A TEST OF METTLE
Falmouth Fine Art BA (Hons) students have won big at this year’s Student Medal Project competition. The British Art Medal Society, which runs the project, receives more than 100 student submissions from universities and art colleges across the country.
Kiki Birtles, 'Inherited'
Amelia Johnson, 'Of Cavities and Hollows'
Kiki’s design is a reflection on the burden of environmental issues. Kiki was awarded the Grand First Prize in the Cast Works category for her design Inherited.
Amelia Johnson picked up The Lunce Prize for Of Cavities and Hollows, Amelia’s medal was designed to address extinction, habit loss and responsibility.
“Younger generations have inherited the problems of the world and have been bound to bear this enormous pressure. On the front of my design there is a person in agony trying to hold up the earth while being simultaneously crushed by it. This imagery is inspired by the Greek mythology of Atlas – the Titan who was condemned to hold up the celestial heavens for eternity after the Titanomachy (War of the Titans). On the flip side, the figure is depicted in a peaceful sleep, curled up around the constellations. However, this only conceals their agony, as they ignore the state of the world instead of addressing the mistakes that have been made.”
“I have used the image of the now extinct Carolina Parakeet and a tree cavity that this species used to nest within, to present the sorrowful story of their absence and nature's loss. The cavity of the tree captivated me as it used to provide shelter and host life, yet now it is empty and hollow. I intended for the medal to be tactile and mirror the human touch that stains the memory of this species, as it was human action that led to their extinction in 1918.”
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