Spring Art Lecture: The Great Stadiums of the North

Monday 21st March, 5pm

Venue: Pathfoot Lecture Theatre, Pathfoot Building

Award winning photographer Brian Sweeney has been taking photographs professionally for the last 15 years.  In this time he has shot for many of the world’s leading lifestyle magazines, agencies and record companies.  He has lived in London, Reykjavik and Glasgow and has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe.

In this Spring’s Art Lecture he will be in conversation with broadcaster Stuart Cosgrove discussing The Great Stadiums of the North.  The photographs for the project were taken by Brian on journeys to the most remote football grounds in Scotland, with locations including Turriff, John O’ Groats and Forres.

The inspiration for this and his 2002 ‘Great Stadiums of Iceland’ series was Brian says:

 ‘As a way of fuelling boredom whilst on tour with shite bands I started shooting shit football stadiums everywhere I went’.

The ‘Great Stadiums of Iceland’ series was chosen by Adidas to front their streetlevel marketing campaign, resulting in an acclaimed exhibition in the Fordham Gallery, London.

Brian spends many of his Saturdays travelling round Scotland supporting his own club Albion Rovers and has photographed many community clubs in all parts of the country. The exhibition The Great Stadiums of the North will be on display in the Pathfoot Building from March 21st 2016.   

The Art Lecture is held in conjunction with the University of Stirling Annual Photography Competition.  Directly following the lecture there will be the launch of Brian’s exhibition and the opening and prize giving for the photography competition.

This event is free of charge and is open to staff, students and members of the public, however, places should be booked in advance via our online shop.

Artwork inspires Creative Writing

The Art Collection has recently been gifted artwork from artist Charmian Pollok.  Angel Wings is on display in the Art Collection as part of The Pebbles Were Each One Alive exhibition.  A recent tour of the exhibition has inspired the piece of writing below from Creative Writing student Michael Andrews.

Catching Angels

Papa wouldn’t let me set the trap. I never got to see what we caught. I could hear it snap shut in the night. I couldn’t let on that I was awake to papa though- he’d always give me what for if I disturbed him in the night. I tried to sneak out one time, to see what we’d caught. He caught me trying to lift the bar off of the door. He beat the hell out of me that night. I was just so curious is all. I got to see some of the smaller things we caught sometimes. Squirrels, stray cats and such, all flattened out because the trap was not meant for things that small. One night I asked, “Why won’t you let me come help papa?”.

“Too dangerous. You’re not old enough to understand the complications.”

“The complications?”

“Catching angels is complicated, you wouldn’t be able to figure it.”

“How do you trap angels then? Go on and tell me how, I’ll understand.”

“You quit your askin’, you won’t understand the complications.” We both heard the trap snap shut then. I looked to the unlocked door, then to papa. “Don’t you dare”, he warned. I bolted. Through the door I went. Through the scrub, ducking trees. I was guessing where papa had left it. It wasn’t by the creek, or the marsh. I tore out through the tree line, toward the lonely rock. There is was, caught in the trap. I hadn’t seen an angel before. They weren’t like I’d been told. This one didn’t have wings. It was like a person, a boy like me. He looked terrified.