Returning to Duncan of Jordanstone – Thirty Years On

In May I travelled back to Dundee for my 30-year reunion at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design. The reunion had been brilliantly organised by some far more organised alumni from the Graphic Design department, coinciding with the opening of this year's Degree Show.

I was looking forward to seeing old friends and discovering how the college had evolved over the past three decades.

What I hadn't expected was just how excited I was to simply wander the corridors one last time.

Memory has a funny way of attaching itself to places. As I walked through the building, conversations came flooding back. I could almost picture the queues outside the art shop, mentally rehearsing what materials I needed before finally reaching the counter—aware that a long line of impatient students was waiting behind me. There was no time for indecision!

Some changes were easier to accept than others. I confess to feeling a pang of sadness when I discovered that my old weaving studio is now home to the print department. The Constructed Textiles course no longer exists in the form I knew it. Over the years, tapestry and fabric art have found new homes within Fine Art, perhaps where they always belonged, but it still felt strange to stand in a space that had once been so familiar.

Fiona Wyse outside the Textiles Design corridor at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art

The reunion itself was wonderful. Around eighteen of us gathered, and within minutes it felt as though thirty years had disappeared. Stories, laughter and old in-jokes—particularly from our Graphic Design friends—filled the evening. It was a reminder that while careers take us in different directions, the friendships forged at art school have a remarkable way of picking up exactly where they left off.

Of course, no visit would have been complete without exploring the Degree Show.

Several graduates particularly caught my attention. Kilian McCreadie's installation, combining ceramics and textiles, was full of confidence and personality. His monumental flowers became powerful metaphors for identity, revealing different facets of himself through scale, material and form.

Kilian McCreadie Ceramics and Textile installation

I was equally drawn to Darcy Montagu's beautifully understated Jesmonite works. Quiet, atmospheric and exquisitely crafted, they were pieces I could easily imagine living with.

Darcy Montagu Jesmonite Works

In Fine Art, Vicki Scaife's figurative drawings immediately resonated with me. They reminded me so strongly of a close friend's drawing style from our own student days that, by the end of the weekend, she was already talking about returning to figurative work herself. It was a lovely reminder that good art doesn't simply communicate—it has the power to inspire new beginnings.

Vicki Scaife Figurative Drawings

We visited the exhibition twice over the weekend. The opening night was wonderfully busy and full of excitement, but it was the second visit that allowed time to slow down and really look. We discovered entire sections we'd somehow missed the first time, including the Jewellery degree show, which stood out for its beautifully cohesive presentation.

No trip back to Dundee would be complete without lunch at Laings—or whatever it has officially been renamed! Some places simply keep their original names in your memory.

As we headed home, I realised the weekend had been about far more than revisiting an art school.

It was about remembering where my own creative journey began.

Thirty years on, I still found myself inspired by students experimenting with new materials, discovering fresh ideas and making work that reflected the world around them. It reminded me that although techniques change and studios evolve, curiosity remains at the heart of every art school.

For one weekend at least, I felt as though I was back in my early twenties.

I just made sure to avoid too many mirrors.