CRIME writer PD James and sculptor Antony Gormley are among the guest speakers lined up for a series of public lectures exploring the relationship between the body and the arts.
Flesh and Blood: The Body And The Arts is a series of 14 free evening talks which will run until March next year.
The series got underway yesterday, with Flesh Revealed, examining the use of human and animal matter in art, especially the controversial works of Damien Hirst and Gunther von Hagens.
Dr Corinne Saunders, reader in English studies at the university and co-organiser of the lecture series, said: "People throughout history have been fixated by the human body, as is demonstrated by the current obsession in popular culture with youthful and perfect bodies, and this fixation has been expressed in many art forms over time, such as painting, writing, opera and dance.
"This series of lectures will shed new light on the representation of the body, with interesting and original perspectives from contributors from a diverse range of backgrounds."
Mr Gormley, the artist best known as the sculptor who designed the Angel of the North, will discuss Sculpting the Body on February 6. Crime writer PD James will speak on Crime Writing and the Body, on March 6.
Each hour-long lecture will take place at 6.15pm on Mondays at the university's Elvet Riverside Buildings, in New Elvet, Durham City.
The next lecture will be on Monday, when Dr George Boys-Stones will discuss Flight or Sight? Philosophical Perspectives on the Body in Classical Antiquity.
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