Thanks to a cult classic set of 2000s Ben Stiller movies, everyone has wondered what it would be like to live in a museum. It’s a strangely particular fantasy that somehow seems rather at home here in Cambridge. But whilst I am yet to encounter talking mummies or revived war heroes, being a Murray Edwards student means I have effectively lived up to that dream.

Murray Edwards is one of the only two remaining women’s colleges in the University of Cambridge, and indeed the entirety of the UK’s university scene. Yet a more compelling selling point is that it is also an art gallery. The college is the largest collection of women’s art in Europe and the second largest in the world, and while there is a dedicated exhibition corridor that rotates displays, the entire college operates as the gallery. It puts students in the unique and rather amusing position of having supervisions by the Grecian urn display, living opposite life drawings, or walking past the human-sized beetle sculptures on the way to the buttery. But far from being off-putting, being constantly surrounded by art is refreshing. There is a kind of release experienced in the continual, sub-conscious absorption of other people’s creative energies. It means I have a reason to engage with my surroundings in what becomes an incredibly grounding exercise.

“Far from being off-putting, being constantly surrounded by art is refreshing”

The college’s most recent exhibition manages to encapsulate this brilliantly. The Sleepers exhibit “explores how women artists have articulated complex and differing experiences of sleep and rest”. I found this to be a fascinating concept, something I had not considered before – how does art encapsulate what it means for a woman to rest? Or, perhaps more importantly, how do female artists visualise their own abilities to switch off? Many of the artworks put their own spin on the familiar artistic motif of the reclining woman, but they refocus the narrative to frame the difficulties of resting in today’s modern world. This is something Cambridge students can certainly relate to – the packed terms and busy lives we lead mean that downtime is a rare commodity. So, it was particularly nice to take a moment out of my day to enjoy an exhibition in the comfort of my own college. Varied artistic media, from prints to tapestry and everything in between, ensured that something new piqued my interest with each piece. As I stood absorbing the art, contemplating quietly as the gentle rush of fountains played out behind me, I realised I was resting.

“Not only is the art itself engaging, but it has become a symbol of comfort”

By depicting their anger at being unable to rest, these female artists were granting me that which they could not experience. I believe that the resulting intangible calm is also provided by the college more broadly. When I walk back through the porter’s lodge at the end of each day, I find myself instantly soothed upon that first sighting of an oil painting or art-deco statue. Not only is the art itself engaging, but it has become a symbol of comfort, of restfulness and of belonging. By being an art gallery as well as a living and learning space, the college cultivates mental rest through creative reset. Now more than ever, as we are constantly ambushed by the threat of artificial intelligence and cuts to arts programmes, understanding the value of art in every day is paramount.

This value is something that Murray Edwards students hold dear, whether they realise it or not. Often my friends and I find ourselves discussing a new piece of art we’ve noticed in the corridors, and the weekly crafting workshops run by the college are always oversubscribed. When I have family or friends to visit, I make sure to ask if they would like to visit the exhibition corridor – they always say yes.

A love of art lies dormant within us all; it just needs the right key to unlock it. And who would have guessed that that key would be a dome-shaped Cambridge college?