The University of Liverpool’s Dr Panayiota Vassilopoulou is to become Resident Philosopher at Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre, four years after pioneering the first role of its kind at the Bluecoat.
Dr Vassilopoulou, a Senior Lecturer in the University’s Department of Philosophy, opens her residency tonight with the first of three public events taking place over the summer.
She will also work with curators Susan Lord and Dr Hannah Allen, and artist-in-residence, Rachel Defay-Liautard on the exhibition, Random Archive.
Dr Vassilopoulou said: “I am really excited about this new collaboration with Susan Lord and Dr Hannah Allan and look forward to expanding my research on philosophy and art by exploring the multiple layers of Random Archive with the staff and public of Bury Art Museum.”
The exhibition makes use of the museum’s unique Text Art Archive, and features the work of national and international language artists. It attempts to push boundaries by questioning how an archive can be viewed, accessed and explored.
It is made up of an Archive Maze, hands on Bibliomancy section, a Digital Archive and a Reading Room, featuring invited artists and writers.
The show runs until August, and Dr Vassilopoulou will be conducting research into the present and future of archives throughout.
Bury Art Museum Curator, Susan Lord said: “We are delighted to have Dr Vassilopoulou as our Resident Philosopher during the Random Archive exhibition.
“The exhibition is made up of artworks and supporting documents from Bury’s unique Text Art Archive and innovative Art Archive, which houses contemporary Language Art and supporting material from each of Bury’s Text Festivals.
“We look forward to exploring, with our audiences, ideas put forward by Dr Vassilopoulou surrounding the exhibition concept itself, and ideas which explore archives of the future.”
The residency was facilitated by the University’s Business Gateway team, with the aim of foregrounding the civic role of the University and developing extensive and sustained knowledge exchange links with cultural institutions and communities across the North West.
Following Dr Vassilopoulou’s inaugural event this evening, which features her in conversation with Random Archive curators, a further two events will take place.
On Friday June 23, between 1.30pm and 3.30pm there will be an Archive Maze Workshop, and on Thursday July 6, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm the Digital Archive Workshop will open.
Dr Panayiota Vassilopoulou was Philosopher in Residence at Liverpool’s Bluecoat between 2013 and 2015, the first role of its kind in the UK.
For more information, please visit www.buryartmuseum.co.uk/Gallery-Exhibitions