VCE art on display

EMMA CHANDLER, PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR

Such was the standard of work at this year’s VCE Design and Creative Art Exhibition - Transit Lounge, it would have been easy to forget that the works you were looking at were created by teenagers and not long-established artists and designers.

As you entered the exhibition, an enormous, dinner table was the first thing to catch your eye. Solid Blackbutt and inlaid with an intricate herringbone pattern, it would not have been out of place in a high-end furniture store.

Mannequins formed a line on either side, each one hung with a design you could imagine coming down a runway towards you - the materials sewn, woven, laced, and draped with obvious skill.

Along the walls hung works in just about any medium you could imagine - including charcoal, multimedia, paint and photography.

Many of the branding projects were of such a high standard that they were real-world ready. The sort of thing an inner-city design agency would have been proud of.

Natural talent, of course, played its part in the high standard of the exhibition. But to borrow the words of former cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar: ‘Along with the talent, you also need direction’.

Much of this direction came from the students, themselves. They were also overseen by an expert team of staff in the Design and Creative Arts department, many of whom are practising artists.

“Our teachers and technicians have supported these young artists and designers and enabled them to achieve all that was displayed in the exhibition.

“They have also helped them further, in ways that cannot be so easily seen or quantified,” said Kevin Jess, Head of Creative Design at the College.

Students were mentored in technique, offered access to high-end equipment, given feedback along the way and provided every support they needed. Ultimately, though, each piece of work was student-driven and executed, and created within the criteria and constraints of their chosen subject.

All five creative subjects were represented in the exhibition - Art Creative Practice (mostly 2D works), Art Making and Exhibiting (including textiles and the aquascape), Product Design Technology, Visual Communication and Design Media.and the requirements were different for each.

Some subjects allowed a single piece, some a body of work. Some required a client, some required a marketing plan. The students’ chosen mediums ranged from wooden furniture, to paint and charcoal, an aquascape, sculpture - and everything in between.

“What you will see in this exhibition is the breadth of topics explored, the high level of skill achieved and the complex design thinking that each student has worked through to reach resolutions to their topics,” Kevin said.

“Katherine (Katie) McDougall produced a deeply personal and introspective exploration of emotions and feelings. These were expressed through energetic almost angry release of charcoals, paints and masking tape to allow the human form to reach out from the wall.”

“Lachie Bliss’ table and bench seats were an enormous undertaking. It was a steep learning curve, and there were a few construction challenges along the way which just meant some alterations to the original concept, but that’s all part of the process.

“Bavreet Ubhi’s piece was incredibly complex, too, and required a real breadth of skills. Woodworking, welding, 3D-printing, even mechanics, electronics and coding.

“It was a walnut coffee table with perspex inlay. But under the perspex was a layer of fine sand. Bavreet created a program that used magnetic force to roll a metal ball over the sand to form one of a series of pre-set patterns. He had constructed all mechanics and resin-printed parts of his electronic components. It was a great end result,” said Kevin.

But there was a lot more to each piece of work than the final creative outcome. Each subject has a folio component, requiring students to document their creative process.

“The final pieces are the destination, the folios are the journey,” explained Kevin.

“The folio makes up a big part of the students’ assessments. They need to show they’re following the right processes and strategies - being critical, creative and speculative.

Documenting what is and isn’t working, and the reasons they have made the final decisions they have, and the meaning behind them.”

Like the artworks it showcased, the name of the exhibition also has a symbolic meaning.

“Transit Lounge is our Year 12 students’ final exhibition. Its name signifies the connection between the end of one journey and the start of another. A place to gather with family and friends and marvel at one journey and anticipate another” explained Kevin.

The branding of the exhibition is a work of art, itself. Created by Year 10 student, Nate Pearce, it is the result of a Digital Media Design project.

As it was their exhibition Year 12 students acted as the ‘client’ in the process, providing a creative brief to the Year 10s.

The Year 10 students then presented their submissions to the Year 12s for selection.

“There were a lot of strong submissions, but the Year 12s loved Nate’s. It was no wonder - doesn’t it look great?” said Kevin.

After a very well-attended season, Kevin Jess looks back with fondness.

“It was an amazing exhibition, the students worked tirelessly, and we congratulate each one of them for what they have accomplished.”

The Principal’s Art Prize

An annual highlight of the exhibition is the Principal’s Art Prize. As the name suggests, the prize is awarded by Dr Miller himself, to a student whose work exhibited demonstrates care, creativity and craftsmanship.

The 2023 winner was Billy Radalj for his stunning red and yellow aquascape.

For those who aren’t familiar with the art, an aquascape is the aesthetic arrangement of aquatic plants, rocks, and other materials (including fish if desired) within an aquarium - effectively: gardening under water. It was also something Billy did not have experience with prior to his project.

‘I received a fish tank for my birthday, but after it was set up, it just looked a bit boring,” Billy said.

He had intended to use the tank to stage a photography piece, but had a change of mind during the development process. The tank soon grew to become the art piece, itself.

The result is visually spectacular, but aesthetics wasn’t the only thing Billy considered in his design.

“The yellow fish are Lemon Drop Bristle Noses. Whilst they look pretty, I picked them as a cleanup crew to eat any algae that might accumulate,’ he said.