2013 – Page 4 – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Free Range Art & Design Show 2013: Week One Review

Free Range show 2013
The graduate shows are upon us and that can only mean one thing… I’ll be heading down to the Truman Brewery on a weekly basis to discover the most inspiring new designers graduating in 2013. Due to the fact that I was off camping in rural Sussex last week (bliss) I only just made it along in time to view the first week’s showing at Free Range Graduate Shows. Sadly Somerset College was already packing up, but here’s the best of what I found elsewhere.

Suzanne Kugler at Coventry Uni
Fashion students from Coventry University had created an innovative display out of cardboard boxes, with exciting over-sized ceramic jewellery by Suzanne Kugler taking pole position in the window.

Perverted Penguins at Greenwich Uni
Next door University of Greenwich was showcasing the best of it’s new designers in multiple disciplines – I liked huge creative typography by Ben of Perverted Penguins.

African beads by King's Edogiawerie
In a dark corner an intriguing laser cut description of African beads had been made by the brilliantly named King’s Edogiawerie.

Stunning beaded accessories by Sophia Denny
Goldsmiths had taken over the largest area in the basement to display a plethora of different design ideas under the This is War moniker. I was attracted to stunning beaded accessories inspired by history by Sophia Denny Design.

With children and friends aplenty frolicking around her stand Fanny Bissa‘s clever and colourful tools to build emotional intelligence warranted a closer look: I can imagine small people in particular would love to play around with her chalkboard shapes, but their usage could also be adapted to adult situations – find out more on her elegantly designed blog, Learn to Solve, here.

Emily Sutcliffe at Southampton Solent
Finally, I was drawn to Emily Sutcliffe‘s 80s tastic fashion alphabet at Southampton Solent University, which runs a course specialising in Fashion Graphics.

amelias-award-with-secret-emporium
If you have just graduated and are wondering what to do with the rest of your life, why not check out our inaugural Amelia’s Award, the winner of which will receive a sponsored place to sell creative goods with the Secret Emporium at the Wilderness Festival this summer.

I look forward to discovering much more talent in the weeks to come – don’t forget to follow me on instagram (where all the above images appeared first) if you want to discover it in real time with me. My listing for Free Range can be found here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday June 5th, 2013 4:12 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Amelia’s Award, ,Emily Sutcliffe, ,Fanny Bissa, ,Fashion Graphics, ,Free Range, ,goldsmiths, ,Graduate Shows, ,instagram, ,King’s Edogiawerie, ,Learn to Solve, ,Perverted Penguins, ,review, ,Secret Emporium, ,Somerset College, ,Sophia Denny Design, ,Southampton Solent University, ,Suzanne Kugler, ,The Secret Emporium, ,This is War, ,Truman Brewery, ,University of Greenwich, ,Wilderness Festival

Amelia’s Magazine | Free Range Art & Design Show 2013: Week Three Photography Review

Photography by Nicholas White.

The trouble with photography is that it is so very hard to come up with an original concept, not to mention an original execution: thus I tend to find myself walking around the graduate shows in a daze of deja vu. This year my sense of ‘seen this all before’ was stronger than ever, but here’s the artwork that stood out as different and intriguing during week three at the Free Range Shows in 2013.

Jenni Hardman is Grown Out
At Canterbury Christ Church University Jenni Hardman has ‘Grown Out‘ with this clever patchwork of analogue photographs from her childhood bedroom, all hand stitched together with thread from a cardigan she wore as a baby. I am sure many people can relate (with nostalgia) to this kind of room: my father even did a panoramic collage of mine, me as moody teenager, centre stage.

Free Range shows photography June 2013-abbie web

Plymouth University is always a favourite bet for quality photography. Abbie Web photographed the New Forest National Park, merging her love of portraiture with the rural landscape to create a series of engaging ethereal images, which included a ghost image of a dog.

Free Range shows photography June 2013-Nicholas White 6

Nicholas White‘s beautiful photos depict the militarised zones of Dartmoor – paying homage to the historical importance of the infrastructure at the same time as acknowledging the environmental impacts of military use.

Aspergers Syndrome by David Benson at Plymouth Uni
David Benson analysed himself in a series of brilliant images about Asperger Syndrome. Each photograph shows him surrounded by carefully laid out items – with writing next to each one explaining the reference. From these I learnt that attention to detail is extremely important, that he takes great comfort from physical objects, buying doubles and amassing large hoards of paraphernalia, that he has an insatiable appetite for learning, especially from instruction manuals and that he has an obsession with anything related to spaceships.

Free Range shows photography June 2013-kate moss
At the University of Westminster Alexandra Djivanovic explored The Mask of Moss – based on the frightening premise that those under the age of 25 have never known a world without Kate Moss (boy do I feel old).

Free Range shows photography June 2013-Peter Stevens
A series of beautifully printed high contrast black and white photos by mature student Peter Stevens showed workers in the concrete shell of a massive new build house. His professionalism is evident in the execution of these photos; the staging reminds me of old masterpieces. Just gorgeous.

More photography from week four coming soon.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Sunday June 23rd, 2013 12:05 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Abbie Web, ,Alexandra Djivanovic, ,Asperger Syndrome, ,Canterbury Christ Church University, ,Dartmoor, ,David Benson, ,Free Range Art and Design Show, ,Grown Out, ,Jenni Hardman, ,Kate Moss, ,New Forest National Park, ,Nicholas White, ,Peter Stevens, ,photography, ,Plymouth University, ,review, ,The Mask of Moss, ,University of Westminster

Amelia’s Magazine | Free Range Art & Design Show 2013: Week Two Review

South Essex College Hullaboo degree show
Showing alongside Middlesex University a few other colleges put their wares on display for week two of the Free Range Shows.

Free Range shows 2013-south essex college rock
Graphic Designers at South Essex College knew how to win over visitors, with sticks of rock and a freezer full of specially branded ice cream, all emblazoned with a wonderful logo that also featured on their impressive poster. Making a good impression from the outset is always a good idea, with the bonus that it will help to draw visitors into an exhibition.

Phil Steed South Essex College Battle of the Bees
Phil Steed decided to tackle the Battle of the Bees using a variety of techniques, including screen printing and willow sculpture. His fascination with bees led to a collaboration with the British Beekeepers Association, and produced an eye-catching installation featuring a whole swarm of over-sized willow bees and a range of posters designed to build awareness about the multiple problems facing bees. I wish his website reflected the work that was on show at Free Range.

Free Range shows 2013-havering
There are always a few interesting students to be found at Havering College. Olesya Adamska used decorative typography with a touch of infographic styling to draw attention to environmental problems.

Free Range shows 2013-Thomas Lemon
Working in ceramics on the 3D Craft degree, Thomas Lemon investigated the incredibly common phenomenon of colour blindness by re-imagining common fruits and vegetables.

Free Range shows 2013-Jolene Tew

At Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts I was most impressed with diverse work by Jolene Tew on Graphics and Illustration. Alongside her bizarre fish head installation she showcased a beautiful arrangement of sketchbook pages filled with delicate illustrations: I wonder what all these ideas led to?

If you are graduating this year don’t forget to check out Amelia’s Award, in collaboration with the Secret Emporium. Enter your details and you could be in with a chance to kick start your creative career by receiving a scholarship worth £495 to sell your wares at Wilderness Festival this summer. Deadline: 2nd July 2013.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday June 22nd, 2013 5:07 pm

Categories ,2013, ,3D Craft, ,Battle of the Bees, ,British Beekeepers Association, ,Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts, ,Free Range Art and Design Show, ,Havering College, ,Infographic, ,Jolene Tew, ,middlesex university, ,Olesya Adamska, ,Phil Steed, ,review, ,South Essex College, ,Thomas Lemon

Amelia’s Magazine | D&AD New Blood 2013 Review: Best Graduate Illustration and Graphic Design

Bird man by Charlotte Cox at southampton solent screenprinting
This year the D&AD New Blood graduate show was held once again in a cordoned off section of Spitalfields Market. It’s a small space with hoards of exhibiting students crammed into the tight corridors, which can make it hard to manoeuvre around when it’s busy. Most colleges had as usual opted for a simple display on plain white stands, but one in particular had pushed the boat out: Southampton Solent had hand stamped the brown boards of their Wooly Bully Illustration show stand, providing an excellent foil to large scale screen printed work, handmade badges and a high quality promotional package. Amongst a sea of stands featuring A2 printed copies of students work this was a delightfully visceral experience. One of my favourite pieces was the bird man above by Charlotte Cox. They were also handing out invites to their stand alone London show, Solstice, at the Coningsby Gallery, but I was sadly away when it took place: I hope I’ll get an earlier invite next year!

Southampton solent book

These images are from a book that was hanging on the wall, illustrator unknown.

Southampton solent - Rake
This screenprint titled Rotam Vitea features alchemical symbolism and is by the enigmatically named Rake.

And from the rest of the show, here’s the illustrations and design work that caught my eye: Elliot Kruszynski at Bath Spa University wants us to Save the Forests and the Animals and the Wizards with this wonderful atmospheric print.

Austrian folk tale by Carina Dewhurst
I didn’t get an invite to the Westminster University standalone degree show this year, which is a shame as on the strength of their small New Blood display it looks like this was a particularly talented group. This beautiful illustration is based on an Austrian folk tale, by Carina Dewhurst.

Printed textiles by Louise Brynes
This gorgeous abstract artwork is by Louise Byrnes, who also created textile designs that reminded me of the trend for splashy abstracts that was very prevalent at New Designers. Just lush, so lush in fact that someone tried to make off with the very print shown above whilst I was there!

Carmen Lynch environmental disaster westminster uni
Carmen Lynch was inspired by environmental disasters to create this threatening yet engaging image.

UCLAN
These cute animals are by someone at UCLAN – unfortunately I didn’t note who as there were no labels. Then the artist responsible tweeted me, but I failed to to take a note of her name then. If it’s you, let me know!

Lunchtime atop a Tree by Rhiannon Izard at plymouth uni
Lunchtime Atop a Tree features a trio of monkeys, by Rhiannon Izard, a paper artist and illustrator from Plymouth University.

Sophia Viney's ghost
Sophia Viney goes under the name Littleinkstain – I like her ghost, which is part of a story about a dark forest inhabited by pixies, created for the BimbaGirls Comic Anthology.

New Blood design show 2013-Saif Chowdhury
Saif Chowdhury‘s fantastical characters are inspired by Japanese video games and bizarre worlds – this image was created for a story about a child on a quest to find their dead father, whilst overcoming monsters and obstacles.

Children's book by Lucy Wooler at norwich uni
This colourful children’s book by Lucy Wooler at Norwich University was inspired by a Victorian morality tale.

Bumble bee by Tori Gray at Dundee
Behold, a humble bumble bee made of type by Tori Gray at the University of Dundee.

Marco Galloway abstract dundee
Marco Galloway researched colour theory to make this great abstract illustration.

Danielle Smith ceramics
These ceramics by Danielle Smith were inspired by mysterious tales of the traveller community.

New Blood design show 2013-Dictionopolis by jame wilson
Dictionopolis by Jamie Wilson at northumbria uni
Dictionopolis tells the tale of a city of words: this beautiful hand printed concertina book by Jamie Wilson of Northumbria University simply took my breath away. I wasn’t sure where to find him online, since Jamie Wilson is apparently quite a common name for an illustrator. This seems most likely to be his home though.

Flower print by Sarah Baskeyfield at Staffordshire Uni
Shells, pineapples & flowers by Sarah Baskeyfield
These hyper colour flower, fruit and shell printed patterns are by Sarah Baskeyfield at Staffordshire University, and were standout pretty amongst all the angular graphic designs on show.

This giant pottery ampersand by Helen Player was created as part of a design brief for the V&A.

Dominic Kesterton at ECA
Dominic Kesterton at Edinburgh College of Art based these designs on the linguistics of a fictional seaweed picking culture.

Lastly these brilliant black characters are by Alex Tait at Bucks New University.

There were lots of other interesting things on show, but I’ve been writing (or am still writing) stand alone reviews about a number of illustration degrees, so you’ll find their best work elsewhere on my site.

*Many of these images first appeared on my instagram feed, where you can view my pick of design graduates and other inspiring finds as I see them.*

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday July 24th, 2013 2:48 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Alex Tait, ,Bath Spa University, ,BimbaGirls Comic Anthology, ,Bucks New University, ,Carina Dewhurst, ,Carmen Lynch, ,Charlotte Cox, ,Coningsby Gallery, ,D&AD, ,Danielle Smith, ,Dictionopolis, ,Dominic Kesterton, ,Edinburgh College of Art, ,Elliot Kruszynski, ,Helen Player, ,Jamie Wilson, ,Littleinkstain, ,Louise Byrnes, ,Lucy Wooler, ,Lunchtime Atop a Tree, ,Marco Galloway, ,New Blood, ,New Designers, ,Northumbria University, ,Norwich University, ,Plymouth University, ,Rake, ,review, ,Rhiannon Izard, ,Rotam Vitea, ,Saif Chowdhury, ,Sarah Baskeyfield, ,Save the Forests and the Animals and the Wizards, ,Solstice, ,Sophia Viney, ,Southampton Solent, ,Spitalfields Market, ,Staffordshire University, ,Tori Gray, ,University of Dundee, ,va, ,Westminster University, ,Wooly Bully Illustration

Amelia’s Magazine | East London Design Show: Christmas Gift Ideas 2013

Hokolo London

I’ve shared my favourite finds from the 2013 Bust Craftacular, now here’s what I loved at the East London Design Show, held for the first time in the Truman Brewery. The Hokolo London stand, above, looked absolutely marvellous. Designer Jen has a great eye for striking colour combinations which she utilises in great graphic style to decorate homeware and accessories.

De Casa squid print

This squid is by DeCasa, which specialises in bold unusual print designs. Also check out their eye-catching caterpillar pattern.

Rosie Sanders baroque necklace

This super cool golden baroque necklace is by Rosie Sanders, whose work I have been admiring for some time on instagram. She had put together a beautiful festive display with a bunch of other jewellers.

Phoebe Jewellery moonstone moon pendant

I didn’t manage to look at all the other jewellery designers closely, but I absolutely adored this moonstone moon pendant by Phoebe Jewellery. She also does the cutest acorn pendants.

Quirky Curios glass lollipops

These are really fun; glass lollipops from an unidentified second year student at Havering College, part of the Quirky Curios collective. The Havering College 3D design course always churns out incredible talent – read one of my end of year reviews here to see more.

Really Mad Scientist- saucy Christmas games with fantastic illustrations by DJ Wheelie Bag

He’s a Really Mad Scientist: saucy Christmas games featuring fantastic illustrations had been put together by DJ Wheelie Bag, who drew me right in with his clever banter. We’ve now got the perfect game for New Year year festivities.

Malcolm Morris HoT gold plated earrings

I adore these beautiful gold earrings by Malcolm Morris, who was inspired by the Greek Galleries in the British Museum to create these articulated circular beauties that swing when worn in the ears.

Amberwood big pendant

It was great to see Polish designer Amberwood back in London, this time with some really big amber pendants. Love them.

Branch on the Park earrings

I always admire delicate gem jewellery in the Branch in the Park shop near Victoria Park, so it was good to see a big range on display at the East London Design Show.

East End Prints

What a great graphic print: this one is available from East End Prints. Read my recent interview with owner Helen Edwards here.

Sarah Hamilton mugs

These delightful fish and bird print mugs are by Sarah Hamilton, a friend I often chat to on twitter.

Kinetica Museum mike booth

Snarfle liked the stand showcasing kinetic art from the Kinetica Museum – this sun trap is by Mike Booth.

Charlotte Valkeniers rings

And lastly this somewhat fuzzy close up is of some very cool jewels by Charlotte Valkeniers.

Don’t forget to come follow me on instagram if you want to share my designs first.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday December 10th, 2013 1:44 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Amberwood, ,Branch in the Park, ,Bust Craftacular, ,Charlotte Valkeniers, ,Christmas, ,DeCasa, ,DJ Wheelie Bag, ,East End Prints, ,East London Design Show, ,Gift ideas, ,Havering College, ,Helen Edwards, ,Hokolo London, ,Homewares, ,jewellery, ,Kinetica Museum, ,Malcolm Morris, ,Mike Booth, ,Phoebe Jewellery, ,Quirky Curios, ,Really Mad Scientist, ,review, ,Rosie Sanders, ,Sarah Hamilton, ,Truman Brewery

Amelia’s Magazine | Easter 2013: Illustrated

Easter by Daniel Alexander.

I don’t know about you but this feels like the least Eastery Easter for many years: normally the weather is becoming properly spring-like and the daffodils are blooming in abundance. In 2013 though, it still feels like the depths of a ridiculously long, cold, wet winter: and many animals are suffering due to the prolonged cold weather: sheep and lambs have been buried in snow drifts across the country, hedgehogs and other hibernating animals are unable to wake up because the weather is not warm enough yet, many birds and insects are unable to find food because the plants on which they feed are not yet in bloom and seabirds such as puffins are dying of starvation because they can’t eat enough to keep up their energy and keep themselves warm. And on that sobre note I present to you these Easter illustrations: all of them focused on pagan symbols that have been part of spring equinox celebrations the world over for thousands of years. Let’s hope new beginnings arrive soon.

Easter Bunnies by Katie Eberts.

Easter Bunny by Ruth Joyce 2013
Easter Bunny by Ruth Joyce.

Easter Drawing by Holly Maguire.

Garden of Eden by Lucy Bishop.

Easter Illustration by Constance Posey.

Easter-by-Sylwia-Szyszka
Easter by Sylwia Szyszka.

Easter Bunny by Jo Chambers.

Easter by Madi Illustration.

Easter by Jo Rose (Dear Little Forest)
Easter by Jo Rose (Deer Little Forest).

easter by Benjamin Phillips.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday March 28th, 2013 10:04 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Benjamin Phillips, ,Bunnies, ,Chicks, ,Constance Posey, ,Daniel Alexander, ,Deer Little Forest, ,Easter, ,Eggs, ,Holly Maguire, ,illustration, ,Jo Chambers, ,Jo Rose, ,Katie Eberts, ,Lucy Bishop, ,Madi Illustration, ,Pagan, ,Rabits, ,Ruth Joyce, ,Studio Legohead, ,Sylwia Szyszka

Amelia’s Magazine | ELCAF 2014 review

A few weeks I popped along to the third ELCAF held at the Oval Space, which is a trendy new venue in a semi derelict part of Bethnal Green between Hackney Road and the canal. There were abundant creative types enjoying the late afternoon sunshine on the long balcony which overlooks one of the rusting gas towers, and inside a chaotic and slightly bawdy atmosphere reigned. Here’s what I saw:

Studio Hato invited attendees to play comic strip consequences in the entrance hallway.

Near the entrance I discovered two old Amelia’s Magazine friends sharing a table and a publishing imprint, Magic Capes. I love Lesley Barnes’ new range of fashion illustrations for the V&A, and am looking forward to reading Thereza Rowe’s Hearts book with Snarfle soon.

Corn Dollies by Isabel Greenberg featured on a print and these cute badges.

I was drawn like a magnet to Madalena Matoso’s amazing swimming pool print on the Planeta Tangerina stand.

There are some fantastic contributors to this Mythical Creatures zine, including Bonbi Forest’s Lee May Foster-Wilson.

I love Katherina Manolessou’s reworking of the toddler’s favourite tune Zoom Zoom Zoom, featuring a fluffy red monkey and other lovely creatures.

I was really taken by work from Otto Graphic, an illustrator and screen printer who is influenced by the Constructivists and Polish poster art.

Inuit is an Italian bookshop and printworks, selling knitted lungs and cacti alongside beautiful risoprints.

It was great to meet the El Famoso brothers Rich and Chris Fairhead, who work together on their illustrations – read about their recent exhibition here.

Next door it was a pleasure to meet the Day Job girls, who very kindly gifted me their Activity Book (above) to share with Snarfle.

Benjamin Wright’s wonderful laser cut badges featured Darth Vadar and a Ninja Turtle.

Sam Taylor and co were particularly boisterous when I stopped by, perhaps a given when you take a closer look at the styles on their stand.

The Brolly Lolly collective is comprised of MA graduates from the Cambridge School of Art, presumably not including the small and very industrious helper on hand – I loved these strange plant prints on a zine by Melissa Castrillon.

Wonderful fruit and vegetable prints are by the inimitable Matthew the Horse.

And finally, but by no means least, it was ace to catch up with Babak Ganjei, who continues to turn his talents to eccentric comic strips (you may remember I featured one of his early stories in the print version of Amelia’s Magazine way back). Roll on ELCAF 2015!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday July 7th, 2014 7:26 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Activity Book, ,Babak Ganjei, ,Benjamin Wright, ,Bonbi Forest, ,Brolly Lolly, ,Cambridge School of Art, ,Darth Vadar, ,Day Job, ,East London Comic Arts Festival, ,El Famoso, ,ELCAF, ,hearts, ,Inuit, ,Isabel Greenberg, ,Katherina Manolessou, ,Lee May Foster-Wilson, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Madalena Matoso, ,Magic Capes, ,Matthew the Horse, ,Melissa Castrillon, ,Mythical Creatures, ,Ninja Turtle, ,Otto Graphic, ,Oval Space, ,Planeta Tangerina, ,review, ,Rich and Chris Fairhead, ,Sam Taylor, ,Snarfle, ,Studio Hato, ,Thereza Rowe, ,Zoom Zoom Zoom

Amelia’s Magazine | Free Range Art & Design Show 2013: Fine Art Review

Beautiful artwork from Claire Ringrose at Oxford Brooks
Claire Ringrose at Oxford Brookes University.

I sadly only had time to visit the first week of two fine art showcases at Free Range this year, but even a brief whirl around the exhibitions was enough to discover these gems, which were first shared on my instagram feed:

Emma Norton leeds
This crystallised installation makes me think of a secret witch’s chamber, by Emma Norton at Leeds University.

Olexandra Solomka- ukranianwomen.net embroidery
At Loughborough University Olexandra Solomka‘s embroidery accompanies a fictitious website, ukranianwomen.net.

Guilin Nucci - ceramic mice watching TV
At Coventry University Guilia Nucci‘s complex installation featured these brilliant ceramic mice watching TV.

This giant leather floral spider by Kerry Short was displayed at waist height on its very own podium.

crystallised art- carefully placed pebbles by Miranda Marshall
At University of Northampton there was more crystallised art in the form of these carefully placed pebbles by Miranda Marshall.

Punk wall collage by William Burr
This punk wall collage was put together by William Burr, and it expanded well beyond the boundaries of my photograph.

miniature paintings with collage by Heather Armitage
Miniature parrot collage by Heather Armitage at Uni of Northampton
One of my highlights was these absolutely delightful miniature paintings with tiny collaged birds and animals by Heather Armitage.

Key with #crochet wings by Claire Ringrose at Oxford Brooks

At the Oxford Brookes University Lightbox show I loved these wonderful talismans made from natural objects by Claire Ringrose. Her Fluvium Artifacts are inspired by ancient settlements and forgotten memories.

Toothpick balls sculpture by Viviane Fallah at oxford brooks
These beguiling toothpick balls sculpture were by Viviane Fallah.

Mita Vaghela- sculpture of plastic spoons
Fellow student Mita Vaghela chose to create her organic sculpture out of plastic spoons.

Up next: my New Designers and New Blood reviews.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday July 16th, 2013 7:48 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Claire Ringrose, ,Coventry University, ,Emma Norton, ,Fine Art, ,Fluvium Artifacts, ,Free Range Art and Design Show, ,Guilia Nucci, ,Heather Armitage, ,Kerry Short, ,leeds university, ,Lightbox, ,Loughborough University, ,Miranda Marshall, ,Mita Vaghela, ,Olexandra Solomka, ,Oxford Brookes University, ,review, ,University of Northampton, ,Viviane Fallah, ,William Burr

Amelia’s Magazine | Free Range Art & Design Show 2013: Middlesex University Fine Art, Fashion, FDSP & Photography Review

Strange and wonderful prints by Tomas Soltonas. Futuroid
Futuroid by Tomas Soltonas.

Middlesex University took over the upper floors of the Truman Brewery a few weeks ago to display the work of all their graduating creative arts students in one fell swoop, and I went along to discover the best of the crop. Here’s what caught my eye from fine art, fashion and photography.

Esther Evans Middlesex
This Memphis-tastic sculpture is by Esther Evans in Fine Art – I think it’s a commentary on gender stereotypes, but I like it purely from an aesthetic point of view. Call me shallow, but hey, I respond to curvy pink shapes (whoops, there I go following my gender’s supposed predispositions)

Spooky skull teddy installation by Danielle Crawford-Lugay
Spooky skull-faced teddy was part of an installation by Danielle Crawford-Lugay – again, not sure what it meant, but it was certainly eye-catching.

Faces from Haggerston Estate by Rosie Fowler
These backlit faces from a Haggerston Estate were made into an intriguing installation by Rosie Fowler.

Joshua Pageb
There’s always someone being clever with china in a Chapman-stylee at the Free Range Shows – this year fine artist Joshua Page took on the mantle with this traditional icon being afforded a large penis.

Colourful intarsia knitwear by abbie ridler
Knitwear by Abbie Ridler.

I sadly missed the fashion show (wrong time, again) and instead perused a gallery of wooden stands adorned with look book photos of the graduating designer’s collections, some accompanied by samples of fabrics. The photographs were all beautiful and promoted the clothes in an exciting and contemporary way, but there were no clues as to who had created which garments, and no look books on display. What a shame, since for many visitors this would have been the only place they would have seen the student’s work. Here are snapshots of two students’ collections which I know well because I converse with them on instagram – both are knitwear students who are destined for great things.

Kirsty Anderton‘s amazing oversized skull jumper will be familiar to those who have read my coverage of the internal Middlesex fashion show, and I was excited to see that she had been inspired by the floral headdress I made a couple of weeks ago (and posted on instagram), adorning some of her catwalk models with similar flowers. (I am not imagining this by the way, she left a comment saying as much!) Her close friend Abbie Ridler (see above) is equally talented, this time creating colourful intarsia knitwear for men who like lairy clothing (an increasingly common sight, I think you’ll agree).

Middlesex Fashion Promotion
Last year FDSP had a great website, but this year I cannot find anything similar to showcase the students’ work – Fashion, Design, Styling and Promotion is a constantly changing discipline, which was reflected in the variety of work that was on display in the Truman Brewery. I was drawn to a few very different projects, including the interesting installation above.

Jessica Easting Middlesex
This #hashtag artwork by Jessica Easting would be ideal for a cool brand of some kind: product, clothing, anything really!

Eleanor Vait has a thing for glasses: displaying this intriguing sculpture alongside photographs of girls, in glasses. No idea what it means but I like it.

Brunswick Centre by Jack Lee
Free Range shows 2013-jack lee
Middlesex photography degree produces some excellent work – these portraits of residents of London’s Brunswick Centre shot by Jack Lee are all posed against the backdrop of the building’s instantly recognisable brutalist windows. Shooting all your portraits in the same position is an idea that never gets old, and in this case serves to highlight the huge differences between each resident’s abode.

Part robot part human with a serious 80s bent. By Tomas Soltonas at #middlesex
Clipboard head, by Tomas Soltonas
My favourite artworks by far were this Futuroid series of strange and wonderful prints by Tomas Soltonas. These collages successfully merge portrait photography with slabs of technology to disturbing effect. One Robert Palmer-esque lady appears part robot part human, and this Clipboard head, looks a bit like a Dr Who baddie in the making, no?

Check out my review of Middlesex University illustration and graphic design graduates here and my review of Middlesex University jewellery BA here. If you are graduating this year don’t forget to check out Amelia’s Award, in collaboration with the Secret Emporium. Enter your details and you could be in with a chance to kick start your creative career by receiving a scholarship worth £495 to sell your wares at Wilderness Festival this summer. Deadline: 2nd July 2013.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday June 22nd, 2013 8:58 am

Categories ,2013, ,Abbie Ridler, ,Brunswick Centre, ,Chapman, ,Danielle Crawford-Lugay, ,Dr Who, ,Eleanor Vait, ,Esther Evans, ,fashion, ,Fashion Design Styling and Promotion, ,FDSP, ,Fine Art, ,Free Range Art and Design Show, ,Futuroid, ,Haggerston Estate, ,hashtag, ,Jack Lee, ,Jessica Easting, ,Joshua Page, ,Kirsty Anderton, ,Memphis, ,middlesex university, ,review, ,Robert Palmer, ,Rosie Fowler, ,Tomas Soltonas, ,Truman Brewery

Amelia’s Magazine | Camberwell College of Arts: Well Said Illustration Degree Show 2013 Review

Well Said illustration show brochures
Nigh on a month ago the latest batch of talented graduates from the Camberwell College of Arts illustration degree course put on their standalone show at The Rag Factory, a big white warehouse space that offers the perfect blank canvas. It also happens to be fantastically close to my home, making it a super easy destination for me. I was sad to have missed the Brighton University illustration degree show this year due to a family break in Pembrokeshire, but since the Car Park Show was held in deepest darkest Fulham it’s doubtful I would have made it anyway. There’s a reason why so many shows are held in East London: a huge amount of creatives live and work around here, and there are an awful lot of graduate shows to see.

Camberwell illustration Well Said show 2013 invite
The students from Well Said show ensured I knew the dates of their exhibition by sending me this delightful illustration package: there’s nothing like a tangible invite to build excitement. And as ever, they had produced a wonderful promotional book, seen above attractively piled on the floor. Predictably, this was a very strong showing from one of the best illustration courses in the country. Here’s what I found.

Sophia Parvinmehr camberwell
This exploration of the nervous system is by Sophia Parvinmehr.

Yiran Huang Camberwell

Yiran Huang Camberwell business cards
Yiran Huang made this huge mandala type pattern that looks equally good in close up. She had also made possibly the best business cards ever: hand drawn cats, each in different poses. Love them. May have taken three.

Camberwell installation

This brilliantly oddball installation is by Ruta Daubure, whose optical set designs for opera act like a strange human camouflage.

Carim Nahaboo bumble bee
This beautifully drawn bumble bee is by Carim Nahaboo. Bees are everywhere this year, which means they are obviously on people’s minds. Given the number of dead bees I’ve seen recently, this is definitely a good thing.

Siwei Tao- Schiz Camberwell
Siwei Tao Camberwell
Schiz by Siwei Tao is wonderfully odd, as is this strange image of detached arms in pots…

Lauren Doughty, Man from the South by Roald Dahl

I love this narrative painted illustration by Lauren Doughty, based on Man from the South by Roald Dahl. Her work is just so fabulously sploshy, and I so dig that 80s influence on the colour palette.

Susan Calvert installation
Susie Calvert
Susan Calvert made this installation of wonderful painted wooden landscapes, which she showed alongside this gigantic oil pastel abstract.

Sam Marot 'British Empire' prints
lion poster image by Sam Marot
Sam Marot‘s ‘British Empire‘ prints tackled a thorny subject to produce some interesting work, including this striking lion poster.

Footballer by jack_sachs
Hello sexy lady! Jack Sachs
The jovial abstracted footballer is by Jack Sachs, as is this ‘sexy lady’ which mimics the typical pose of a page three lass. When I posted this image on instagram it caused a bit of a stir; but I don’t find Jack’s depiction offensive or irritating, rather it appears to question a fixation with everyday sexualisation in a knowing and humorous way.

Wedges and Ledges by Rich de Courcy south bank

I absolutely adored this brilliant screen printed book by Rich de Courcy. Wedges and Ledges was inspired by a love of skateboarding in London, paying homage to much loved places such as the threatened skatepark under the brutalist South Bank arches, now immortalised in bright colours (sign the petition to save it here). I so wanted to take one of these little beauties home.

This Cosmic Omelette mobile by Saara Karppinen was inspired by a Finnish creation myth.

crafty display by Kim smith happy
Kim Smith of Art Equals Happy had put together a beautiful crafty display that ably showcased her beautiful handspun wares. I especially love her hand-written watercolour typography. See more on her website here.

embroidery with frogs by Titi Lee. London Underground
Upstairs I encountered an astonishing and large embroidered appliqué covered with jocular frogs by Titi Lee (this is a close up). This surreal vignette is based on her experience of using the London Underground.

Jessica Weijia Zhang - based on Edward Lear
Jessica Weijia Zhang had produced this slightly crackers illustration based on poems by Edward Lear.

Lucy Swan religious inspired illustrations
Lucy Swan‘s intricate line illustrations tackled the uncomfortable relationship between religion and money.

Magical eye print by Freya Faulkner
Pottery by Freya Faulkner
And finally, this magical eye print was one of an awe inspiring display put together by Freya Faulkner, titled Annihilation is Nigh: Cult of the Big Bang. Her rhythmical artwork and fabulous illustrated ceramics reflect the warring factions of matter and antimatter in brilliant narrative style.

My last graduate review will feature the artwork of University Arts Bournemouth Illustration students; coming soon! Remember, most of my creative finds can be viewed first if you follow my instagram feed.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday July 31st, 2013 10:05 pm

Categories ,2013, ,Annihilation is Nigh: Cult of the Big Bang, ,Art Equals Happy, ,Brick Lane, ,Brighton University, ,British Empire, ,Camberwell College of Arts, ,Car Park Show, ,Carim Nahaboo, ,Cosmic Omelette, ,Degree Show, ,Edward Lear, ,Freya Faulkner, ,graduate, ,illustration, ,Jack Sachs, ,Jessica Weijia Zhang, ,Kim Smith, ,Lauren Doughty, ,Lucy Swan, ,Man from the South, ,review, ,Rich de Courcy, ,Roald Dahl, ,Ruta Daubure, ,Saara Karppinen, ,Sam Marot, ,Schiz, ,Siwei Tao, ,Sophia Parvinmehr, ,south bank, ,Susan Calvert, ,Susie Calvert, ,the rag factory, ,Titi Lee, ,University Arts Bournemouth, ,Wedges and Ledges, ,Well Said, ,Yiran Huang

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