June 14th was the private view of the John Leggott College Art and Design Foundation Diploma Exhibition at Cafe Indie.
I have been so very lucky to be one of the tutors on this course for the past four years, and it is such a bitter-sweet time of year - I am immensely proud of not only the achievements of these talented artists and designers, but of their sense of camaraderie, determination and, most importantly of all, friendship.
When receiving their results one student said that it was not really about what grade he achieved, but that the whole group had done well together.
(And yes, I had a lump the size of a grapefruit in my throat when I heard that).
Every year I wonder why I put myself through this annual sense of grief when they leave, but, (and I know this sounds cheesy) it's not because they simply leave, it's because they fly.
Ahem.... I'll just pause here for a cup of tea, compose myself, and then I can show you some of the amazing work that these students created in just ten weeks for their Final Major Projects...
Lauren is a graphic designer and created a pop-up shop display that celebrated 100 years of the Bauhaus.
She designed the promotional material and merchandise, re-interpreting this design ethic in a contemporary manner.
The whole display looked so professional and the merchandise was absolutely stunning.
Lauren's Fine Art exhibition explored the theme of nature's cycles and its powerful connection to the Human Condition.
She explored such a wide range of disciplines, including painting, mixed media, film and sculpture.
I loved how the mirrors showed the back of the resin skulls, and look at how they were lit up during the evening!
Yasmeen's fashion designs were inspired by street wear and urban culture and involved digital print and hand embroidery.
I loved how Yasmeen displayed her capsule collection, she even painted on a snooker table and furnished her space to create a sophisticated 'chill out' area.
Monika is a surface pattern designer whose work communicated the futility of war in such a powerful and sensitive manner.
She created a range of digital fabric prints, beautifully styled fashion photographs and a stunning machine embroidered veil.
The 'widow's veil' machine embroidery was incredibly intricate, the delicate outlines of the soldiers are joined together like an endless mass of ghost-like figures.
Eren created an original and incredibly detailed sci-fi video game concept entitled 'Horizon Red'.
The digital artwork, character and environment design, projection and 3D display was absolutely stunning.
Just look at these amazing scene designs!
Macauley is a graphic designer and he created an extreme sports brand called 'South Bank' aimed at skate boarders.
He was inspired by Brutalist architecture and the urban environment that he experienced on the Art and Design Foundation residential trip to London.
Macauley's exhibition was so professional and the branding was extremely sophisticated and cohesive throughout the wide range of merchandise he produced.
I can't fit all of the students in just the one post, so I'll show you the rest next time chucks.
The private view was such a wonderful evening, full of family, friends, past students, staff and art-lovers.
Thanks to everyone that came along, and a huge thanks to the staff at Cafe Indie for all your hard work, (and the best chai lattes in the country!)
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