugh till I fell off my chair so he and primary school pupils enjoying Room on the Broom accompanied by a reading of the text in Scots. couldn’t tell me anything.”

Lewis’ Mum, The Giant Pear Credit: Capitoline Scene (Hand) by Lorna Macintyre Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 27

Edi tions and Publications “DCA Print Studio is such a DCA’s Editions programme enables us to work with artists to develop and extend their practice through working with Print brilliant resource to have Studio staff to create new, limited edition prints. Subsequent sales within an arts institution. help fund DCA’s future work, disseminate our programme to wider Having the means to create audiences and offer the opportunity to collect work by innovative contemporary artists. alongside the exhibition This year we launched new editions by DCA exhibition artists Andrew programme has great value Lacon, Kate V Robertson, Eve Fowler and Lorna Macintyre, and two both for artists and visiting editions by David Austen as part of our DCA20 celebrations. public, and whomever is DCA was invited to participate at the Art Car Boot Sale 2018, organised lucky enough to use the in Glasgow by Patricia Fleming Projects. We launched our new Kate V Robertson editions here, as well as showing a selection of new editions studio. I have made four and publications from our programme. Artists participating in the event prints and have been made alongside us included a large number of editions artists from DCA’s to feel tremendously welcome; past programme including Claire Barclay, Ilana Halperin, Rob Churm and Ciara Phillips. Annis and the team are There was strong DCA Print Studio representation at IMPACT 10 never-endingly enthusiastic Encuentro in Santander this year where the Editions Manager gave with expertise and craft at a talk to a packed audience on the editioning process with Andrew the highest level. I’d give Lacon in DCA Print Studio. tooth and nail to have this Publications continue to play an important part of how we work with artists, inviting writers and poets to contribute texts that expand, in London.” explore and respond to our exhibitions. New DCA publications have

David Austen been launched for exhibiting artists Lorna Macintyre, including newly commissioned writing by poet and critic Quinn Latimer, and Eve Fowler, featuring new texts by writers and poets Sophie Collins, Eileen Myles and Litia Perta. A new hardback publication has been produced with David Austen as part of the DCA20 programme, including new texts by curator and writer George Vasey, and by novelist and poet Lavinia Greenlaw.

David Austen, Underworld photo by Helen Macdonald CRAFTED Photograph by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 29

DCA Shop

“I had a great day, it was DCA Shop both reflects and supports DCA’s work, from visual art to cinema and print, by offering a design-focused selection of products fantastic to be part of it. and artwork, often with direct links to our extensive artistic programme. Really impressed with your We bring together work by talented independents alongside contemporary homeware and design brands, and sell a wide range of books and management, layout and magazines on art and design, plus cards, stationery and gifts for pre-event marketing. children. Limited edition artworks, created by users of the DCA Print Studio, are also showcased and sold within the DCA Shop, alongside It was ace!” works from our extensive Editions and Publications programme. Every Joanna Craig on CRAFTED purchase in DCA Shop helps to sustain what we do. As well as supporting DCA itself, the shop also has a proud history of championing local design and working with talented makers who are already on our doorstep. In August of 2018, we developed and introduced specific “Thank you so much for ‘Dundee Made’ branding to the shop to promote the work of local designers having me at my first and make it easier for customers to engage with locally made products. Alongside an active social media campaign, our eye-catching logo now CRAFTED! I had a lovely adorns shop displays to identify the best craft and design that Dundee has day, meeting loads of new to offer, which has led to a 110% increase in sales of the work of featured customers, chatting to them suppliers. about what I do and how Continuing this theme, we were delighted to showcase the work of selected graduating students from Jewellery and Metal Design at Duncan of I get my ideas for designs. Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) in DCA Shop in early June. Loved also catching up with With the aim of providing these emerging designers with a platform to show and sell their work and to highlight the array of talent originating from DJCAD, fellow makers and making the work of four graduates was selected based upon the quality of their friends with new ones. degree show pieces, the ideas behind their final collections and the commercial potential of their work. The atmosphere was great – Our CRAFTED Christmas Market, which provides a professional selling and so relaxed and friendly and networking opportunity to talented independent designers and makers from with very helpful DCA staff.” across Scotland, returned in 2018 and continued to go from strength to strength, with market opening hours extended for an extra hour this year Olive Pearson on CRAFTED and the highest number of market visitors ever recorded attending the event. Combined with this, discounts on craft produced by our talented array of local suppliers were offered in DCA Shop itself. Both customer and exhibitor feedback from the 2018 event was universally positive. Increased local and international focus on Dundee brought a significantly increased number of visitors into the shop through the second half of 2018; building upon this as we moved into 2019, a successful January Sale, alongside continued support from our local customers, contributed to DCA shop recording its highest ever net sales figures across January, February and March. Top: Hot Chocolate visits State of Print, DCA20 birthday weekend Bottom: A family screen-printing at our DCA20 birthday weekend Photographs by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 31

Communica tions and Audiences

Audiences are at the heart of all DCA’s work and our “One of Scotland’s communication and audience plans help us to deliver our most beloved vision: to enrich people’s lives through art, culture and creativity. As part of our 20th birthday celebrations, we have launched a cultural spaces.” campaign where audience members suggest films from the last 20 years to be screened in our cinema, using the hashtag The Skinny #helloDCA20. This has been hugely popular with over 230 films currently logged. We also launched our 20 Stories for 20 Years

video series where we’ll hear from people who have been involved with and integral to DCA over the last two decades: from artists to “I’ll definitely come filmmakers and staff to audience members. again! A great place We also welcomed previews, reviews and features across all programme areas in The Scotsman , The Herald , The Nationa l, in so many ways. The Skinny , and Studio International and locally in and Evening Telegraph , as well as receiving coverage on BBC Radio Crazy art, cinema for Scotland and STV. The coverage of our 20th birthday celebrations was particularly strong with press noting the richness of our history, the scale of our ambition and the wealth of DCA and staff’s young and old, gifts, achievements over the last 20 years.

eats, drinks and a Throughout the year, our programme continued to attract local, national and international press coverage. National press highlights warm welcome. included a full-page review in The Observer for Lorna Macintyre: Pieces of You Are Here and Margaret Salmon: Hole , an interview Dundee should be with Santiago Sierra in The Guardian and Black Flag being listed as the Critic’s Choice in The FT Weekend. We continued to a have very proud.” a strong presence in specialist art press, seeing coverage in The Arts Newspaper (Santiago Sierra), Art Monthly (Eve Fowler), Frieze #helloDCA card (Margaret Salmon) and Art Agenda (Lorna Macintyre). Top; Artists Jane and Louise Wilson in conversation with Director of DCA, Beth Bate Bottom: Create Space, DCA20 Open Weekend Photographs by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 33

Communications and Audiences

How we connect to and involve our audiences is key. This year we “DCA you are launched our new Membership, Red Card Plus and revised Red Card schemes. DCA Membership offers customers a £1 discount on WONDERFUL cinema tickets, priority booking on selected seasons and events and discounts on Print Studio courses as well as in the DCA Shop and through and through .” Jute Café Bar for £44 per year. Uptake on membership exceeded expectations with the number of current members sitting at 109. We #helloDCA card also currently have 30 Red Card Plus members paying £15 annually to receive 50p off standard and over 60s screenings and selected offers. Audience feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with “Best spot in many praising the priority-booking period for the Met Opera season Dundee. A fabulous and the membership discounts. A significant area of focus for the Communications team continues contemporary space, to be digital marketing. We saw an increase of 22% in website traffic, with 623,513 sessions. Throughout 2018, there has been growth excellent art across all our social channels, with Instagram seeing the biggest increase at 28%. We are continuing to post regularly on the feed and are using Instagram Stories more frequently too, streaming our Meet exhibitions, cinema the Artist events via Instagram live when possible. A recent event and caf é/restaurant. was viewed over 700 times and received great feedback. Audience interaction on Twitter remains strong – our popular weekly Twitter A great place to competition continues to be successful. Facebook continues to be the largest source of our social referrals, therefore the focus of paid visi t/meet.” digital advertising.

#helloDCA card We continued to work on effective email marketing throughout the year, ensuring that messages are only sent to those who are likely to be interested in hearing from us. The results are excellent with “DCA is an an average open rate of 42% for our targeted film emails – nearly double the national average. amazing place for children and adults. I recommend it to every person that I meet. 100% brilliant in all aspects.”

#helloDCA card Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 34 DCA suppo rters DCA would like to thank all of our funders, partners and supporters for helping us with such a successful 201 8–19.

Stakeholders Dundee City Council Creative Scotland

Partners Support DCA a/political DCA believes that art and culture enriches people’s Artangel lives, as artists, audiences and as participants. Europa Cinema To deliver our diverse programmes, keep our Ingleby Gallery exhibitions free and subsidise our community and LUX Scotland education work, we rely on funds from Dundee Mary Mary City Council, Creative Scotland, sponsors, private Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts donations, and income from our cinema, shop, Nino Mier Gallery courses and café bar. TOTAH Gallery If you would like to support DCA and our University of Dundee innovative and exciting programme, please Funders and Sponsors contact us at [email protected] Al Maktoum Foundation Annie McClean Trust for Elderly Hire DCA British Council Scotland DCA is the perfect venue to hire for launches, Leng Charitable Trust special events, meetings and screenings. Our Northwood Charitable Trust galleries, cinema and meeting rooms provide Outset Scotland our clients, who include charities, commercial Tillyloss Trust companies, voluntary organisations, clubs and RJ Larg Family Trust individuals, with an unusual and stylish setting Verdant Spirits for their event. If you are interested in hiring DCA, please DCA20 Patrons contact us at [email protected] or on Murray Bremner 01382 432490 Murray Chalmers Siobhan Dundee Sigrid and Stephen Kirk Thomas Veit

Patron Tim Allan

Friends Simon Dessain Ann Liggett Peter Rowson Tom Wilcox And those who wish to remain anonymous. Dundee Contemporary Arts Annual Report Page 35 Boa rd and S taff Board Lucy Askew (Vice Chair), Alan Boyter, Cllr Mark Flynn, Doug Forbes, Ilana Halperin, Joe Lafferty (Chair), Jackie McKenzie, Cllr Charles Malone, Scott Moncur, Philip Owen, Toby Paterson, Cllr Anne Rendall, Cllr Margaret Richardson, Charis Robertson, Elaine Russell, Thomas Veit

Staff Jessica Reid : Head of Communications & Visitor Services Beth Bate : Director Meg Greenhorn : Sandra O’Shea : Depute Director Acting Communications Manager : Executive Administrator Kara Kinnaird Caley McGillvary, Chloe Milne, Jennifer Phin : Communications Officers Eoin Dara : Head of Exhibitions Helen Macdonald : Communications Coordinator Adrian Murray : Exhibitions Manager Visitor Services Manager Valerie Norris : Exhibitions Coordinator Lazaros Zarafonitis: Jessica McGoff : Acting Visitor Services Manager Anton Beaver, Jessie Giovane Staniland, John Louden, Jonny Lyons : Senior Gallery Technicians Sarah Derrick : Head of Learning Jude Gove, Scott Hudson, Andrew Low, Alice Black : Head of Cinema Lynne McBride : Learning Coordinators Mike Tait : Cinema Youth Development Officer Graeme Wallace : Ian Banks : Chief Projectionist Head of Finance and Company Secretary Michael Coull : Cinema Coordinator Lynda Rourke : Finance Assistant Ben Richam-Odoi : Projectionist/Technician Jenny Logan : HR Officer Scott Davidson, Daniel McFarlane, Cieran McCusker : Lewis Smith : Sales & Retail Manager Projectionists Nicola Macrae : Retail Supervisor Annis Fitzhugh : Head of Print Studio Murray Cairncross, Sean Fitzgerald, Jackie Handy, Ralph McCann : Sandra De Rycker : Editions Manager Facilities Assistants

Judith Burbidge, Scott Hudson, Louis Cruickshank : Facilities Assistant/Technician Claire McVinnie, Katie O’Mahoney, Marianne Wilson : Print Studio Coordinators Ross Batchelor, Benn Brown, Joanne Delautre, Evie Dillon-Riley, Emer Dobson, Lorna Fleming, Taylor Flynn, Jorja Follina, Mhairi Goldthorp, Tarka Heath, Clare Heggie, Catriona Laggan, Joung Lee, Dana Leslie, Nicola Macrae, Jenna Maudlin, Amy Mccoull, Daniel Mcfarlane, Louise Mcfarlane, Natasha Mckendry, Andrew Mcsorley, Robyn Nisbet, Rachel Ord, Elspeth Owen-Hughes, Eva Parkinson, Eleanor Peters, Christie Thomson, Maria Tolia, Kirsten Wallace: Visitor Assistants Cover image: DCA20 Birthday Weekend by Erika Stevenson Dundee Contemporary Arts 152 Nethergate Dundee DD1 4DY Twitter @DCAdundee Instagram @DCAdundee Facebook DCA.Dundee

Scottish Charity no: SC026631