Heresies features three artists, B E Cole, Stuart Mackenzie and Roger Wilson, presenting responses to D’Arcy Thompson’s collection in the University of Dundee and to the theories and observations arising from his research. D’Arcy Thompson was the first Professor of Biology at Dundee and this exhibition marks the start of a two-year project which will explore his influence on the visual arts. It is part of a special initiative by the University’s Museum Services supported by the Art Fund’s RENEW scheme.
The exhibition title refers to Thompson’s own description of his research in the eyes of the scientific establishment. It also works as a reminder of the impact of his work on artists practising in the first half of the 20th century and their effort to establish a visual language connected to the natural world but distanced from academic naturalism.
