It’s been called a ‘Festival of Creativity’, a summer of loving the fresh, diverse and innovative talent of art, design and humanities students at Leicester’s De Montfort University (DMU).
Sculpture with a twist from Eleanor Hudson
This year’s programme of events, exhibitions and performances to showcase the exciting talent of the next generation of artists and designers across DMU’s architecture, art, design, fashion and performing arts undergraduate courses kicked off at the weekend with the launch of the Art & Design Foundation Show (8-14 May).
Experts, employers and representatives from the creative industries joined others with a passion for creativity to take in work presented by students completing their BTEC Diplomas at DMU. The BTEC course prepares students to go on to specialist art and design courses, including degrees and teacher training.
Artist David Shrigley, who was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1987, completed the DMU BTEC course before moving on to Glasgow School of Art.
Winner of the Jo Moore Memorial Award, presented in memory of a former student, was Sally Kingsnorth. The Christopherson Award went to Oliver Hay and Jamie Schwartz. Courtney Askey was chosen to be part of this year's Summer Art Trail in Leicester.
Filmmaker Courtney Askey
Jessica McWilliam's work explores identity, how people see themselves and how others see them. She uses a mix of collage, textiles and paint. She said: "I originally wanted to do illustration but my tutor suggested Fine Art and I love it." She is now staying on to do a Fine Art degree at DMU.
"It's an amazing environment," said Courtney, who is also staying on to do a Fine Art degree. "The people you are working with are so creative and so talented, it spurs you on and we all support each other."
Ram Ghai created several sculptures which he has imagined as public spaces such as parks and offices. He said: "It's based on Anish Kapoor's Orbit. I wanted to do something structural, and I found myself creating very different forms to what I'd imagined. Ram is now set to start on a BA Architecture at DMU.
Other events to be featured in the ‘Festival of Creativity’ will include:
• Graduate Fashion Week (30 May – 2 June 2015, Truman Breweries, London) Graduate Fashion Week is known for launching the careers of some of the biggest names in fashion including Stella McCartney and Julien McDonald. Our graduates have an exhibition stand showing the best work from our degree courses in Fashion Design, Fashion Buying and Footwear Design.
• The Contour Fashion Show 2015 (3 June 2015, Freemasons’ Hall, London) Established in 1947 to support the local corset industry, Contour Fashion is the oldest and most successful degree-level course in intimate apparel. The Contour Fashion Show celebrates the outstanding work produced by the students on the course.
• Exit Souls (3 June – PACE Studios, DMU) A drama festival showcasing performances by final year degree and postgraduate Drama Studies students. This will include play texts, durational works, creative writing projects, contemporary performance and live art practices
• Glorious Collisions (10 June – PACE) Where live and digital arts collide, courtesy of DMU Performing Arts and Dance degree students
• University Dance Festival (12-13 June) Leicester’s Curve theatre will be the focus for DMU Dance students to bring their exuberant and challenging work to the people of Leicester
• Art & Design Degree Show (12-18 June – DMU) The DMU Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities brings together award winning student work, world leading research and innovative thinking from the University’s many creative disciplines
• New Designers (24-27 June + 1-4 July – Business Design Centre, London) Showcasing the work, energy and talent of the next generation of UK designers, including DMU crafts, fashion, textiles, product and furniture designers
• Free Range Graduate Show (10-14 July – Old Truman Brewery venues, event spaces and galleries, London) This is the largest art, design and fashion graduate show in Europe, featuring 60 exhibitions. The show will feature degree and postgraduate Interior Design students from DMU.
Barbara Matthews, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities, welcome students and parents to the private view of the show on Friday. She said: "It's an important part of DMU's work to fully prepare students for employability in the creative industries. Students get a quality learning experiences by being in an HE environment, to explore their talents and discover new ways to express their creativity.
"The Foundation Show is an incredible achievement and the sheer range of work displayed is truly remarkable."
Full details of everything taking placing during the Festival of Creativity can be found at www.dmu.ac.uk/foc.
Posted on Monday 11 May 2015