Exhibition: Holding Place: Dundee, Otherwise

The University of Stirling Art Collection is delighted to bring new collaborative work by John Post and Neil Crawford to our research exhibition space this Autumn. 

Holding Place: Dundee, Otherwise is an exhibition of Polariods exploring the city of Dundee. 

Dundee, Scotland, is a city shaped by continual transformation. As redevelopment reshapes familiar streets and neighbourhoods, previous incarnations linger, and different histories and imagined futures sit alongside each other within everyday life. This exhibition presents Dundee, not as a series of distinct locations, but as an unfolding experience of encountering.

Together, the photographs construct a field through which viewers compile their own experience of place. The exhibition resists the logic of the map, where places are understood through fixed location, and instead adopts the logic of encounter. The constellations do not categorise the city; they organise moments of encounter. As with a constellation, the photographs themselves remain unchanged, yet the patterns perceived among them continually generate new meanings. Dundee is therefore not presented as something complete or already known but assembled through the connections viewers make as they move through the gallery.

Holding Place was developed as part of the Misfiring Places research project, a collaboration between Dr John Post and Dr Neil Crawford, funded with support from the Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory. The project considers photography as an active way of knowing, not simply a means of documentation.

About the Year of Topography

The Art Collection aims to make art and culture a part of everyday life for staff, students and visitors throughout the campus.  We support academics to enable exchanges between art, research and teaching, and inspire everyone to engage with art. Each academic year, all of the Art Collection’s activities are directly inspired by one of the University research themes.  We have designated the 2026-7 session The Year of Topography. All exhibitions and events will consider the arrangements of natural and artificial structures and how artists and researchers work to make sense of our changing landscapes.

Visiting Us

Our exhibitions are on display in the central spine of the Pathfoot Building. The building is open to the public between Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. Please be aware that the Pathfoot Building is a working teaching building, with students going to classes, academic conferences or private events happening concurrently with your visit. If you require a quiet visiting time, please get in touch with us and we will advise you on the best times for access.

At Pathfoot, there are food and beverage outlets in the Crush Hall and the Dining Room. See the University’s catering website for more information.

Getting Here

The Pathfoot Building is the first building on the left, up the hill as you enter the University. The University of Stirling’s campus is just two miles from the centre of Stirling in central Scotland. We're served by excellent fast public transport links from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and are easily accessible by bus, foot and bike from Stirling city centre or Bridge of Allan. Please be aware that during term time, parking can be extremely busy. See the University Getting Here Page to plan your route.