Students Against Cuts have put together an exhibition with a collection of artwork from students, staff and alumni. The exhibition is on show in Generator Projects until August 5th.

The exhibition is called “This is what you’ll lose” and is a protest against the current proposed cuts at the University of Dundee, cuts that range from the Philosophy course to operations at the Botanic Garden.

The exhibition was organised by Mike McCarey, an Art and Philosophy student and member of Students Against Cuts. He put it together in eight days.

The open call drew over 40 artists, with one graduate sending work all the way from Amsterdam. Over 80 people came to the opening night, which had speakers from DJCAD, the Philosophy department, DUCU and Generator Projects. Alongside the Art and Philosophy work, the exhibition includes banners, placards and protest photography from the anti-cuts movement.

Mike explained why he organised it:

“The reason why I (and many of my course mates) came to Dundee in the first place was the Art and Philosophy course… when I heard that it was part of the next round of cuts, I couldn’t just stand by and watch it happen.”

“I decided to organise an art exhibition to raise awareness about the cuts and showcase the amazing work that Art and Philosophy students, graduates and staff produce in an effort to prove to the management that our degree is worth saving.”

Philosophy was one of the courses proposed to be cut, along with Mathematics and Languages. Philosophy is taken by students from Politics to Art, with Art and Philosophy only taught in Dundee out of anywhere in Scotland.

Staff are also affected. Janice Aitken, a Reader in Art and Design and UCU member, is among those at risk of redundancy.

“I am also in a pool for potential redundancy, as are my colleagues in Cooper Gallery. In DJCAD we are at risk of losing seven members of academic staff, on top of the many who have already gone. This will have a serious effect on student experience and staff morale.”

The Jute Journal spoke to Sage Cormack, an Art and Philosophy student going into their 4th year. Sage contributed a collection of photos called “Baptism”, as seen below.

Sage described their art as capturing “…the line where skin breaks the surface of the water.”

Sage explained the ideas behind the series:

“This project began to explore my thoughts on faith and religion, and how my queerness might coexist in some kind of purgatory.”

Sage joined DJCAD through the General Foundation course and, after feeling lost and unsure what to specialise in, chose Art and Philosophy.

“I was very lost on what I wanted, so I chose Art and Philosophy out of curiosity, at least with the idea that the lectures might be interesting. By the end of that second semester, the readings and lectures had become so valuable to my understanding of art and society that I couldn’t pass up choosing it for my degree.”

Sage spoke about the exhibition, saying:

“There was honestly no better feeling than seeing how swiftly and efficiently the staff, students, and graduates of Art and Philosophy came together for the exhibition.”

Sage also spoke about how they feel going into their final year of the course, given the possibility of this year being the last intake of Art and Philosophy students.

“Even though I’m due to graduate next year, I feel it’s my responsibility to defend this course and everything it has to offer for every student who comes after me.”

“I find it appalling that the university focuses more on how our course looks on a spreadsheet than on the fact that each person who attends these lectures is one more person taking the time to think and understand their surroundings critically.”

Sage was blunt about what cutting Philosophy would mean:

“Philosophy is the reason we have universities, and to dismiss it is to dismiss culture as a whole.”

They also spoke about what the Philosophy side of their degree has done for them, specifically highlighting the “moral reward as well as an academic one”.

“Art school can be somewhat suffocating… Philosophy has, in my experience, reignited my passion for creating. It gives me room to breathe.”

Ms Aitken has taught on the course for years.

“I have taught many Art & Philosophy students over the years. Their engagement with philosophical discourse enhances their ability to think creatively, challenge ideas and develop a robust intellectual underpinning for their art practice.”

She was critical of the message the cuts send.

“By threatening to destroy courses like Art & Philosophy and make colleagues in Philosophy redundant, the Interim University management will send a worrying message about how they value art and the humanities.”

She also pointed to a contradiction in the university’s own reasoning.

“The irony of this situation is that University management tells us that they value employability in graduates. Potential employers regularly seek graduates who are original thinkers and who are not afraid to challenge norms and to innovate.”

Dr Dominic Smith, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, said the problem starts with how the two subjects have been divided up.

“What is so distressing about the current situation facing Philosophy and Art + Philosophy is that it stems from a category error: the error of putting two halves of one thing into separate boxes.”

He noted the cuts come as the university moves to merge the two areas into a single faculty.

“If you add the two halves of the whole together, spreadsheet-generated concerns about which boxes to put students into go away, and they do so at a moment when the Division of Humanities and DJCAD are, at every level, moving towards even closer integration as ‘FASS’, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.”

“Philosophy + Art and Philosophy is a model for FASS to follow, not something to ignore and marginalise.”

“We in Philosophy stand in solidarity with colleagues in DJCAD.”

Mike was hopeful about what comes next.

“From the content of the speeches to the conversations amongst the attendees it is clear that people are ready for a fight.”

The exhibition is on show until August 5th at Generator Projects and is open daily from 12-5pm.