2011-09-30

Common Interests or Common Conflicts

The trouble with making friends when one goes to university is that it often happens too quickly in the first two weeks of the term and the friendships are not based on anything more that superficial assumptions. Ironically, it is these friends that are made quickly during freshers week that end up being your mates for the rest of your life. There are, however, alternatives. Your two options are finding other people with similar interests or inviting your new acquaintances to outings that will be more interesting than a trip to the pub.

Gallery openings are a great outing for university students looking for something a bit different. You will need to dress in contemporary cool/funky clothing to try to fit in. Openings almost always have free drinks and nibbles, which is a huge benefit to cash strapped students. If you have a choice choose somebody who will provoke a good conversation like Sarah Jane Szikora. Her work is accessible, yet is always a great point of departure to talk about contemporary art and art history.

If you want to make sure that your trip to the gallery offers a real opportunity to forge more meaningful relationships, here are some suggestions:

• Read up on the artist before hand, understand their background and the other artists that influence their work.
• Prepare a short list of questions that will spark discussion like ’do you think the artist is promotion graffiti?'
• Plan the trip well, figure out all of the essentials from public transportation to get to the gallery to a good cheap restaurant or pub to go to after.
• Don’t abandon your friends. There are bound to be other interesting people to talk to at the opening, but it is important to show loyalty to the friends that you came with. If you planned well, you can invite others to join your group at the pub after.

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