ART graduates have unveiled their maze-like installation at Artsite’s Post Modern following the very first residency at the town centre gallery.

The Path, a latex tunnel on a metal frame winding around the studio, complete with plaster casts and other pieces peppered along the way, was created in just 20 days by Swindon College fine arts students Jason Barrett and Alice Douel.

Each year Artsite selects a couple of students at the college to exhibit their degree show work at the Post Modern.

This time however, their two graduates opted to produce a new collaborative work and were offered the gallery as studio space.

“This was incredibly ambitious and we knew we would barely get it done but when you get given this opportunity, where you can just go wild, you have to do it,” said Jason, 37, of Greenmeadow.

“We thought ‘We are being offered this nice space, why don’t we do something totally different? Something that changes the whole dynamic in which you view the art work?’ “We wanted to delight and amuse. People go through a range of emotions when they go through it.”

The interactive work is aimed at anyone from intrigued children and their parents to art amateurs or professionals.

Mostly made of large latex sheets, it rests on an imposing metal structure.

Soon the pair will add some new facets to the artwork, including a performance piece projected directly onto the latex wall in one of the tunnel’s many ‘rooms’.

Alice, 23, of Highworth, said: “There’s been blood, sweat, tears and laughter.

“But I’ve really enjoyed it. We knew we would struggle to get it done.

“The motto of the whole thing has been ‘Don’t worry about it, it will be fine’.

“It’s a good opportunity and we would not have had another chance to get given a space and the time to do it.”

Vicky Silver, Artsite exhibition coordinator, said: “It is important to Artsite that we encourage young graduates to stay in Swindon and to reach out to local people with both accessible and challenging art.

“Because of their enthusiasm and the need for a large area to make the massive latex sheets that would be required for the installation, Artsite agreed to help with some of the finance on materials and we suggested that they could use the gallery space as a studio so that the public would be able to view the process from its conception to completion.”

The Path will be on display until August 24 between 11am and 7pm.