Shakespeare Beyond All Limits now on display in Fisher Library

400 years ago, in 1623, the first collected works of Shakespeare were published under the title Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories & Tragedies. This impressive book – prepared after Shakespeare’s death in 1616 by his former acting colleagues John Heminge and Henry Condell – ran to over 900 pages and contained 36 plays by Shakespeare, 18 of which had not been printed before.

Among the latter were such influential works as Macbeth, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and As You Like It. Without the publication of the First Folio these extraordinary plays and more may have never appeared in print and achieved their powerful global impact.

In celebration of the 400th anniversary, this new exhibition – Shakespeare Beyond All Limits – displays books from Rare Books & Special Collections associated with Shakespeare’s First Folio and 3D-printed sculptures of Shakespeare and his characters by artist Simon Fieldhouse. The exhibition illustrates the historical origins of the Folio text and gives examples of how the plays have been interpreted over time through to the present.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, staff at the Fisher library made a remarkable discovery. References were found in an old catalogue entry to some loose leaves from a First Folio.

Huw Griffiths

These Shakespeare sculptures are 3D resin prints. Each sculpture is created on a computer after the preliminary pencil drawings and ideas have been formulated. The programmes primarily used to create the sculptures are Blender and Z-Brush and then post processed and printed with Chitubox and an Anycubic Mono Photon X 3D printer. The prints are produced in a monotone grey resin colour and then hand painted with acrylic paint and finished with airbrushing.

It took nearly 18 months to learn to use the necessary computer programming and there was much trial and error.

Simon Fieldhouse

The exhibition was curated by Liam Semler (Professor of Early Modern Literature) and Huw Griffiths (Associate Professor of English Literature), in collaboration with Emily Kang (Rare Books & Special Collections Liaison Librarian, East Asian Collection).

The exhibition covers nine topics including folios, quatros and loose leaves; a closer look at The Life and Death of Julius Caesar and Hamlet, the trope of the tortured tyrant; and Shakespeare and popular culture.

The exhibition will also complement the Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association conference that will be held at the University of Sydney from 7-9 December 2023 and is also titled Shakespeare beyond all limits.

… Shakespeare was a man of his time and his unconscious values and cultural biases, which are reflected in his works, complicate and problematise his global reception nowadays.

Liam Semler

New All Gender Accessible Bathrooms at Fisher Library

Image of a hallway with bathrooms on the right. Signs say All Gender Ambulant Toilet.
Hallway with people walking in the background and bathrooms on the right side.

We are pleased to share that three new all gender accessible bathrooms are now open on level 1 of Fisher Library.

Ensuring that our spaces are welcoming to all visitors is a priority for the Library; we’re committed to celebrating diversity and including people from all backgrounds.

Following feedback from the Library’s gender diverse stakeholders we committed to implementing these additions.  

The world is changing and so are the needs of our library staff and clients. This flexible project increases amenity for all.

Philip Kent, University Librarian

Fisher Library is located in a heritage-listed mid-century modern building, so we worked closely with University Infrastructure and their contractors to identify a suitable location close to existing plumbing.

Heritage consultants were also engaged to ensure the design was sympathetic to the heritage building. The wood panelled exteriors of the bathrooms blend consistently with the building’s interior style. Ensuring flexibility, the additional bathrooms are also accessible. The Library also took the opportunity to incorporate a shower to provide end-of-trip amenity. Construction on the bathrooms began in late 2022 and they were recently opened in May 2023.

The bathrooms are located on level 1 of Fisher Library close to the lifts, staff workrooms and connection to the Law Library.

Find out more about the Library’s diversity and inclusion initiatives here.

Reflection and Respite: The Big Anxiety Festival Exhibition at Fisher Library

Detail from Reflection and Respite by Ross Richardson

One of the simplest and most immediately accessible ways to lift your mood is a walk in the countryside or along the beach. Can spending time in front of a piece of art have a similar effect?

Influenced by recent research work on biophilia and ecopsychology, artists Emma and Ross propose that observing, drawing and even colouring in natural forms can help to reduce blood pressure, improve immune responses, and help alleviate anxiety. Art and nature in this sense combine to provide an antidote, and looking at images of nature can enhance a calm meditation. The concepts of mandalas, symmetry and balance are explored in the context of compositions which promote reflection and respite from the busyness of everyday life. 

Reflection and Respite exhibition, Fisher Library by Dr Emma Robertson and Ross Richardson

This exhibition in glass vitrines is on three levels of the Fisher Library at the University of Sydney, and the installation is also inspired by the setting of the Library, and the conventions of scientific illustration. Quotations from books relating to anxiety are integrated into the displays.

Supported by Scientia Education Fellowship, UNSW and The Fisher Library, The University of Sydney.

Detail from Reflection and Respite exhibition, Fisher Library by Dr Emma Robertson and Ross Richardson

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Reflection and Respite is part of the Big Anxiety Fesitival, Australia’s largest mental health festival.

The Big Anxiety brings together artists, scientists and communities to question and re-imagine the state of mental health in the 21st century.

A radically new kind of international arts festival, in which every project is an open conversation, designed to promote curiosity, awareness and action, The Big Anxiety presents events across Sydney, tackling the major anxieties of our times, as well as the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Whether through hi-tech interactive environments or one-on-one dialogues, our goal is to create the rich engagements we need for our collective mental health.

The Big Anxiety is an initiative of UNSW Sydney in association with the Black Dog Institute and partners in the cultural, education and health sectors.

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Artist Biography

Dr Emma Robertson is an award winning artist, whose work is in seven public collections in four countries. The Hospital Trust for Scotland purchased two works for their permanent collection, which were commissioned by the Scottish Arts Council for the exhibition Wordworks. Emma’s work has been competitively selected for a public art commission for a Hospice, for the Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing, the JADA, and four International Biennials of Drawing. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Scientia Education Fellow / Associate Professor at UNSW, and a previous Artist in Residence at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Her expertise in education relating to entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity at University and Executive Education levels has seen her win three prestigious teaching awards. Her PhD at The University of Sydney explored biophilia, ecopsychology, and artistic, nature-based antidotes to anxiety.

Ross Richardson studies illustration at the University of Edinburgh, and he is inspired by the natural environment, people, patterns, and landscape. His work has been competitively selected three times for the Mosman Youth Art Prize. He has received Highly Commended notifications for the Camden Art Prize, the Nan Manefield Youth Writer’s Award, and the Young Archies. Ross has also been selected for the Hunters Hill Art Exhibition, the Waverley Youth Art Prize, the Royal Art Society of NSW Youth Artist Prize, and the Hornsby Art Prize. In 2015 he won First Place in the Wollongong University Design Award for NSW. His work in this exhibition features watercolours, and also polymer clay three dimensional forms.

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Visit Reflection and Respite, 27 September – 31 October 2019 at Fisher Library levels 2, 3 & 4.

Explore the Library this Info Day – Saturday 15 December

sydney university staff taking guided tour

Discover more about the Library & see what your future might look like as a University of Sydney student.

This Info Day, join us in a tour of Fisher Library, explore our spaces and learn about the fantastic facilities and support available to you as a student through your studies at University. Tours will run throughout the day.

Info Day is also the perfect opportunity to discover ThinkSpace – our technology-driven, creative play-space that provides you with the opportunity to collaborate, design and create interesting things using new technologies. Come in and and try our 3D printer, or experience the world of virtual reality with Oculus Go. Our friendly staff will be on hand to explain the technologies, answer questions and show you some of the other great features of our libraries.

Where: Fisher Library Foyer

When: Saturday 15 December, 10.00am – 2.00pm

virtual reality at ThinkSpace usyd

 

True to Type

If you have ever created a digital document, chances are you’ve come across the terms Italic, Roman, and Sans Serif.

This exhibition tells the story of these three enduring letter-form classifications, through early examples drawn from Rare Books & Special
Collections.

When: 25 October 2018 – 31st January 2019

Where: Fisher Library, Level 3  Corridor & SciTech Library, glass cabinets

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Knowledges Seminar Series: Cultural Astronomy

Sydney Library

The Library is delighted to invite you to the second seminar of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges Seminar Series. Run in conjunction with the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services), our Seminar Series will include a total of 6 talks held during this year, presented by experts on areas including: History and Language, Cultural Astronomy, Connection to Country, Visual Art, Medicine, and Perspectives on Gender.

Our second seminar focuses on Aboriginal cultural astronomy and cultural competence in research. Our guest speakers include: Robert (Bob) Fuller, PhD Candidate in Ethnography and Carla Guedes, Academic Tutor and Master by Research candidate, both from the University of New South Wales; and James Smith who works for the Department of Museums at The University of Sydney and the Australian Museum.

Bob will discuss his study of the astronomy of the Aboriginal peoples of the NSW Coast, and Carla will explore cultural competence for astronomers developing astronomical facilities in Indigenous sacred lands. James has been involved in a number of Indigenous cultural projects, and will be examining the role of Indigenous culture in contemporary astronomy practices.

Attendance is open to all University staff and students and presents a wonderful opportunity for those wishing to learn more about the rich cultures of our First Nations peoples.

Register here.