:: We Dundee

We Back Dundee as a City of Culture

2791

PEOPLE AND GROWING

Dundee’s amazing history of artistic talent – for example the Celtic and symbolist movement in the 1890s and 1900s, formed by amazing artists like John Duncan, Stewart Carmichael and George Dutch Davidson, whose work is still staggeringly beautiful and mysterious today. Plus all the great comics artists like Dave Sutherland, a living legend who has drawn The Bash Street Kids every week for 51 years – give him a knighthood now!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I have lived in Dundee for over 40 years. I recently had a guided tour around the frigate Unicorn at Discovery Quay. A truly hidden gem in Dundee. Steeped in history on 4 decks I could imagine life as a crew member almost 200 years ago.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Every time I cycle into Dundee from Fife I get this feeling... THE BUZZ... When I first visited Dundee in 2007, I couldn't feel the buzz. I now go for regular day trips to return home feeling inspired and creative from the real & lively encounters of the day. Nothing fake about Dundee!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee is the place I associate with vibrancy. The art college and university are places of excellence, and both have produced pioneers in their fields.
The artistic community has a similar buzz which Glasgow had in the 1980s!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> It's so vibrant and focussed on the future, not the past.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> It actually is a surprisingly sunny city with sunny people and sometimes sunny, but always brilliant, inner-city walks.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee Rep and the Law Hill

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee has amazing cultural and geographic attributes but its chief strength is its people with their unique sense of humour and caring attitude to each other that I have not encountered anywhere else in my travels all over the world.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Braithwaites Tea & Coffee shop! So good i spend most weekends shipping orders to my friends and family who cant get into the shop in person.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The humour, the sky, the clean air.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I was born and bred in Dundee and no matter where I have gone in the world I have always been pulled back. Dundee has a magical quality which my father kept alive for us through tales of glass staircases and worthies! As a nurse in Dundee I have had the privilege to have met and looked after a diverse and colourful cast of characters! I love our city and the people in it!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I support popular culture in the form of William McGonagall.

How can he be the world's worst poet when his writing is still printed and repeated a century and a half after he wrote it?

I keep finding nineteenth century 'poetry' that does not appear to scan so it is not the overwhelming criticism that is widely made by those who patronize him.

His poetry should be celebrated without embarrassment.

McGonagall, Beano and Dandy would make a good counterweight to more highbrow contributions.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Rama Thai restaurant is wonderful as is Parlour Cafe and the city is vegetarian/vegan friendly compared to most, especially of this size.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee has a distinctive culture and tradition and is big enough to have at least one of everything, that makes a city worth living in and visiting - and of course there is more to come. It also a view from the top of the Law that takes your breath away - while also looking like a child's picture book of a city. Where else can you watch - all at the same time - a train crossing a bridge, a plane about to land, ships leaving harbour, and a cityscape set in the most beautiful natural surroundings.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The view, from riverside you get stunning vistas of the Tay and Fife, from the Law you get stunning views all around. The people are intelligent, engaged and forward thinking.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee's whaling history and the associated exhibition in the refurbished McManus Gallery

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> That the Tay looks different many times each day - and always beautiful.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Camperdown parkrun started 15 months ago, and since then has built a community from accross the city, of people who show up every week to run or volunteer, and enjoy being in the great outdoors of Camperdown park. The generosity and welcoming atmosphere created every week is the highlight of my week in Dundee.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Language, vibe, situation

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The amazing location of the city.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Balgay Park in the sunshine. Best place for a picnic and a kick about.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> DCA and culture generally

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The people of Dundee are so firendly and a good laugh, we are very lucky with the weather and are the sunshine city with more sunny days than anywhere else in Scotland. Dundee has taken many knocks over the years with industry moving out and unemployment rising but the Dundonian culture is to keep fighting to make the city better and better. This is clear to see in all the redevelopment in place at the waterfront, and at the University where we are world renowned in life scicnes and voted best university for student experience. Dundee is a great place to live and I am proud to be a Dundonian!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> We are a world centre for life sciences as well as a world centre for the games industry and animation. We have two top class universities, an excellent college and one of the highest students per head of population ratios in the UK. Dundee has been through hard times but the regeneration that's happening in the city has to be seen to be believed.Without entirely losing sight of its past, the city is thrusting its way into the future. It's an exciting time particularly with the waterfront regeneration to include the V&A as well as the city's first 5*Hotel.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Sunny weather

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Balgay Hill - a lovely walk, with nice views across the city.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The view of Dundee at night from across the water - a magical fairyland. The wildlife, Dundee has red squirrels, foxes and deer, as just a small example - alive with nature. The history within the Howff - Dundee's past in one central area.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Love the way they are re-developing the City's waterfront - traffic a serious pain however it will all be worth it in the end. Majority of Dundee citizens are kind and considerate people and are very generous with local charities as well as national ones, particularly Charlie Kean. The culture within the city is growing all the time which makes me proud to be a Dundonian!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I spent many a happy year at University here and loved the University life. Dundee is a great city to study and live, I have very fond memories of my time there.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee is one of the sunniest places in Scotland (when the sun actually shines) and looking out to the Tay, especially from the top of the law, is always breathtaking.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> How the city is able to retain its own depth of character drawn from its own cultural heritage whilst steadily and creatively adapting to the changes brought about by this modern age.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Although it is more than 20 years since I left Dundee ,I still have a love of the place and a feeling of loyalty to it that I cannot explain .I came to Dundee as a student and needed the accepting ,friendly atmosphere I found there .It is a down to earth, common-sense place with a heart of gold .

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The people are wonderful and the place is absolutely smashing

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I have worked in Dundee for the last 17 years and in that time it never ceases to amaze me how much it has really flourished creatively to being the innovative and forward thinking city that it is today.

A great deal of commitment, effort and time has been given by the people and employers within the city to create this vibrancy and it certainly deserves to be credited as a City of Culture.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> When I look back on my youth in Dundee having been brought up and played in the "auld tenements" I only visualize my very early past in grey, black and white. It was a typical city with factories and smoke. Now - what a change - its colourful. The new buildings, the green park areas, the Tay and the City Quay. Cannot wait for the completion of all the work that is being carried out whcih is bring a breath of fresh air to what can be called again Bonnie Dundee.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee has something for everyone! Its a collective of things that makes the city great. There are plenty parks, ponds and the beautiful 'Silvery Tay'. Its a convenient and enjoyable place for families, couples, students and anyone who gives it a try! Easy to commute to and from. Ninewells is a fantastic teaching Hospital that is often in the news with the latest in science and technology.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee has a friendly village feel with all the benfits of a big city.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee boasts an incredibly self-reliant artistic community who blur and subvert the lines between highbrow and lowbrow, institutional and street-level art, academic and self-taught

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Rusty Hip is a Dundonian music collective that organizes gigs, writes zines and keep people informed about upcoming music and art events in the city. Rusty Hip had their first event last month and over 250 people turned up in the freezing cold to have a good time. The event was held in Tin Roof, an arts collective and studio space also based in Dundee. The existence of these two organisations has added to the growing number of organisations that make Dundee a city full of culture.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The beaches are stunning and a city with such genuine and friendly people.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The first thing that surprised and delighted me about Dundee was that it still has many of its old buildings and cobbled streets. It has a strong sense of history, but not in a way that holds it back. The historic city is cherished and involved, without sacrificing the space the new city needs to flourish.
Besides that, the support for the arts is obvious all over. This is most obvious in the city centre, and makes the space one that people care about - it's rare to find bollards, lamp-posts, benches and notice-boards that are all designed to be “nicer than they have to be" (to quote a friend).

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Jute, Jam and Journalism

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Rich industrial and martime heritage of the city. Not just the Discovery but the lesser known gems such as the verdant works which give a real insight into the city's past. The most surprising is the departure point for the longest flying boat flight - a world record that remains to this day !

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Great communications to all parts of Scotland and UK. Fantastic setting on the Tay and beaches up the coast to Broughty Ferry and Carnoustie.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The Barnhill Rock Garden is my family's favourite place: tadpoles, dens, beasties, birds and beautiful scenery!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Looking towards Dundee and over to Fife from waterfront at Broughty Ferry, really pretty.

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