Fine Art Reader and Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Music and Fine Art work, artist Shona Illingworth’s work, Time Present (2016) opens in a new exhibition called Turning Point at the Sayle Gallery, Douglas, Isle of Man from 25 Feb – 26 March. Featuring boundary pushing contemporary artwork by international artists Keith McIntyre, Kevin Atherton, Mark Wallinger and Susan Collins, the exhibition is curated by Helen Fox, Programme Manager for Art, Design and Media at University College Isle of Man.
Time Present explores memory, and individual and cultural amnesia.
Shortlisted for the prestigious 2016 Jarman Award, the widely exhibited Illingworth works across sound, film, video, photography, drawing and painting. Her work combines interdisciplinary research (particularly with emerging neuropsychological models of memory and critical approaches to memory studies) with publicly engaged practice.
We are delighted to announce that BA (Hons) Fine Art graduate Daniel Owusu has won the prestigious Platform Graduate Award for 2016, and was presented with his award, a £2500 bursary and a year of mentorship from an arts professional, on 7th December at the Turner Contemporary. Having been selected to go forward from the South East regional exhibition at the Turner, Daniel was competing in the final against students from the universities of Northampton, Brighton, Reading and Bournemouth.
“We had another year of excellent graduate work and all those selected this year should be very proud of their achievements,” said Cara Courage, Contemporary Visual Arts Network, South East Manager.
The Platform Graduate Award showcases and mentors the very best of young and emerging artists in the south east. Daniel is the second School of Music and Fine Art student to win this award, with Fine Art graduate Sophie Dixon winning in 2014.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 20th November, A Vision on Peckham Rye, in which Sarah Turner, Director of Research in the School of Music and Fine Art, talks about recreating Blake’s ‘Vision of Angels’ for her Grierson award nominated film Public House, will be repeated on Radio 4 on New Year’s Eve.
The programme also features Dulwich Folk Choir performing music composed for the film by SMFA’s Director of Marketing and Recruitment and Music Lecturer, composer Duncan MacLeod.
Ackroyd and Harveys History Trees at Olympic Park, which features an Ash.
The School of Music and Fine Art Visiting is delighted that Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey will be delivering the Visiting Artist Talk on Tuesday December 6th in the Royal Dockyard Church at 6.15pm. The talk is free to attend.
The artists will be talking especially about their role in the development of the Ash Project which has been conceived by Kent Downs Area of Outstanding National Beauty, which has been awarded Heritage Lottery and Arts Council funds to help record and raise awareness of ash tree die back.
For 25 years, Ackroyd & Harvey’s work has been exhibited in contemporary art galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide; sculpture, photography, architecture, ecology and biology are disciplines that intersect in their work, revealing an intrinsic bias towards process and event. Often reflecting environmental and scientific concerns, they are acclaimed for large-scale interventions in sites of architectural interest.
The Ash Project is an urgent cultural response to the devastating effects of Ash dieback, and combines a major new commission by Ackroyd and Harvey which will continue their environmental investigations and will result in a large scale public artwork supported by cultural institutions in Kent and in landscape partnerships across the country.
“Processes of growth and decay are integral to our time-based art practice. In the last ten years, living trees have featured significantly in our artwork, from oak trees germinated from acorns collected from Joseph Beuys’s “7000 Oaks” artwork, to a series of ten large trees holding huge engraved rings at the major entrances to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
When working with plant material we catalyze the growth process by germinating seeds. The Ash presents a distinct challenge given the pervasiveness of the fungal infection affecting millions of ash trees across the country. Landscapes, parks and gardens will be irrevocably changed as landmark canopy trees and copses of ash disappear.
Our research has revealed a hidden wealth of industries carved from the ash, a myriad of wooden objects and artefacts that occupy historical significance and domestic use. Mythologies address the Ash as the tree at the centre of the world, the ‘cosmic’ tree. Contemporary science is studying genetic traits to understand how to cultivate disease resistant Ash stock. David Nash’s “Ash Dome” is an international recognized artwork. The emotional, social and metaphorical relationship with this tree gives deep-rooted material for our artistic exploration.” Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey, November 2016
The commission is complimented by a two year programme of public engagement to include artists’ walks, green wood working, an evolving Ash Archive, public programmes at University of Kent and Folkestone Triennial. These events will involve communities in actively documenting the contemporary and historic importance of the Ash in collaboration with the research and scientific community of the Kent Downs and artists and educators Outdoor Studios, who work with school students to create extraordinary experiences in the outdoors.
Luiza Jordan (2016); Feminine Vessels: Balloons, Wool, String. Photo by Rose Sizer.
Preparations for the Interim Degree Show from 3rd Year BA (Hons) Fine Art students in the School of Music and Fine Art are now in full swing – literally.
On Thursday morning, should you have ventured onto Chatham Historic Dockyard, you would have encountered a strong female presence, floating high above your head, suspended from a large industrial crane. Just outside the School of Music and Fine Art studios, artist Luiza Jordan installed her delicate yet immersive artwork Feminine Vessels. The work is the result of extensive research and discovery into the history of the Dockyard.
Luiza Jordan (2016); Feminine Vessels: Balloons, Wool, String. Photo by Rose Sizer.
Artist Megan Boyle observes, “Jordan’s work is an exploration into materiality, which often manifests itself through sculpture and installation work. She attempts to represent the presence of the female, omitting images of the female nude and without explicitly making reference to the female body. Rather, she uses materials associated with feminine identity and domesticity, engaging with organic bodily textures and shapes. In terms of the site in which these pieces can be found, Jordan aims to construct particular juxtaposition between the organic, fragility and fluidity of her invented forms, and the virile, masculine and industrial nature of her surroundings, which at the moment, is that of the Historic Dockyard, where the School of Music and Fine Art is located.”
Luiza Jordan (2016); Feminine Vessels: Balloons, Wool, String. Photo by Rose Sizer.
Jordan is now continuing to experiment with size, scale and material to prepare her work for the upcoming BA (Hons) Fine Art interim Degree Show Loading… but this time within the beautiful historic Georgian building that is Chatham House in Rochester High Street.
The show, which features work by 30 artists, will be open as follows: Saturday 10 December – Wednesday 14 December, 11am-4pm (closed Tuesday). The Private View is Friday 9 December, 6-9pm.
Luiza Jordan (2016); Feminine Vessels: Balloons, Wool, String. Photo by Rose Sizer.
Dr Andrew Conio, Senior Lecturer in Fine Art was a member of the judging panel for the John Downton Awards for Young Artists, a County-wide school’s art prize sponsored by the University of Kent. The Ceremony was held on the 10th November at Kent County Hall in Maidstone, where an exhibition of shortlisted work will be shown until 3 January 2017, with selected works on tour at the Turner Contemporary in Margate during January and February 2017.
The John Downton Award for Young Artists is an annual exhibition which encourages and celebrates the creativity of Kent’s young artists. The exhibition commemorates the life and work of John Downton, the celebrated Kent artist, poet and philosopher.
Awards were given for Mixed Media, Painting, Drawing and Photography in 11 to 15 and 16 to 18 age groups and overall Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit awards.
This is Dr Conio’s second year as judge. He commented, “The number and range of works submitted shows that art is extremely vibrant in Kent schools. The range of media, technical skills and willingness to address issues relevant to young people today to was exciting to see, and made judging very difficult.”
The judging panel, comprising the painter Charles Williams from Canterbury, Mike Addison printmaker and illustrator and Head of School of Further Education at the University of the Creative Arts, brought a range of experience and perspectives to the judging process but all they agreed that winning entries were excellent examples of art practice and indicated a promising future for the artists.
On Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th November, 10am-3pm, The School of Music and Fine Art will be exhibiting at Design Your Future at the ExCeL Centre, London. Organised by UCAS, the event brings together over 100 exhibitors, workshops and demonstrations and is specifically for those interested in the creative arts and related subjects.
We are on stand 77 – come and chat to us about what the School of Music and Fine Art has offer and discover more about developing a career in the creative industries.
A new University Pop, Rock & Soul Choir has been launched in the School of Music and Fine Art, led by choir director and vocal coach Kelly Fraser, Deputy Head of Vocals at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), who is currently working on this year’s X Factor.
Said Kelly, “The choir will work together to create vibey, innovative arrangements of existing popular music repertoire. Everyone is welcome, and choir sessions are guaranteed to be up-lifting!”
Singers are needed! This is a fantastic opportunity to work with one of the top names in the music business. Rehearsals are 1 – 2pm Fridays in the Galvanising Workshop, Historic Dockyard Chatham
Val Bolsover. The photos on the installation were with the permission of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.
MA Fine Art student, Val Bolsover, has a new work, One for the Wrens, installed in the silent section of the Drill Hall Library on the Medway Campus. The site specific work is based on the existence of the Wrens in those Medway campus buildings and their lack of a figurehead. It is the centenary of the WRNS in 2017.
Said Val: “The piece came about for many reasons, which were brought together in my mind by being based at the Dockyard. I grew up around boats, and as a teenager in the 1970s, thought it would be great to join the Navy. For girls there were plenty of career options in the Women’s Royal Naval Service. When I discovered that women were not allowed to serve on ships and go to sea I changed my mind – what’s the point in joining a naval service which is always ashore?
The history of our association with the sea, whether naval, merchant, fishing or leisure, has until recent years been dominated by men. Ships and boats are traditionally named after women, and boats referred to as she. Until the late 19th Century naval and merchant ships carried a figurehead, most often a scantily dressed, buxom woman. These carved and painted figures were replaced by badges. Some figureheads lived on as sculptures ashore, where naval premises took the name of a former ship.
At times of war, women had been called on to assist with the forces to release trained men for war. There has been much publicity about how the physical labour of women in factories, and in agriculture, influenced opinion in the fight for votes for women following the First World War. Less attention has been given to the skilled tasks undertaken temporarily by women in the forces.
Bringing these thoughts together I wondered what sort of figurehead the wrens of the First World War would have appreciated. Perhaps a movie star of the time would have been their choice. It was still the era of black and white silent films. I chose Douglas Fairbanks, a contemporary and friend of Charlie Chaplin. He is painted black and white because that is how the wrens would have seen him. Appropriately the sculpture is currently in the silent section of the Drill Hall Library.”
Rosette-Amanda Nsubuga receiving her awards from Bashiyra. Photo by Dave Thomas.
Huge congratulations to second year BA (Hons) Fine Art student, Rosette-Amanda Nsubuga, who has won the Young People United Awards under the category of Inspirational Young Person, as well as a Sankofa Young Black Achievers Award under the category of Citizenship.
Commented Carol Stewart, Chairperson, Medway African and Caribbean Association, “The nominations this year were of a very high standard.”
Rosette-Amanda said, “I was motivated to participate in the exhibition, as this gave me an opportunity to explore my culture and articulate my perceptions. I feel there should be more opportunities like these within the curriculum for students from minority ethnic groups. I felt a sense of freedom to do this because I knew I wouldn’t be judged”. A synopsis of her work can be seen by accessing the clips below. https://vimeo.com/182216090?ref=em-share https://m.soundcloud.com/user-330751277/melanin-intuition-pros-and-cons-sound-piece
Rosette was nominated by Dave Thomas, Student Success (EDI) Project Officer, for her contribution to the Black History Month Exhibition. Explained Dave, “Rosette-Amanda was proactive in promoting diversity through citizenship through her contribution to the University of Kent Black History Month Art Exhibition. She was part of a group of Fine Art Students from the School of Music and Fine Art who contributed artwork. Rosette demonstrated great volition and commitment by going over and above the initial brief and conducting ethnographic research, which explored student’s perception of the meaning of being black – Melanin Intuition. In addition, Rosette produced two paintings which consider the status of the black community from an adored perspective.
Her work disclosed love and ascension as well as the stigma that comes with having darker skin and takes us on an emotional journey, which explores race – black and blackness – and considers how the influence of the struggles of black leaders brings us to see what victory and freedom feels like.
The body of work aimed to promote cultural competence and a knowledge exchange among the students who study at the Medway Campus and wider University. The work also provoked discussion within the University community. Most importantly, it served to promote a sense of belonging for black and minority ethnic students on the campus. I believe this was a very important contribution to the development of the culture of equality and diversity within the university. I would also like to mention the other three Fine Art students who contributed to the exhibition (Solomon Dada, Chenille Harris and alumni Daniel Owusu). Although Rosette won the award, I believe this was a victory for the group, school and University as a whole.”
To recognise the winners’ achievements, an award ceremony took place on Saturday 29th October, at Mid Kent College, Gillingham where Rosette was presented with her award by multiple award winning Singer/Songwriter Bashiyra.
