A level Book |2021

As you all become adults and embark on the next stage of your journey, remember to keep your creativity alive, believe in your abilities, think and feel deeply and make artwork that scares and excites you.

We wish you every bit of luck, joy and happiness for the future. We will always be here to help and support you with your creative endeavours. Good Luck, go get ‘em!

All the very best,

Mrs Bowden

“Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” Pablo Picasso

Adel Merwanji

My Transformations project aims to show that perspective plays a crucial role in the interpretation of art. Society shapes norms on what is considered to be beautiful and desirable and what isn’t. I found myself profoundly drawn to Klaus Pichler, a photographer who captures images of decomposing food and Alberto Giacometti, an artist who creates sculptures of the human figure which include rough textures in their surface. Through investigating these artists, I have explored that beauty can be found and expressed in the unexpected, such as, decay and imperfections in the skin. Finally, by experimenting with a wide range of different processes and techniques, and taking inspiration from sculptor Anthony Gormley, I created my final sculpture. Geometric shapes made from clay, embellished with textures that can be found on the surface of the skin and assembled to represent the human form.

Our society has progressed to the point where individuals are now taking a stand for equality in all areas of life, whether it be race, gender or sexuality. As a mixed race woman I was compelled to investigate the depths of racial and sexual inequality which exist in this day and age. Exploring racism over time led me to research into three famous police brutality cases: Emmet Till, Rodney King and George Floyd, and present my findings through the artistic medium of film and photography. This way, I was able to display three avoidable deaths that resulted in cases that changed the world.

Safia Amin

Throughout my A level project I have explored the natural elements through an array of techniques such as a loom, paintings, textile work and even a plaster cast. In addition to this I have looked at many forms of nature ranging from sea-scapes or close up textures, such as bark, to satellite images of landscapes. I have found a real passion for textile techniques, which is noticeable due to the running theme of it throughout my work. I love the dimensions of texture that add to the landscape I interpret, exposing us to the natural elements even more.

Maddie S cott

At the beginning of my project titled ‘Damage’ I focused on photographing literal damage and physical distortion by freezing, burning and cutting objects. This destruction of objects led me to looking at buildings and the damage featured within these. From this, I moved to portraiture and explored how physical manipulation could taint our perception of an image. I continued experimenting with a variety of media such as inks and burning to capture a damaged perspective which was influenced by the conceptual artist Rosanna Jones. When moving from physical damage to emotional damage, I looked at Aaron McElroy, who captures the vulnerability one can feel when in an uncomfortable, disturbing environment. I was inspired to experiment with different types of cameras and video recorders to capture the damage of the sitter through the alarming and voyerisitc mood. To expand this further, I then physically altered polaroid images with a heat gun to distort the image and I also created collages using disjointed imagery. The focus of people and the human body further interested me to explore merging of boundaries through exposure and intimacy which is highlighted through my final installation and video.

Olivia Hamilton

Whilst exploring my theme of self, the overall focus has been investigating femininity and the societal pressures that occur as a result. I felt investigating this theme was extremely fitting, as many young girls struggle with the issues surrounding what it means to be growing up as a women in today’s society. I explored artists such as Tracey Emin, Frida Kahlo and Louise Bourgeois who helped to inspire the progression of my project. Sub-topics such as identity, vulnerability and motherhood led me to explore the contrast between traditional expectations, ideologies of motherhood and family life to more contemporary family dynamics.

eloise stephens

My project has led me to explore through my photography how perception can be distorted. Firstly, I focused on how individuals perceive others and then in contrast with how we recognize ourselves. This led me to explore distorted perceptions both metaphorically and aesthetically, for example, through using coloured filters. The aspect of colour became significant in my project as it can demonstrate how to manipulate images. My photographs were further distorted during varying stages of the photography process in pre-production and post-production as well as physically and digitally. For example, physically distorting photographs through screen printing. This eventually led me to conclude my project by exploring the themes of light and colour when I began to be inspired by light beams. Through this exploration I replicated light beams by using coloured thread with my manipulated photographs. This then led me to develop my ideas further through cutting, folding and collaging to create visual representations of distortion.

My focus in Photography has been identity. I first explored this topic by photographing my subjects in their own intimate spaces. By conducting shoots in people’s homes and bedrooms I wanted to see if aspects of my subject’s personality could be revealed through the objects, they surround themselves with, and their choices in home décor. As my project progressed, I became more interested in my own identity. I started to explore my family heritage. My family and I moved from Uzbekistan to the UK when I was three months old. I wanted to find a way through photography that I could visually express the melting pot of culture that is Uzbekistan and how my family has reconciled cultural traditions with their new home in the UK. Through this my work also started to look at ideas of nationalism, islamophobia, and dual heritage.

Jasmine Abdurashidova

The theme that I chose for my project was ‘Planet Earth’. The broad nature of this topic allowed me to explore a variety of subjects and themes before focussing on the urban landscape while still including elements from my experimentation in natural subjects. I particularly enjoyed the transition from natural to urban; the stark contrast facilitated my experimentation and combining of different mediums. Figuring out how to combine these two contrasting subjects and creating visual contrast in other areas besides the subject matter was what I found challenging, yet the most satisfying. Transitioning from realism to abstract forced me out of my comfort zone as I learnt new techniques that created layers and unique effects, while keeping a link of contrast throughout, particularly through colour and texture.

Informing my artistic practice, my conceptual practice has sought to contend with the orthodoxies and the cultural lenses through which the female form and femininity are perceived. Art throughout history concerning the feminine has been a definitive focal point for my project. .

Through using the depiction of female genetalia and other motifs which are evocative of the female anatomy, my work often challenges typical societal standards and attitudes surrounding female existence. My installation reflects an explorative journey, both personal and academic, using multimedia as an over arching motif to holistically frame alternative views which go against the notion of the “traditional feminine”, contending with the status quo.

amelie kesley

Throughout my project, I have explored the figurative form. Specifically choosing to investigate how simplification can be utilised to distort the perception of ‘Self’ to the viewer and how removing key components such as shape, colour, and light could contribute to this. A primary influence in my sketchbook was minimalist Artist Milburn Foster, whose work facilitated my own experimentation. This propelled me to investigate how colour and suggestive shape can simultaneously represent the figurative form. Adding to this, I highlighted how the reduction of light diminished the clarity of the subjects, leading me to explore how the same result could be conveyed through impressions and reduction in sculpture.

Using the title “Diffusion”, I focused on social and historical patterns dispersed throughout differing societies. I was inspired by El Anatsui’s use of mundane materials and his drive to combat the issue of over-consumption in the western world. From this, I decided to incorporate every day materials into my work as a surface to work on. This use of pattern and material allowed me to present the familiar in an unfamiliar way and compelled me to look at the reoccurring patterns and themes found throughout historical art periods. This led me to refer to classical works including Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” and incorporate key features, such as composition, in my contemporary pieces that explore relationships. This process enabled me to fuse the traditional context of the painting with my personal surroundings.

Melissa Wilkes

Throughout my photography course I have been intrigued and fascinated by the urban built environment. This has led me to shoot on location around the city of London. During these shoots I found myself drawn to the Brutalist architecture of the south bank. The strong sense of light, space and contrast created in these architectural locations developed into an enquiry into the eerie nature of these spaces, when void of people. The pandemic created opportunities for me to develop this further, taking my camera out at night to record the empty streets. Reflecting the strange and unsettling global situation. I extended my ideas to look at the contrast between urban and natural spaces. As people retreated into their home’s nature found the opportunity to reclaim its place. I became interested in this phenomenon and explored layering found natural forms with my images using dark room processes. However, I have always found myself returning to built environment as my main area of focus and fascination.

Lauren Tauwhare

I began my project titled ‘Life’ by exploring the relationship between humans and nature. My earlier work was inspired by Dale Chihuly and Olafur Eliasson and a turning point in my project was when I used masks as a symbol of the pandemic. My project then developed to looking at empty spaces which we experienced during the pandemic. I plan to go onto study architecture, my project supported this by focusing on negative space and interaction with space. These later decisions were informed by a Japanese concept Ma and artists Richard Galpin and Sir Anthony Caro.

Despite the very different approaches to style and medium I explored throughout my project on the topic of ‘Perspective’, I maintained a particularly natural and organic theme. By first looking into the ways in which microscopic structures can be manipulated into abstract forms, I was able to explore how the different shapes and patterns interacted with one another on a larger scale. The turning point of my work however, looking into Clyfford Still’s Abstract Expressionism, was one of the most interesting aspects of my project both in terms of my outcomes but also the research I did beforehand that made me appreciate the significance of this movement in modern art. I then moved on to looking at the reduction of images and layering these shapes to explore how I could use different levels within my work, eventually leading me to work with plaster impressions and painting.

Delving into my theme, ‘Conceal and Reveal’, I was inspired by Rupert Shrive and Yayoi Kusama, who contributed to my focus on portraiture and repetitive patterns. Both subject matters are key representations of identity. The reason why I chose to explore portraiture through painting is because they can reveal characteristics about an individual telling us how an individual wants to be seen. Moreover, I manipulated some of my own paintings considerably by choosing to conceal parts of the face in order to give viewers a completely different perspective. As Kusama uses dots to depict her hallucination, I too used my cultural patterns to represent my own identity. For example, using repetition to emphasise the importance of recurring patterns within the Chinese culture. As my project developed, I was inspired by Marcelo Daldoce and Wassily Kandinsky, who explored shapes, lines and abstract paintings respectively. I then started combining these elements in order to create a three-dimensional painted abstract sculpture.

My title “interactions and encounters” lead me to explore individuals’ roles within society both before and during the pandemic. The concept of isolation has always been a catalyst for mental health problems on a global scale. I decided to put more focus onto women’s mental health and decided to further look into ways women have been marginalised in society e.g. through laws. Looking at how women have been oppressed world wide over time and the cultural movement of standing up for what’s right has lead me to feel inspired to make works about protests and rights of women.

The natural world has always been of interest to me, especially the way that man is abusing the planet through the exploitation of natural materials and consumerism. I started my project with images of nature at its best, with a selection of inspirational plant life of both flowers and trees within their natural environment. From looking closely at these I linked my interests of biology and the living organisms from nature to animals and humans as part of a unity that share the natural world. By exploring these organisms, I created an outcome combining colour, translucency, and forms. Continuing with human organisms, I photographed meat which led me to think about consumption and digestion. Further exploring this idea, I combined foods with natural elements to create chaotic, colourful and repulsive compositions. This consumption led me to record people’s fascination with fast food and the ‘throw away’ culture. My photographs depict greed, unhealthy eating habits and waste. This exploration culminated with an installation of oversized objects and foods together with the waste they create.

At the start of my project titled ‘Material’ I focused on photographing buildings, and the different materials they are made. From this I was inspired by textures, how different patterns and materials influence the atmosphere of an image and different ways distortion can impact the photograph. Continuing with the theme of distortion, I became interested in portraiture and manipulating the images both physically and digitally to affect the mood. I greatly enjoyed experimenting withdigital and physical manipulation. This led me to focus more on the relationship the sitter has with the viewer and how the photographer can influence that. I enjoyed creating a comfortable environment for my sitters and creating the intimate photographs. The accumulation of this resulted with my colour wall that helped display the closeness I had with the students, but also the confidence they each have. Leading on from this, I looked at creating abstraction which resulted in screenprinting and collaging to create a conceptual sculpture.

Katie Trimble

Through my topic of structure, I have looked at artists such as John Piper, Julie Mehretu, and Diana Al-Hadid. I have come to find that art and architecture are closely aligned. I have considered the socio-political factors of urban structures and the traditional boundaries and constraints of architecture as a discipline. My final body of work depicts a cityscape. I have used a variety of materials, both traditional and unconcentional, to evoke the eclectic nature of our cities.

milly cunliffe

Throughout my photography project I have investigated the topic of time. Within this I have focused on the process of ageing and its effects whilst also connecting this on a personal level and looking into change and ageing within my own family. I have explored the illnesses and deterioration of the mind that come with ageing and the similarities that occur within the human life cycle to that of plants and flowers. After experimenting with different processes and taking my work onto film and into the dark room, I then transferred this back to digital processes, resulting in my final outcome. For this outcome I created a 10 second stop motion/animation in which part of the face is removed and flowers grow out whilst simultaneously wilting and dying, highlighting the aspect of ageing over time.

Juno Crowther

The concept of change and growth in an organism’s life cycle, has guided my work throughout this project, and has been influenced by humans’ natural desire to preserve and control the inevitability of death. Despite our attempts to prolong life, we have no choice but to accept the body’s decay as it is laid to rest. Our inability to delay this process has driven my art and the focus has been on the reanimation and reskinning of these lifeless parts, to reincarnate life and the memory of what was.