MDX ARTS

MDX ARTS

A zine, exploring M i d d l e s e x University’s arts students.

The Degree show at the Truman Brewery - the point of review We take a look at a selection of the finest creative To find out what it takes for the final progression

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TYLING

SARA SHISHKOVA Sara chose to take a different approach to her final project, which made it one of the most interesting pieces against all the other students. To be able to stand out amongst so many other students work is tough with third year at university being highly competitive, but with this piece that is definitely achieved.

The piece entitled ‘Frequency of Beings’ is based on the Schumman Resonance a frequency of 7.83Hz , which we as humans and the earth generate. But this frequency is being distorted by mobile phones and wireless devices throwing off our natural connection, with the installation Sara is trying to communicate this issue.

Proving how multi-disciplinary fashion communication and styling can be, she created an installation piece using sonic arts. With a thought provoking idea, presented in a obscure way - it is clear that when you view Shishkova’s work there is a lot of confidence with strong direction, something which essential for final year progression.

One thing to note is that there is overall professionalism, including her business card, how the work was condensed into a booklet for viewers at the show to take home and a business card reflecting her style - It is clear that each outcome was well considered.

‘FREQUENCY OF BEINGS’

7.3hz

You took more of a fine art approach in your final project, could you please explain why you chose to do an installation, and briefly summarize your project and the back up work you had to do?

Well for me being on a Fashion Communication course gave me a lot of freedom to interpret things and tasks in my own way; and maybe its just my brain, but I can sort of link the course to Fine Art considering the flexibility you have for it. Starting the course with almost 100 more people on it, made things even more competitive.

My final project “Frequency of Beings” was born from my interest in sonic arts. Towards the end of my second year I saw Martin Ozvold’s installation at the Truman. He was graduating Fine Art at the time and had made this amazing machine similar to the ‘Intonarumoris’ machines built by Italian futurist, his installation was specially manipulated to produce sound which was simultaneously transformed into digital signals, which you can control on any electronic device. Discovering the interaction between mechanical and synthetic sound and the ability to transform things in the moment they were created truly blowed my mind. So that was the very moment I decided I am going to use sound for my 3rd year final project. He also helped me and tried to explain some basic stuff about sonic art and how to make things work via Skype after which I had few A4 sheets of names and things, which were supposed to help me, but I had no clue what they were.

After trying bits and bobs throughout the year I came up with “Frequency of Beings”; a project with which I wanted to touch as many people as possible. Trying to present the current relationship we have with each other, the Earth and ourselves, I was hoping for a truly ‘human’ and interactive installation which made things I waned to say quite out there and easy to comprehend.

A distant fact for most of us is that we as humans generate a certain frequency, an even less known fact is that the Earth generates a frequency too; exactly the same as ours 7.83Hz called the Schumman Resonance. Discovered over 60 years ago, this precious connection is about to be completely distorted by the electromagnetic waves in our surroundings generated by mobile phones and other wireless devices.

Using an image first printed in Vogue Italia 1996

by Peter Lindbergh, the lines on it represent the connections between different parts of our body, how those connections build up a structure around us, which supports us, and give us a feeling of physical and mental stability. I used fashion as a metaphor for the mediocrity our society has developed, and how unacknowledged most of our problems stay, as long they are not reaching the surface. >

By using a very low sound, the ‘structure’ and the image get distorted, embodying the current condition of our reality. By getting in touch with nature though we can stop that distortion and hopefully reverse it. Getting back in tune with Earth, getting back in tune with our self.

The amount of electromagnetic radiation we ‘swallow’ on a daily basis as a generation is immense.

The effect it has on us is even more crucial. In an age when electromagnetic waves are spread around every major city on the planet, we risk not only our lives but the future of Earth itself.

I Had to learn a lot of ‘geeky’ stuff in a short time to make this project real, teaching myself Arduino, Max and how not to burn out sensors took me a while! I am really thankful to Nic Sandiland (teaching Sonic Arts/ Fine Art in Middlesex) and Peter Williams (sound technician) for their help. Honestly without them this project wouldn’t come to life!

How does the development process work for you?

To be honest I am the most un-organized, last minute person most of the time.. but I have proactive periods when I get all my work done! Exhausting but satisfying in a way (haha). I always think how nice it would be to actually do thing on time and document my progress and research, but its all happening in my head for the better or worse! When I feel something is wrong and needs a change I change it.

Is there anything you would do differently in terms of your final project?

There is always something you could have done better-time management.

How did you find presenting at the Truman show, was there any limitations or something you would change if you had more time?

Quite the excited bee I was! The only thing I would change is the location of the Fashion Communication section, but otherwise I was happy with everything!

What would you say is the most vital piece of advice you would give to a 2nd year about to embark into 3rd year?

Well, probably you’ve all aware of the freeform 3rd year is in comparison to 1st and 2nd year; hope you’ve all explored the amazing facilities in Middlesex and they come to inspire you and help you out in your final year! Otherwise I would recommend to go wild with your projects as you never know when else you will have a chance to realize them! Have fun lovely’s xx Special thanks to Matt Ryalls, Nic Sandiland, Peter Williams, Martin Ozvold and Andrey Smirnov!

MARTA WRZESINSKA

Marta’s work instantly struck me, as I felt it is very similar to my own aesthetic. Very clean, minimal and fresh with a focus on branding.

She chose to do a brand book on COS. With choosing COS she gave herself strict guidelines, as it very much has created a strong brand Image which then in return does not give her a large amount of creative freedom. She has more than exceled herself with creating the book, when viewing it is precisely what you think of as ‘COS’. If you were to walk into store and pick this book up, on no level would you question it as a piece of student work, which is exactly the result that should be achieved in your final year. It features previous COS look-book shoots with each shot fractured and distorted whilst being graphically clean and on brand.

Rather than just choosing to put her manipulated images in a frame or blue tack them to the wall the images were presented in Perspex, allowing the light to catch through and layers to give dimension. There was also business card in transparent paper – again reflecting her creative design persona. Only negative comment is that currently there is no website reflecting her work.

ALIX CONNOLY Alix’s book called ‘fan girl’ which she describes as ‘ode to all the things I consume that influence me in my design work, from Queens of the Stone Age to Stoker.’ Consists of imagery and text in a non-typical way, it’s visually exciting with a strong art direction. The typography is interesting and is not a font that you see littered around the Internet. It is really curious to see everything, which inspires her, but then how she chooses to graphically lay it out and art direct it - Her inspiration then becomes her work itself. One point she mentions in the interview is that the book is based on a piece by David Carson ‘Don’t mistake legibility for communication’ saying that design doesn’t necessarily have to function, which is strong message to convey when you think that generally all design serves to function. The final year project the idea needs to be fresh and not feel ‘over done’ and clearly this piece of work achieves this, Also Alix has a website which is hugely important for students, surprisingly not all off the graduates have one. It also reflects her as a brand, and aesthetically ties in with her collection of work, exactly how it should be. We interview her to find out her more;

Could you please explain what you choose to do for your final project, and what outcomes this resulted in? My final project was a book based on the idea that sometimes design doesn’t necessarily have to function, “Don’t mistake legibility for communication” is a piece by David Carson who inspired the idea. I took a lot of things I was interested in at the time like bands and films and tried to convey them in a co¬nfused way, so even if you don’t recognize them the way I do it doesn’t matter because you’re looking at an image. Initially the book was a3 and I wanted it to be an immersive experience but it just didn’t work so I finished the piece as an a5 zine, which worked out a lot better.

How does the development process work for you? I get my initial ideas down fairly quickly, I know how I want things to look straight away but developing that idea takes so many twists and turns sometimes it doesn’t end up looking anything like I had originally planned. I tend to create images myself rather than use second hand images but making things in 3d or styling shoots and then I turn the images into something entirely different using design software. I don’t like things to appear as exactly what they are, which you can tell from my final project. I like to look at things from a different perspective by zooming, cropping, rotating and layering.

Is there anything you would do differently in terms of your final project? In retrospect I really like the layout and design but I think I would have presented it slightly differently in terms of finishing techniques, different papers and binding; if time and money had allowed I would have had it the whole thing litho printed. I still stand by the idea and the imagery; I wouldn’t change anything about that.

What would you say is the most vital piece of advice you would give to a 2nd year about to embark into 3rd year? Honestly I would say go with your gut instinct and stick to your guns! Don’t overthink your ideas and if something doesn’t work, ditch it and start again. You’re going have some many different people’s opinions on your work, and constructive criticism is always helpful, but at the end of the day you have to be able to walk out of university with a portfolio and if you do things that you don’t understand or you don’t believe in because someone else told you to

MATILDA ROTO Using her native Finland and her new home in London as the base of which to do a series of photographs, comparing past and present and how they merge. The result is both serene and personal. The photos are natural and all have a distinctive look, which gives her a strong brand identity At the Truman show Matilda’s photos were not blown up – they were kept small – which keeps them intimate, in the same tone the photos were arranged in a scattered fashion.

Another example of a student who has drifted from fashion, Fashion Communication & Styling, gives you the freedom to explore whatever route you wish too.

Matilda also has another series of work on her website from a trip to China. An array of subject matter including buildings, mountains, animals and religious statues. All of which are in the same style of that which were shown at the Truman. Visually beautiful, with the color pallet being light and the focus soft. It’s a wonderful contrast from harsh commercial photography over edited on Photoshop. The really capture china through her vision.

‘Thoughts on home and belonging were the major inspiration behind the book that these photographs were part of. I placed side by side my native land of Finland and London; comparing the country I left at six with the city that has been my home for the past four years. The past merged with the present, nature with the city and as the project evolved, a feeling of togetherness emerged. Life, in its constant state of flux, may consist of individual events, but ones which are fundamentally connected. The past is distant yet so deeply rooted in us today. Having moved away from fashion, I have found myself more and more infatuated with the workings of the human mind and themes such as memory, nostalgia, family history, authenticity and timeless beauty. In trying to express these concepts, film photography and text felt like the most natural choices. The camera is able to record raw, imperfect moments where as writing helps to make sense of the feelings and thoughts one’s active mind gives rise to.

I hoped my work to capture at least a fraction of that longing I have felt for home, for nature, for the kind of peace of mind that one comes across mostly at “home” where one feels unconditional love and acceptance, and is at ease to return it back to the world.’

FINE ART

REBEKAH LANDY Rebekah’s final project was based on the idea of travel and that of a ‘wanderer’, a person who travels aimlessly an adventurer. It’s a strong idea and central to the idea is London town. With this there is so many avenues, of which to explore, this has brought many different outcomes in her work. In her research work, there is a huge collection of black and white photographs of London tube stations, old tube maps and advertisements, along with a collection of London travel paraphernalia. It strikes up a strong reaction to view all this in one place. One of the stand out pieces of her work is some black and white photographs of people of the public on the tube – the subjects do not look aware that there photograph are being taken, - capturing a raw moment – its feels natural and is both intriguing and strong. Another favored piece of her work is a series of photographs taken from inside the tube looking out through a window – capturing the view she has repeated this process 12 times. It makes you wonder who has sat in that spot looking out – its puts the viewer in that perspective.

With this collection of work Rebekah is definitely one to look out for in the future.

Overall her series of work include; photographs of London spaces, the tube, vintage London travel paraphernalia, and sketches.

SHIRLEY MCNEILL Instantly striking, an array of recurring prints in a dark colour pallet.

She describes her work as exploring the ‘notion of repetition and how unpredictability arises within a routine’, At a glance one may view this work as just a ‘pattern’ but this is far from what the viewer is seeing. Each intricate detail, all slightly different from the last – buy using the exact same technique with different results each time. It aims to question the view – what are they looking at? At the very least they are looking at some aesthetically beautiful. She presented her work on a large scale at the Truman Brewery, which suited the patterns.

PHOTO

OGRAPHY

ALEXSANDRA WOJCIK Aleksandra’s work is influenced by her previous interest in theater stating her photography becomes a ‘performance act’. Her work has themes borrowed from literature, fine art landscape, nudes, and portrait it is all so relevant to the current times we are living in.

A particular strong is a series of photographs entitled ‘Post Cards of my Life’, an array of images relating back to memories, places and people. The all have a very strong identity, it is clear that as a photographer she has defined her style.

KIRAN MENSAH At the Truman Brewery his work in the photography section stood out miles above the other students work, there is something hard hitting about his series of photographs, which capture his friends and family in a collection of personal portraits. Firstly from a technical viewpoint the images are faultless – the subject clearly in focus, the frame size perfect and all in black and white to unify. Visually the images are emotive and personal, they’re real. There is clear direction for the project, evidently we interview Kiran and he speaks about having the idea before he entered his third year. Important to remember is that if one idea is being worked and developed from the beginning all the way through to the final stages the likelihood of it then excelling is far more likely. Undoubtedly this worked for Kiran.

Can you please summaries your final project and explain how you got to the idea?

My final major project was intimate portraits of close family and friends. I only photographed people who meant the most to me and who I had the closest connection to. I came to get this idea following on from a project I was doing in my second year at university, where I would place a chair in random areas near where I lived and photographed anybody who would let me. I also photographed my friends and family and I came to find that the photographs of people I had a close connection with would come out much better compared to the random people I would photograph on the street. So in my final year I decided to concentrate on people closest to me and capture the best images I could of them.

How does the development process work for you?

I would start out by choosing who I want to photographer, this was the difficult bit, I already knew how I was going to photograph them as I would shoot everyone exactly the same, it was just choosing which friend or family member I felt I had the closest connection to so not only could I capture the best images I could of them but also to give my work some real meaning. Once I chose whom I wanted to photograph it was a matter of where and when. I did all my shoots on location in broad daylight so I would often travel to my subject’s house and photograph them outside in their garden or on their main road. I would only ever shoot medium format film on my Mamiya C33 (as I hate digital images) so I would shoot one roll of film per person, which was 12 images. Once I had shot my roll of film I would then take it to university and manually develop the film myself. The first two years of university and the two years of college where I also I studied photography I hand printed all my work and hardly ever went into the digital darkroom as we called it, but knowing I was going to be printing my final images at a large size and the small time frame to do so, I had to scan in all my negatives I developed, edit my final images on Photoshop and then digitally print my work, which I did not enjoy to much. And that’s pretty much it.

Is there anything you would do differently in terms of your final project?

Handprint all my images I had shown at the Truman show defiantly and all my images

given my images the extra quality digital printing could not give them. I would of photographed a few more people as did not get round to photographing everyone I wanted to. Also I would of liked to do more book work around my project, more visiting galleries, more photographic research and more diary keeping to do with my project, I felt I lacked on this side of my it. Apart from that no I would keep everything the same.

How did you find presenting at the Truman show, was there any limitations or something you would change if you had more time? It was an amazing experience having my work displayed in all its glory like it was, defiantly one of the proudest moments of my life along with graduating. I had previously had my work shown in a gallery not long before this show but that was just one image of mine selected by a commissioner to be hung. This was nine selected by me. So I kind of knew what to expect at this show but none the less it was still a very exciting experience and has driven me to extend my portfolio after university and hopefully get my work in a exhibition by myself one day.

One major limitation that all my year and me suffered was limited space to frame our work on the walls. We all had to be cautious of how large we printed our work as we all was told how much space we had been allocated before printing.

-What would you say is the most vital piece of advice you would give to a 2nd year about to embark into 3rd year?

“Know exactly what you want to do and have PLAN for it”. For me this was key, knowing exactly what I wanted to do when I went into my 3rd year was such a load of my shoulders when I actually started the year. I saw some class mates brake down in class because mid way through the 3rd year they still couldn’t decide what they wanted to do for their final major project, some still didn’t have a definitive style to shoot in, they didn’t know whether to shoot black and white or colour, shoot portraits or landscapes, a few didn’t even know if they wanted to use digital or film. Me, I knew exactly what I was doing to do, how I was going to do it, who I was going to shoot, everything, I planned my final project so well that it just took a load of unnecessary stress off my shoulders. I think this is key to passing the 3rd year (personally).

GABRIEL MONADE Gabriel’s final project shown at the Truman Brewery was based on South London. A collection of photograph’s documenting areas, specifically at night, they have an almost eerie felling about them; together they are a strong collection and curious to view. A professional website is an essential for a graduate, if it’s not up to standard then the work will suffer – Gabrielle’s clearly shows his work in a professional manner. An additional project entitled ‘Tube Portraits’ is worth noting, and excellent series of work capturing in the truest form passengers on the tube, the editing is perfect, not one over done. Captivating the viewer, you really wonder about the lives of those being photographed.

Could you please explain what you choose to do for your final project, and what outcomes this resulted in? I started with a landscape study of South London but I turned it into a art photography project which was heavily influenced by Edward Hopper. In the end my constant switching of projects and not having belief in them resulted in a good but not great project, which was quite evident when I put it on show.

How does the development process work for you? My fascination with documentary/street photography is evident in how I work on my projects, within a week of thinking of a concept I try to take some sort of pictures, it’s easy to get lost in developing a project and then forget about the logistics. As students (or unemployed recent graduates) you have to be realistic about what you can do and focus on how to get the best out of what you have.

Is there anything you would do differently in terms of your final project? I would have stuck with the first idea I had. Had I spent a full year on 1 project instead of stopping and changing every few months (*cough*weeks*cough*) I would’ve of had a much more polished project.

How did you find presenting at the Truman show, was there any limitations or something you would change if you had more time? The exhibition was great and getting complements from complete strangers is probably the closest thing to being a celebrity.

Other than my choice of photos there isn’t anything I would not of changed.

What would you say is the most vital piece of advice you would give to a 2nd year about to embark into 3rd year?

Sketchbooks are important. Try and do the essay earlier rather than later, the essay deadline is write in the middle of the year and it can really drain your energy and you end up delaying shoots. It’s best to get it out of the way while your still emailing people or organizing shoots.

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GRAPHIC DESIGN

WILLIAM YOUNG For William’s final project, he created ‘ Butter’ a publication published in print and online on ski culture, which was influenced by his love of skiing.

The result is beyond professional; this is a student with sharp technical skills and a creative flair.

Overall the look is bold with a focus on innovative graphic skills. Each page is different from the last, however as a whole it works together. Clearly this is a student who has prepared for his final year, and most definitely put in the required effort.

FASHIO DES

ON SIGN

JISSELLE PINEDA Aesthetically Jisslelle’s collection is of a certain taste, one reminiscent of high-end luxury. One look from the collection was actually worn by Kimberley Wyatt from the pop group ‘The Pussycat Dolls’ a woman who no doubt has enough money to choose which ever designer outfit she wants, yet she choose Jisselle’s. A fantastic opportunity for a graduate designer as she wore to the film premiere of ‘World War Z’and was snapped on the red carpet - a treat for someone who can’t afford an expensive PR agency. The collection has been professionally photographed with a strong art direction, usually this is an area where graduate designers fail, they can make the clothes but everything after that falls short. The images have strong brand identity, and overall pushes the clothing to a professional level; we talk to Jisselle to find out the inspiration behind the collection and how she survived her 3rd year.

Could you please explain your inspiration behind your final collection? The inspiration I used for my final collection was a development originally from my pre collection. It was based on the psychoanalysis of human spirits captured by photography. I used this mainly connecting to the mood of the photographs and reading more about human spirits during the 19th century.

How does the development process work for you?

Inspiration and research are very important for me to be able to design and develop and push it more with no limit exploring the different avenues I can extend the idea to. Once I feel I have enough to use I am able to start designing, which also develops, and depending on the outcome, one of the things I will do is focus on a few designs - either toning it down or up. My main aesthetics are silhouette, fabric and construction. For me, it is very important to get these three right otherwise it will not work. So I also do a lot of research on fabric and making a lot of toiles (samples) of the garments.

Is there anything you would do differently in terms of your final project? There is nothing I can think of that I would have done differently for my final project. I guess if I had more time I would have loved to make up more options of the different garments.

What would you say is the most vital piece of advice you would give to a 2nd year about to embark into 3rd year? My most vital piece of advice for new 3rd years is to organize your time wisely. When given your class timetable for the whole year, make your own personal timetable around it as well. The final year goes by so fast with all the workload and numerous deadlines that if you don’t stick to a schedule you will find yourself having to catch up.

Time is what you will be wishing you had more of.

ALIX CONNOLLY www.alixconnolly.co.uk

KIRAN MENSAH www.kiranmensah.co.uk

WILLIAM YOUNG www.behance.net/wyoung

MARTA WRZESINSKA

inspirationondemand@hotmail.com

SHIRLEY McNEILL www.shirleymcneill.com

REBEKAH LANDY rjlandy.tumblr.com

GABRIEL MONADE

gabrielmonade.com / tubeportraits.tumblr.com

SARA SHISHKOVA cargocollective.com/swlf

ALEXSANDRA WOJCIK www.aleksandrawojcik.com

MATILDA ROTO matildaroto.blogspot.co.uk

JISSELLE PINEDA

info@jissellepineda.com / Instagram: JISSELLEPINEDA