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Leonardo da Vinci: 500 years after his death his genius shines as bright as ever

This year marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. Here, Gabriele Neher, Associate Professor in History of Art, writes for The Conversation Old masters rarely come more venerable (and venerated) and instantly recognisable than Leonardo da Vinci. But to think of Leonardo as an Old Master – with all its connotations of being …

Dr Jem Bloomfield answers the Big Questions

Dr Jem Bloomfield Assistant Professor of Literature in the School of English, talks about his first experience with the media – on the BBC1 show – The Big Questions. This Sunday I found myself on the outskirts of York, recording a TV show. This was a slightly unexpected situation for me, which began a few …

Has Sepp Blatter lost his moral authority? Following the FIFA president’s fifth re-election, Professor Stephen Mumford asks if the footballing power player has lost control of his followers.

There is something noble about sport that is worth preserving. As Bernard Suits argues in The Grasshopper (Broadview Press, 3rd edn 2014), ‘The playing of games involves a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles’. That we participate willingly suggests that we think there is something of intrinsic value in playing. We are also interested in …

Digital storytelling experience to uncover the hidden stories of Venice

Visitors to an international art exhibition can uncover the hidden stories behind one of Italy’s most iconic cities through their GPS-enabled smartphone, thanks to a project by The University of Nottingham which blurs the boundaries between digital and the arts. The project ‘Hidden Stories of Venice’ has been developed as part of EM15, a new …

The Grandest views

As inhabitants of our 21st century world it’s almost unthinkable for us to imagine an age when seeing the rolling hills of the British landscape laid out like a patchwork quilt below would have been as alien as the surface of the moon. These days while we need only glance out of the window of …

Recipe for a Lakeside Literacy Project workshop

Take a classroom of primary school pupils, a handful of University students, and a sprinkling of overworked teachers. Place in an art gallery, blend, and leave to infuse. At this stage, there is the option to add drama, drawing or storytelling games to the mix. After an hour and a half, remove from the gallery …

Don’t miss your chance to see the Pop Art to Britart at Lakeside Arts Centre

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see Robbie Williams, Princess Diana & Paul Smith in the Same Room before the exhibition closes on 9 February! David Ross, co-founder of the Carphone Warehouse and alumnus of the University, has opened up his extraordinary private art collection to the public  and this is a rare opportunity to …

So life-like it’s virtually alive

How do you tell if something is alive? The answer to this question should be fairly obvious, but a computer controlled starfish created by a Nottingham PhD student shows that reality isn’t always what it seems. Whilst Richard Brown was a Research Fellow at the Royal College of Art, he created the computer-controlled installation called …

Pop Art to Britart – the unveiling

Pop Art to Britart – Modern Masters from the David Ross Collection opens at Lakeside Arts Centre on Saturday 23 November. This is the first public exhibition of one of the most important collections of modern art in private hands in this country. There will be 60 works in the exhibition, including works by David …