Observations from the Edge of Beauty

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• Mr Clive Wilkins, Artist in Residence, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge
• Friday 17 March 2017, 16:30-18:00
• Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Department of Psychology.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Louise White.

Brief Abstract: In this lecture I shall argue that the ontogeny and evolution of art has been systematic, plotting the vicissitudes and changing perceptions of Homo sapiens. Patterns for mark making and the establishment of wordless thoughts, as they have unfolded over millennia, signpost aspects of our humanity, our ways of seeing and our strategies for thinking. They provide crucial insight into memory, mental time travel and perception in ways that have seldom been explored. We stand at a cross roads where the history of art affords unique access to the potential for human development. If we choose to believe the future exists outside of our expectation, we may discover it lies within our grasp.

Biography: Clive WILKINS is the Artist in Residence in the Psychology department at the University of Cambridge. He is a writer, but also well known as a fine art painter. He has exhibited widely throughout the UK, including at The National Portrait Gallery, The Royal Academy and in Cork Street, London where he had a one-man show in 2007. His work is to be found in public and private collections. He has produced portraits of Sir Howard Hodgkin and Sir Peter Blake amongst others and has been presented publicly to HRH the Princess Royal. His written work has appeared in print on numerous occasions, most notably in his published work 'The Creatures in the Night', a story written and lavishly illustrated by Wilkins in 2008 and most recently 'The Moustachio Quartet', a series of four novels designed to be read in any order as an intentional exploration of memory, perception and mental time travel.

He has held the position of Artist in Residence at the Dept. of Psychology, University of Cambridge, since 2012, where he is co-founder of the arts/science collaboration ‘The Captured Thought’ with Professor Nicola Clayton FRS ~ together they explore the subjective experience of thinking and the nature of creativity. They have lectured and performed widely in the UK, Europe, USA , Asia and New Zealand to science and arts audiences in universities and in public venues including Tate Modern, Wellcome Collection, British Library, Royal Institution, Cheltenham Festival and the Hay Festival.

Key extracts from the Moustachio books are featured in ‘The Captured Thought’ lecture series.

In addition to writing, Clive continues to be a painter, teacher, magician, flautist, origamist, and tango dancer.

This talk is part of the Zangwill Club series.

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