The Curiosity Conversation

In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Anita Corbin, a photographer whose works include Visible Girls and First Women UK.  First Women UK is on display at the Wardlaw Museum and Laidlaw Music Centre, St Andrews University until 8th Jan 2023. 

First Women comprises a unique collection of 100 portraits capturing women in the UK who were “first” in their field of achievement. This was completed by 2018 to celebrate 100 years of women’s suffrage.  In the early 80's Anita completed a project called Visible Women and worked for The Sunday Times and The Observer Magazine. 

In this episode, join Anita, Matt and Eilidh as they reflect on First Women UK, failure and success. For more info, visit First Women – Museum Events (st-andrews.ac.uk) Music © Lidhmusic

In this episode Eilidh talks to Matt Ylitalo, a PHD student in the School of Modern History at the University of St Andrews.

Matt's PHD research is called 'Huntin Whales and Making Knowledge'. He is also interested in Dundee’s nineteenth-century trade in Arctic animals particularly the history of the Dundee Whaling trade. Today's podcast looks in particular at the role of peoples who have long been marginalized in the whaling industry.

Matt contributed to the Museums of the University of St Andrews exhibition called Re-collecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus. The accompanying exhibition, Re-collecting Empire, is open from 28 July until 22 October 2022 at the Wardlaw Museum. In this episode, join Matt and Eilidh to discuss working with originating communities to reattribute and reinterpret collections.

 For more info, visit www.re-collectingempire.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk Music © Lidhmusic

In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Dr Anindya Raychaudhuri, in the School of English at the University of St Andrews. 

Anindya's primary research interest is in the cultural representation and collective memory of war and conflict. He is also interested in postcolonial and diasporic identities and cultures. Anindya contributed to the Museums of the University of St Andrews exhibition called Re-collecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus. The accompanying exhibition, Re-collecting Empire, is open from 28 July until 22 October 2022 at the Wardlaw Museum.

In this episode, join Anindya, Matt and Eilidh as they reflect on issues of cultural memory and museums.

For more info, visit www.re-collectingempire.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk Music © Lidhmusic

In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Dr Emma Bond, Reader in Italian and Comparative Literature in the School of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews.

Emma works on the circulation of people, texts, objects and cultural artefacts across nations, touching on issues of colonialism, empire, slavery and migration. She is working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on a project called Re-collecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus.

The accompanying exhibition, Re-collecting Empire, is open from 28 July until 22 October 2022 at the Wardlaw Museum. In this episode, Emma, Matt and Eilidh discuss their learning through developing the exhibition, the approaches taken, what might be missing and what visitors can expect when they visit. 

For more info, visit www.re-collectingempire.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk

Music © Lidhmusic

In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Magda Keaney, Senior Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in London. They discuss the recent photographs taken of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, to celebrate her 40th birthday. The conversation touches on the work of the photographer, Paolo Roversi, the history of photography and what we can learn about attitudes to royalty and society by the style of royal portraits.

The three photographs in the series are all available on the National Portrait Gallery website.

Music (c) Lidhmusic

Today Eilidh and Matt talk to Dr Paula Miles, a specialist in educational psychology in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews. She's been working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on a Cultural Prescription programme, aimed at improving wellbeing in the local community. 

The conversation explores the impact of culture on mental health and how museums can benefit how we all feel.

In this episode, Matt and Eilidh talk to Professor Susannah Thompson, an art historian, writer, and curator. Thompson is the Head of Doctoral Studies and Professor of Contemporary Art and Criticism at Glasgow School of Art. Thompson has previously worked on an exhibition entitled ‘Speak English’ by Lubaina Himid and Maud Sulter, as an exhibitions assistant at the same institution in 2002.

They reflect on the series of works by Maud Sulter titled 'Significant Others', which will be rotated in the Wardlaw Museum over the course of the next two years. Thompson details the influences on Sulter's work, her tireless activist work and how her work still holds contemporary resonance today. 

In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Pip Mitchell and Willow Loy, students of the MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies students. Willow and Pip are co-curators of the intervention 'Following Her Footsteps: Discovering Women in Natural Science' at the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History, running from 4th - 15th April 2022. Find out more - following-her-footsteps.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk

They discuss who Sarah Bowdich is, what her important contribution to the field of Natural Science was, and the importance of re-writing women back into the historical narrative. 

In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Professor Michael Brown and Dr Bess Rhodes. Michael and Bess are the curators of the exhibition 'Cult, Church, City: Medieval St Andrews' at the Wardlaw Museum, running from 20th February - 3rd July 2022. Find out more - https://medieval-standrews.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

They discuss the differences between the St Andrews of the medieval period and today, the influences and characteristics of the burgh's residents, and how we can picture the burgh of the past over 500 years later... 

Michael and Bess recommend...

Medieval St Andrews: Church, Cult, City (edited by Michael H Brown and Katie Stevenson) - https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781783275977/medieval-st-andrews/

Open Virtual Worlds Reconstructions - https://www.openvirtualworlds.org/reconstructions/

University Special Collections - https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/special-collections/

Music © Lidhmusic

The Curiosity Conversation speaks with a different expert every month to explore the world through the unexpected, ground-breaking or contested aspects of the stories museums tell. 

Music © Lidhmusic