Parasite Soup: Word Broth

Whether you see you see yourself as an artist or a scientist, both, or neither, we all use words. We use them to describe, to categorise, to tell stories, to bring ideas to life. They carry great power, and can trigger powerful feelings and emotions.

In this workshop, you’ll meet poet Giovanna MacKenna, artist Emily Fong, and scientists Susan Wyllie and Alan Fairlamb. Together, we’ll explore how we can use some of the delicious words in art and science in new, creative ways. Using ideas from poetry and the labs at the University of Dundee’s Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, we’ll discover more about the fascinating and vital work that goes on inside one of Dundee’s most iconic buildings.

We’ll be running the exhibition framed by our stunning new exhibition Bonding: electrons are FREE, in LifeSpace gallery and the Wellcome Trust Building. Expect fun, joy, and an opportunity to play creatively as we blend words together into new recipes. We’ll also be providing refreshments, including (non-parasite) soup.

Giovanna MacKenna’s life has been built by words: while listening to the voices of her Scottish father and Italian mother; in reading the books that formed a lifeboat through her childhood; by working those she spoke on stages as an actor and the many she interrogated as a journalist. She is now a poet and a workshop facilitator. Giovanna’s first full collection is available from The Museum of Loss and Renewal Publishing. She has been a Visual Verse lead writer and you can find recent work in Sídhe Press, Stanza Cannon, Black Bough and Nine Pens. For more info visit www.giovannamackenna.com and follow her on Twitter/Instagram @giovmacpoet