Shameless Plug or Hidden Gem?

A deeply unbiased review of my own society's Tipsy Talks

The University of St Andrews has around 150 officially affiliated societies. Of those, I'd estimate a solid 40 receive regular, mainstream attention. But what happens to the remaining 100-odd? 

I endeavoured to find out. Not through some impartial investigation, of course, but through my very own nepotistic baby: Art History Society.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Nepotistic baby? Where's the journalistic integrity?

There is none. There is no hiding that this is a bold-faced plug, but hopefully by the end of this article I'll have convinced you it’s also a bit of a hidden gem. So, allow me to present you with my findings.

Case study: Art History Society

Status: Somewhat niche

Event: Tipsy Talks, an evening of drunken entertainment centred on presentations loosely based on art-historical facts.

Like any great St Andrews event, it began with a dark and stormy night where I had to brave the two-minute walk (the trek!) to a committee member's flat.

Inside, I was greeted by the warm, cosy atmosphere of a spacious living room despite the decidedly uncosy temperature. Unfortunately, single-glazed windows butter no parsnips in St Andrews weather. Over the next half-hour, people gradually filtered in until the room was filled with nervous chatter and giddy anticipation. 

The attendees were an eclectic bunch, ranging from artsy first-years to barefoot fourth-years — the perils of forgetting socks when entering a shoeless household. It wasn't exactly rammed, but every seat was taken and the room hummed with laughter. A respectable turnout, by any measure.

Then the talks began.

The presentations ranged from comparisons between Shang dynasty rhinoceros sculptures and Temu piggy banks to dodgy restorations of Baby Jesus, before moving on to the revival of Dutch still-life painting in modern-day Labubu collections, aptly dubbed The Labubuification of Flemish Art.

There was also an intriguing presentation detailing one brave man's dubious five-point plan to acquire Chatsworth House, an 81,000-square-foot stately home in the Peak District. The scheme included an entire step devoted to the art of ‘locking in,’ alongside a business model inspired by New York's Rye: an upmarket cafe selling cold, home-grown and organic Derbyshire water for £45 a sample.

But the undisputed highlight of the evening was a talk on the proliferation of ugly baby Jesuses in art history. One particularly unfortunate infant was affectionately compared to the sort of plucky eighteen-year-old who takes a gap year in Bhutan. Another, a depiction of St Jerome, apparently looked as though its face had collided with the back of the St Andrews 99 bus.

It was a difficult field to judge, but the audience eventually crowned the ugly-baby presentation the star of the show. Second-year attendee Twyla Ware described it as “one of the funniest art history, baby-related talks she'd ever heard.” High praise, indeed, in a highly competitive category.

Now, the event didn’t quite have the glitz and glamour of Welly Ball, nor the mind-bending psychedelic music fusion of SZENTEK, but it certainly had a lot of heart, with low pressure, genuine connections, and unadulterated laughter. Try recreating that while your eardrums are reverberating in the Silo!

So, consider this your encouragement to venture beyond the usual suspects. Explore the society scene beyond the standard rotation of big nights out and ‘get-blackout’ events. You might stumble across something unexpected. You might even enjoy yourself.

And if you find yourself free next semester, keep an eye out for Tipsy Talks on Instagram at USTA Art History Society. Alternatively, come along to the Society's trip to Callendar House or one of its many other events.

Was this an impartial investigation? Absolutely not.

Was it a shameless plug? Without question.

Was it a hidden gem? Well, I'll leave that one to you.