WELCOME TO VISUAL ARTS
Visual Arts is a distinctive contemporary fine art programme where individual creativity and ideas are fostered within a supportive environment. The programme promotes an awareness of contemporary cultural issues, offers the freedom to move between media areas, and supports critical reflection informed by theory.
Summerfield Gallery, Cheltenham, and Turn-Berlin, Berlin as well as publishing a new cultural review/ periodical. The degree show is the culmination of three years of study on the Visual Arts programme. It marks the first major professional public exhibition. The exhibition demonstrates a vibrant and eclectic range of fine art practices including painting, sculpture, photography, print, installation, performance, film/video, fibre/textile and sound art and many other hybrid forms.
In the last 12 months our students have enjoyed successful study trips to Barcelona, Spain, and Erasmus exchanges in Clermont Ferrand, France, Macerata, Italy and Porto, Portugal. They have taken part in projects and exhibitions with the BBC’s 21CC project and Media City, The Chinese Arts Centre, Cow Lane Studios, Hot Bed Press, The Hub, Salford Museum & Art Gallery and have won honours in the Lloyds Bank Art of Nurture competition supported by the Saatchi Gallery, London.
The degree show is a celebration of the talent and creativity of our students. They are an exceptional cohort marked out by their commitment, enthusiasm and ambition. We trust you will celebrate their talent too.
Our recent graduates continue to make waves locally and nationally, founding a new contemporary gallery space in Manchester, exhibiting at the Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, the Green Room, Manchester, PAD Gallery, Preston, The Royal Standard, Liverpool, The
Sue Sherrington Programme Leader, Visual Arts
Finally, I would like to thank all the students involved in working towards this exhibition, the academic and support staff, instructors and demonstrators.
THE REAL WORLD
In April 2000 a Swedish TV programme, ‘Expedition Robinson’, aired for the first time. The programme as its name suggests drew upon Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Johann David Wyss’ Swiss Family Robinson. The programme was a mix of established genres; documentary, social experiment and game show in which contestants were ‘shipwrecked’ on a deserted island and forced to adapt to their surroundings in scripted encounters and with only the fictional detritus on the island to sustain them. The frisson lay in the ‘castaways’ attempt to create a mutually supportive and cohesive social unit, yet all the while competing against one another as they faced the threat of eviction each week. The show was sold and franchised to countries around the world and became better known in the English speaking world as ‘Survivor’. It was, arguably, the first Reality TV show. Over the last ten years Reality TV as a genre has grown exponentially. It has mutated and spawned a number of hybrids as TV producers have sought to reproduce its success. This postmodern celebration of aspiration without endeavour has co-opted a number of other TV formats included the talent
show (X-Factor) home renovation (Changing Rooms), self improvement (What Not to Wear), dating show (Farmer Wants a Wife), job search (The Apprentice) and in arguably its most famous guise, drawing upon George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984’, the social experiment (Big Brother). If the genre has become risible in the way it repetitively regurgitates a formula then the comedian Peter Kay’s parody, - Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor…and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice, - only served to highlight the diminishing returns In November 2009 a new show hit our screens, The School of Saatchi. The programme brought together all the key hallmarks of the genre, documentary, game show and talent show. The School of Saatchi centred on the search to discover artistic genius. The logic must have seemed irresistible, a genre running short of creativity resuscitated by the search for new creatives. Thousands of would-be artists were whittled down to just six artists/participants/contestants by an expert ‘celebrity’ panel consisting of artist Tracey Emin, critic Matthew Collings, curator Kate Bush and collector Frank Cohen. The
artists were asked to respond to set of project briefs, a site specific sculpture for Hastings sea front, an intervention in Sudeley Castle, and an exhibition at the Saatchi gallery. The format included a nod to the art school pedagogical toolbox of tutorial, seminar and ‘crit’ and the genre staple of confessional interviews reflecting upon their success/failure before the expert panel convened and crowned their new champion.
work of an artist.
Our graduates are only too well aware of the reality of attempting to pursue a career in fine art. It will not come easy. It will be hard won. The prospect of fame is not what drives them. They will measure success by a different index. Their success will be measured in the quality of the work they produce, the way in which an idea is shaped and the means by which it communicates. In the ‘real world’ beyond the flat screen, The programme had few pretenhigh definition, digital image they sions to be anything but light entertainment and it was necessarily will forge their own careers and reductive. There was little that was our graduates are well equipped to do so. They will survive ‘life ‘real’ in this depiction of reality. It says much of the participating art- after art school’ for they have the ists that they managed to maintain creativity, talent and ingenuity necessary to shape their futures. their dignity and creative energy They have learnt much in their in such a prescriptive format. But time with us. They have grown the problem of attempting to represent the creative process was and matured and their ambitions glaring. The production of art was have been raised. They will make a lasting impression on the cultural reduced, inevitably perhaps, to a landscape just as our previous freelance site specific ‘makeover’ graduates have done before them. or a conversation piece curio. The programme did not reflect the cre- Look beyond the screen, and the ative process, the slow gestation of formulaic homogenised output of the Reality TV show, and watch out an idea, the visual and contextual research, the assimilation of learn- for them. ing, the synthesis into a practice, the slow burn, maturing evolution Brendan Fletcher that is the result of years of dedica- Lecturer in Visual Arts Level 6 Co-ordinator tion and endeavour, in short the
SUZANNE ASHWORTH Mama, mama you know I love you Oh you know I love you Mama, mama you’re the queen of my heart Your love is like Tears from the stars Mama, I just want you to know Lovin’ you is like food to my soul
‘A Song For Mama’ - Boys II Men
suzi_ash69@hotmail.com
mr_philip_bailey@hotmail.co.uk
PHIL BAILEY I hope my work has a universal appeal. There are echoes of the vibrant symbolism of Keith Haring’s imagery and the direct yet decorative style of Aboriginal art. I want the work to be visually striking and wide open to interpretation.
TINA BILLAM ‘We know what memories can bring/ they bring diamonds and rust’ Joan Baez
bean.art.group@live.co.uk
meschachbrencher@yahoo.co.uk
MESCHACH R. BRENCHER I am a performance artist. My work concerns self-truth and representation. It aims to interpret thoughts and opinions and how everything seems to have evolved around me. My work exposes my burdens and dissatisfactions and also my attempts to break free from those feelings. My work
necessarily remains in a state of irresolution.
KATE BUFTON My work explores the manipulation of the shape and form of old books. The physicality of old books is an important inspiration and the stained pages hold many unknown possibilities. The rough textures and musty smells are integral to the progress of my practice. In altering the original form, us-
ferdinand_1987@msn.com ing various cuts and folds, the book is transformed from a carrier of a text to an art object.
lmburrows@live.co.uk
LAUREN BURROWS ‘The shadows of the persons who had lived there were still pretty warm’ - Gordon Matta-Clark
CHISHA CHIKOTI I am Zambian. I am African. I love Africa. Living here in the UK I rarely come across images that represent a positive image of Africa, its beauty and its creativity, its rich and diverse cultural identities. I am fascinated by the traditional cloth-
blackpinkbarbie@yahoo.co.uk ing of Africa. It speaks of identity and culture. I make work that celebrates this rich history.
warrior4psa@hotmail.com
JORDI CLARAMUNT You can use many techniques, but it’s all about what you want to say.
EMILY CONNOR ‘If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?’ Alice, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
sodazed@live.co.uk
dahl24@gmail.com
SAM DAHL I use my work to help me make sense of the issues that concern me. The work is intended to provoke further discussion.
LAURA DODD I work with the media of photography. I appropriate my father’s family photographs/snapshots. They are images of my brother and I growing up/on family holidays. I want to explore a deeper psychoanalytic understanding of the family and its relationships through these images.
lauradodd10@btinternet.com
helen_edge85@hotmail.com
HELEN EDGE I am currently exploring photography and painting. Â I am interested in the nature of change and transformation. I like to bring my ideas and concepts together to form something new, rather than start from a well defined subject.
ELISSA GARRETT The work incorporates visions of a modern ‘fairytale romance’. This illustrative love story is a combination of traditional ideas merged with contemporary media in order to create a distorted version of the fairytale. The story is derived from the lyrics of a modern pop song which illustrates
elisa-jane@hotmail.com the superficial aspects of a relationship, with American street slang which add to the ridiculous or humorous nature of the drawings. Whereas the fairytale princess is destined for a life of happiness after she is rescued by her Prince Charming, the modern day ‘princess’ can rarely find a romance to
last her ‘happily ever after’. For all she is independent and opinionated, she still craves true love.
jamesgerrardart@hotmail.com
JAMES GERRARD My work aims to reveal machismo as an archaic ideal that holds no place within modern society.
HEIDI GIRGIS My work concerns the Caribbean. I want to reveal the hidden harsh realities lurking beneath the glossy veneer of the tourist guide. Although the beauty of these islands is stunning, they are not entirely the paradise that we have been led to believe. In my work, I tackle my own conflicts of en-
heidigirgis@hotmail.com joying the seductive Caribbean beauty while longing to do something to help the region.
johanna_goetze@hotmail.com
JOHANNA GOETZE “Experimental Geographies.”
MICHELLE GRAHAM Gallery or TV? Does the ‘white cube’ of the gallery equal the televised?
ellie_green@hotmail.com
ELEANOR GREEN ‘Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future’ Gail Lumet Buckley
KATIE HAMPSHIRE
zavodkagyal_85@hotamil.co.uk
shelley_holbrook@hotmail.co.uk
SHELLEY HOLBROOK The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, “It’s a Girl”.
TRACY HURST ‘Love is as powerful as death Passion is as strong as death itself It bursts into flame And burns like a raging fire’ Song of Songs 8:7
www.cyhurst.co.uk
cofee567@hotmail.com Painting for me is an explosion of real emotion. It is an honest action. It is provoked by a genuine reaction to the world and it is a profoundly purposeful activity. I find painting to be the most important means of communicating my own determination to do something more than exist.
SAM INGHAM
PAUL A. JORDAN My work involves alchemy. I transform sheet metal into works of art. The steel is encouraged to oxidise which forms rust on the paper or canvas. The resulting prints consist of squares and rectangles in a grid system. They act as a metaphor for the order, chaos and symmetry in the natural world.
Pauljordan70@yahoo.co.uk
mkeelan1@googlemail.com
MIC KEELAN The basis of my work is to experiment with materials and combine interesting results with ongoing work and ideas. These have mainly involved wax and plaster and have generally been abstract in form and using commonplace objects to cast and manipulate.
becks.kesler@btinternet.com
REBECCA KESLER I am a product of capitalism. My work will be bought and sold. I will become business like (Just like Damien Hirst). Where has art gone? Where did art fail? Where has the economy gone? Where did the economy fail?
KIRSTY ELIZABETH LEES We are here to express, not to impress.
darkpearl66@hotmail.com
natlin11@gmail.com
NATALIE LINNEY My work is what I enjoy making. I hope you like it.
JONATHAN MAJ ‘If someone asked me, ‘What’s your problem?’ I’d have to say, “skin.” - Andy Warhol
j.maj@hotmail.co.uk
MARINA MATSIDE
m_ar1na@hotmail.com I am a painter. I was born in Cyprus. I grew up surrounded by Greek culture which has had a profound influence on my practice as an artist. My work is concerned with abstract/figurative paintings that reflect the joy of life. When I paint, I merge the colours of the figure in the foreground with the
colours in the background in order to destabilise the overall image. The form of the human figure becomes lost in the fusion of colour. My paintings depict my close friends enjoying their lives.
ijhnorth@googlemail.com
IAIN NORTH “I tend to like the thought that I’m in the world. I don’t want just to look through keyholes” - David Hockney
t ophat . ar t s @googl emai l . com
SARAH PARKES
parkes.sarah@yahoo.com Research claims that with the cutting of the umbilical cord, physical attachment to our mother ends and emotional and psychological attachment begins. While the first attachment provides everything we need to thrive inside the womb, many psychologists believe the second attachment pro-
vides the psychological foundation and maybe even the social and physical buffer we need to thrive in the world. The mother/child relationship is probably the strongest relationship in a child’s early life and it becomes a
template on which later relationships are based. Within my work I hope to examine this bond and relationship of mother to child through an exploration of the relationship between me and my son.
NADIA PETERS It’s all about the process.
nadia.peters@sky.com
alexpiotrowicz@hotmail.com
ALEX PIOTROWICZ I find it captivating that emotions can be evoked by colour alone. Colour can speak a language without words. Tone, colour, hue, saturation, depth, intensity can create wonders.
NATASHA ROBINSON I am a textile artist. I feel the only way I can truly express myself within my work is by the use of a sewing machine.
natasha.kay@hotmail.co.uk
SARAH JANE ROSCOE The work expresses a personal journey. Thoughts through sewn words.
sar.x09x@sky.com
ANDREW SHAW
andyshaw86@googlemail.com My work concentrates on the American serial killer and how this figure has impacted upon society and the media. There seems to be a lasting fascination and psychologically it interests us to try and understand who they are and what they mean to our lives. Why do we endeavour to popularise and
give a celebrity status to someone who has chosen to take the lives of others? It is a glimpse into the darker side of American society.
CLAIRE SIDEBOTHAM ‘There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle is too fast’ - Paul Scott Mowrer
claire_marie_s@hotmail.com
jebus-christ@hotmail.co.uk
CHRISTINE SIMPSON My work has become print based: colour experimentations using photocopies of my face and hands.
CANDICE STEWART I am an oil painter. I paint the figure. I use the clown as a metaphor for lesbian club culture. The clown captures the vulnerability, fragility and melancholy nature of my subject. The work draws upon the history of painting. Most recently I’ve become influenced by Caravaggio and his use of chiar-
candicestewartwork@hotmail.com oscuro - strong light and dark tones – to create an atmosphere.
a.k.tyborczyk@googlemail.com
ADELLE TYBORCZYK I don’t know He always says As he goes Through this stage - Colin Tyborczyk, 2009
EMMA WHITE I paint my city. I capture moments in time. They are a conversation with the past as well as an encounter with the present and a kind of positioning in the future.
emma_w22@btinternet.com
pete_w_1313@hotmail.com
PETER WOOD I have studied in depth theories of the sublime and I have concluded that my work is a significantly insignificant representation of insignificance.
SUZIE WYATT My work looks at socially constructed ideals of beauty and how they negatively affect women’s perceptions and feelings toward their own bodies.
lilmissbloodthirsty@hotmail.com
VISUAL ARTS
2010
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Head of School
Graphic Design
John Novak
Steve Oliver Alastair Swenson Craig Tattersall
Visual Arts Programme Leader
School Secretary
Adam Barnett www.adambarnettdesign@ blogspot.com
Sue Sherrington
Julie Howarth
Student Treasurer
Visual Arts Lecturers
Building Supervisor
Rebecca Kesler
Louise Brookes Stevie Cohen Brendan Fletcher Helmut Lemke Colin Lloyd Jill Randall Dr Jacques Rangasamy
Chas Reilly
Degree Show Committee
Leftfield Publishing
Kate Bufton Lauren Burrows Johanna Goetze Rebecca Kesler Marinna Matside Elena McLaren Alex Piotrowicz Andrew Shaw Christine Simpson Iain North Candice Stewart
Visiting Lecturers 09/10 Gordon Cheung Su Blackwell Simon Ford Rachel Garfield Simon Harris MA Contemporary Fine Art Programme Leader Paul Haywood Instructor/Demonstrators Sue Debney Fred Lee Rod Martin Klaus-dieter Michel
Alistair Swenson Andy Taylor Widening Participation & Outreach Unit Brian Percival Continuous Professional Development Sam Ingleson AA2A Artists Sean Caherty Josephine Clinton Kate Freeborough Teresa Wilson Photography Steve Oliver
Special Thanks John Novak Tash Willcocks Claire Whittaker Nigel Howe Craig Tattersall Giles Marshall Creation Publicity www.creationpublicity.com
UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD
SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN
BA (Hons) Visual Arts is a contemporary fine art degree programme that aims to provide students with the opportunity to explore and develop their creativity. The programme supports students to work in painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, film & video, performance, installation, fibre & textiles and sound art. The modular programme successfully integrates theory and practice and supports students in an interdisciplinary approach to art-making that enables innovation and cross fertilization to flourish. The programme also supports a number of ‘live’ briefs in which students explore professional practice in the creative industries. In addition to the Visual Arts programme the School of Art boasts a vibrant and relevant portfolio of undergraduate programmes. Foundation Art & Design Advertising Design Animation Computer & Video Games Design for Digital Media Design Futures Fashion Design Fashion Styling & Image Making Graphic Design Interior Design
Journalism and Design Studies Photography Product Design Upon graduation students have the opportunity to study at postgraduate level within the school. Contemporary Fine Art MA/PgDip aims to support art graduates and/ or experienced practitioners who wish to pursue a deep and rigorous enquiry into their practice and to prepare them for a professional career. The programme provides all students with a studio base and a programme of talks and visits from practitioners and curators provides an invaluable dialogue to support their developing practice. The School of Art also hosts a number of postgraduate programmes Arts & Museum Management Creative Education Creative Games Creative Technology Design Management Communication Design Heritage Studies Interpretation, Presentation & Design Industrial Design International Business & Management for Design
Museum & Heritage Exhibition Design For further information on all taught programmes within the School of Art please contact: Richard Hayes: 0161 295 6140 E mail: R.Hayes@salford.ac.uk Web: www.artdes.salford.ac.uk
THE SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN