9:00pm Tuesday 7th June 2011
By Emma Dunn
ASPIRING artists from Swindon College are showing off their work.
Photographs, sculptures, paintings and graphic design projects are on display at the Mulberry Building, in Kembrey Park, as part of the graduate show, which is on from tomorrow until Monday.
Visitors will see work from award-winning art students from MA/PG Dip archaeological illustration, BA (Hons) fine art: drawing for fine art practice, BA (Hons) graphic design, BA (Hons) sequential illustration and HND/C photography courses.
Greg Rendell, the deputy curriculum manager at Swindon College, said: “In effect, this is their final assessment so they are showing off their work for their degree course or HND course. Because of the nature of the course they are generally building a portfolio.
“The more challenging the project the more impressive the end result. This year is definitely a landmark year.”
The exhibition includes photographs by 59-year-old Stephen Coombs, of Highworth, who photographed an old mine in Cornwall for his project entitled, The Miners May Have Gone But Their Spirit Lives On.
“What I am trying to do is explore the concept of absence,” he said.
“For me, this mine is like someone has rung the fire alarm and everyone has gone to an assembly point, but in fact it shut 21 years ago.
“My objective is to be a documentary photographer so I want to communicate through my photographs.”
The show also includes a display of three projects from graphic design BA (Hons) student Hollie Woodhams, of Redhouse.
She has created a magazine redesign, a promotional piece for Swindon writer Chloe Willis, as well as maps and material for a festival.
“I am really pleased with it – my favourite is the magazine redesign,” said the 20-year-old.
“I am looking forward to other people seeing my work. I am looking forward to all the different perspectives from people in the industry, people not in the industry and other artists.”
Work from Hollie’s fellow graphic design students, Nicola Botley and Chris Young, is also on display.
Hannah Pajak, 23, of Old Town, who is studying fine art, has explored her family history with a sculpture of a loft, called Stories In Storage.
“It is based on my Polish heritage and it is all about how you put things away that are not part of your daily life,” she said.
“It was really hard getting the actual structure of it to work.”
There will be a private view of the show today and companies or representatives can request invites by logging on to www.swindon-college.ac.uk and click on the School Of Art Final Show news article.
Opening times are 10am until 8pm on Thursday and Friday, 10am until 2pm on Saturday, and 10am until 4pm on Monday.
ILLUSTRATOR GIVEN SPECIAL MENTION
ILLUSTRATIONS by a Swindon College student who won highly commended in the MacMillan children’s book prize awards this year are on display at the graduation show.
BA sequential illustration student Chantal Bourgonje, pictured left, entered her book, Gone Fishing, in the competition against 285 hopefuls from across the country.
Her book follows a turtle, a hare and a duck from bathtime to a fishing expedition, an encounter with the mud monster and back into the bath to get clean again.
She was one of only 13 people to receive highly commended at the competition at Foyles Bookshop, in London, last month.
“They said they liked the sense of movement in the composition and they felt the characters were very endearing,” she said.
“It was very overwhelming because people were saying such nice things about what you have done. They make you feel very proud and special.”
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