Beyond Edition 15 Winter 2014

BEYOND ISSUE 15 WINTER 2014

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF NORWICH UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

CONTENTS

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S WELCOME

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NEWS

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BA DEGREE SHOWS

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GRADUATE INTERVIEW: BRIAN BOLLAND

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LES BICKNELL

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ALUMNI NEWS

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ARTS & DESIGN NEWS

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MEDIA NEWS

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ALUMNI NEWS

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GRADUATION 2013

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GRADUATE PROFILE: ANNE TYRRELL MBE

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CAMPUS DEVELOPMENTS

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IDEASFACTORY@NUA

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MA DEGREE SHOW

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MA CASE STUDY: JAMIE GLEDHILL

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MA CURATION SHOW

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ALUMNI BENEFITS

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DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO

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EVENTS @NUA

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Editor: Caroline Bailey Written contributions from: Stuart Anderson, Fay Harris, Alice Kent, Louisa Milsome, Christine Pike and Sarah Steed.

Designed by Emma Bailey.

Proofreading by Joanna Peios at WORDetc.

Copyright © Norwich University of the Arts 2013.

All rights reserved. Under no circumstances can any part of this magazine be reproduced or copied in any form without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

All information is understood to be correct at the time of going to print. The University cannot be held responsible for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions in the information provided.

Front cover image: Batman: The Joker cover image by Brian Bolland ©DC EntertainmentTM

For more information on the Alumni and Development Office please visit: www.nua. ac.uk/alumni or contact Caroline Bailey, Alumni Relations and Development Officer at: alumni@nua.ac.uk or: development@nua.ac.uk

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S WELCOME IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE THIS EDITION OF BEYOND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR GRADUATES FROM THE CLASS OF 2013 TO THE ALUMNI NETWORK. At NUA the autumn term is well underway and we have welcomed a first year of over 600 new undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Over the summer work began on the new atrium and entrance for the Faculty of Design in Guntons, which is scheduled for completion at the start of 2014. We are also starting work on the new home for the University’s ideasfactory@NUA, which will be re-located to Cavendish House, along with a new contemporary gallery space on the ground floor (see page 22 for more on this story). This is scheduled to open in summer 2015.

You will read elsewhere in this edition the amazing successes of our students and staff last year. We are planning to celebrate these – and those of all of our alumni – during 2015, when we will be celebrating NUA’s 170 years since Norwich School of Design was established in 1845. The N170 logo has been produced by a team of design students working closely with the ideasfactory@NUA and alumnus and Governor, Jim Sutherland (BA Graphic Design 1988) from Hat-Trick Design. I warmly invite all our alumni and friends to join us in our celebrations during the year, whether attending an event or supporting our N170 fundraising appeal. Further information on our programme of events and other plans for the year will follow shortly.

I wish you all a productive and creative 2014.

With best wishes PROFESSOR JOHN LAST VICE-CHANCELLOR

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NEWS

NUA NORWICH UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS (NUA) NOMINATED FOR HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR A PRESTIGIOUS EDUCATION SECTOR AWARD. PRESTIGIOUS this including BA Fashion, which AWARD The University is shortlisted in the Excellence and Innovation in the Arts category in the Times Higher Education Awards 2013. The award recognises the pioneering work to promote the arts taking place in universities throughout the UK.

The nomination follows the success of NUA in the Complete University Guide 2014 in which it was rated as the best specialist institution in art and design and NUA students rated the University as the top specialist arts institution in the UK in the recent National Student Survey (NSS).

The survey, commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) asks graduating students what studying at the University is really like. NUA scored an overall student satisfaction rating of 88% but some courses exceeded 4

achieved 100% student satisfaction and BA Textiles, which was close behind with 97%.

Commenting on the Times Higher Education nomination, Vice-Chancellor Professor John Last said: “This latest plaudit is gratifying in that it recognises the pioneering work the University is doing to promote the arts through its work with communities, businesses, international artists and its engaging gallery exhibition programme, which presents national touring exhibitions to the public throughout the academic year.�

www.nua.ac.uk/news www.the-awards.co.uk

NUA NEWS/

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BA DEGREE SHOWS

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Rachel Harrison Mimi Van Helfteren Kellie Colby Tracy Brock

A VAST ARRAY OF TALENT THE ANNUAL DEGREE SHOWS WERE HELD IN JUNE 2013 AND WERE A GREAT SUCCESS ATTRACTING OVER 5,000 VISITORS AND A RECORD AMOUNT OF ART WORK WAS SOLD BY STUDENTS. Visitors to the show got to see the latest hotbed of creativity from students emerging from the University with many being offered jobs, work placements and commissions on the strength of the work on display.

In addition to the main shows, students on media courses held their own industry screening at Cinema City, Norwich. Graphics students took their work to D&AD New Blood in London, where the Graphic Communication course won a best stand nomination, and Textiles students exhibited at New Designers. It was the first year that students from BA Fashion displayed their collections as part of the shows.

This followed a successful catwalk show in Norwich and exhibiting at London Graduate Fashion Week.

The Gallery at NUA was made into a dedicated Sale Room selling limited edition prints, sketches, textiles and other multiples of work as well managing sales for larger pieces in the shows.

It was lovely to welcome back to NUA our alumni who visited the shows, with many writing reviews for their own websites, blogs and creative industry journals. Writing for Creative Review, NUA graduate

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Bobby Burrage (BA Graphic Design 2002) described the graphics exhibition as showcasing: “a vast array of talent.” His highlights included Morgan Swain’s Classic Roald Dahl book jackets: “a great idea, beautiful hand-drawn typography and intelligent execution”, Mimi Van Helfteren’s Carluccio’s pasta packaging, illustration by Matthew Callaby and Jacob Leslie’s mobile app, Geographic. Bobby thought that Jacob’s work for a young designer pushed the boundaries of graphic design.

Adam Robertson (BA Textiles 2012) reviewed the Textiles show for the Kalopsia Collective’s blog. Despite it being a cliché, he described the show as: “a breath of fresh air”, commending the innovative way the work was curated with mood boards and portfolios displayed away from the main exhibition space and the actual work shown in 3D and in context. Designers and makers he pinpointed as ones to keep an eye on included Thomas Brookes for his collection of embroidered Gotenmaris, Rachel Harrison for her delicate feathers, Jo Randall’s vibrant pattern designs and Emily Barnes, whose collection involved old cabinets and pieces of furniture upcycling them into new pieces.

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Photography by Pete Huggins

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BA DEGREE SHOWS

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Katie Whitton Fiona and Stephanie Dulieu Morgan Swain Rose Davies

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GRADUATING STUDENTS’ SUCCESSES Congratulations to Morgan Swain (BA Graphic Design 2013) who won a prestigious Yellow Pencil at D&AD New Blood 2013 in the Applied Graphics category. Students were challenged to create a trend-led graphic identity for a limited edition range of Batiste hair products.

Morgan also won the annual Design Bridge design competition and has recently joined the agency as a Junior Designer.

BA Textiles 2013 graduate Katie Whitton was awarded the New Designers Tigerprint Award 2013.

She impressed the judges with her lengths of screen and digitally printed silks, featuring colourful abstract shapes and figurative drawings of buildings inspired by Spanish architecture. Part of her

prize is a six-month paid placement at Tigerprint.

Rose Davies (BA Visual Studies 2013) won the Norfolk Contemporary Arts Society (NCAS) prize for her work titled Cruach (meaning steel in Gaelic); an interpretation of the troubles in Northern Ireland.

BA Animation graduates Stephanie and Fiona Dulieu’s short animation film I like to bite was selected for the NAHEMI Encounters Film Festival and shortlisted for the Student Award.

Other animation graduates Alicia Wailing and Joe Kinch won the Public Vote Award and the Critic’s Choice Award respectively at the Sunrise Film Festival 2013. More than 200,000 votes were cast by the public in the build up to the awards ceremony. www.nua.ac.uk 9

GRADUATE

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INTERVIEW

GRADUATE INTERVIEW

“ NORWICH GAVE ME THE FREEDOM TO DO WHAT I LOVED.”

BRIAN BOLLAND DIP AD GRAPHIC DESIGN 1973 BRIAN BOLLAND COMPLETED THE DIPLOMA IN ART AND DESIGN AT NUA IN 1973. HE WAS PART OF THE BRITISH INVASION OF THE AMERICAN COMICS INDUSTRY IN THE 1970S AND HAS CREATED ICONIC COVERS FOR TITLES INCLUDING 2000 AD AND JUDGE DREDD. In 1988, Brian illustrated the legendary Batman graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke, which featured a classic clash with the Joker. Described by Tim Burton as “The first comic book I ever loved”, the cover won him one of his five Eisner Awards for ‘Best Graphic Album’.

We caught up with Brian to ask him about his career and that infamous comic cover.

How did studying at Norwich prepare you for your professional career?

I was obsessed with American comic books from the age of 11.

While at NUA I tried numerous styles of working but always came back to comics. I had a great time, it was the 1970s after all and I have many fond memories. Visiting lectures by artists like Michael Foreman were very inspiring.

Two-Face Batman cover

Norwich gave me the freedom to do what I loved and led me towards a successful 40 year career in the comic book industry. One of my final year pieces was a four page strip titled Little Nympho in Slumberland, a permissive take on Winsor McCay’s classic Little Nemo in Slumberland.

Although my tutors thought it too shocking at the time, I was allowed to push the boundaries and exhibit it, in a box with a warning on it!

I started working professionally when I was a student for underground magazines like Friends/Frendz, Time Out and OZ magazines. After I graduated, I got my first job via another NUA graduate, so the Norwich connection helped me from the very beginning.

How did you get started in the comics industry?

Before I graduated, I attended a comic convention in London, at this time the comic world was embryonic.

I met Dave Gibbons, a comic artist who later became a life-long friend.

He advised me to join his agency Bardon Press Features and we 11

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Tank Girl cover The Joker Bolland Strips! cover

alternated on issues drawing for the Nigerian Power Man comics. From 1975-77 I drew 300 pages and covers, a good apprenticeship.

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After the success of Star Wars (1977), the British publisher IPC wanted to bring out a new weekly sci-fi comic and I began working on 2000 AD. A lot of the great comic artists started their careers with 2000 AD. It was the era of punk then Margaret Thatcher and everything started to have a harder, violent, satirical edge. The character Judge Dredd was given his own title and I was one of a group of artists creating Dredd covers as well as working on other titles.

You are known as a cover artist but you have also worked on interiors, which do you prefer?

After the success of Batman: The Killing Joke, I was offered lots of work but I was unable to do it all. I am a slow artist, meticulous to detail, so I said: “I could do you a cover.” I created 63 consecutive covers for Animal Man. My first major piece of work for DC Comics was the 12-issue mini-series Camelot 3000 – about 300 pages in total.

All DC characters, images and likenesses ©DC Entertainment™ 12

I spent two years on and off working on the 46 pages of Batman: The Killing Joke. An interior artist has to be able to

GRADUATE INTERVIEW

draw fast and economically.

I take my time, so I’m more of an illustrator than a cartoonist, hence I have mainly worked on covers.

Which comes first, the cover or the interior?

Sometimes the cover needs to be done first for advertising reasons. For the recent Dial H series, I occasionally had to design characters to go on the cover then interior artists would follow my designs. Mostly characters are already established and I draw them accordingly. It is the job of the cover artist to make an issue stand out and to create an intriguing hook to reel the reader in.

How did you get involved with The Killing Joke?

I had always wanted to do a Batman cover so after the success of Camelot 3000 I asked if I could do a one-off Batman cover and DC persuaded Alan Moore to write it. Alan was an old friend from my 2000 AD days and his career had gone stratospheric after his successful series Watchmen.

Was it daunting to draw such an iconic villain?

There are two distinct incarnations of the Joker: the classic one originally created by Jerry Robinson in the 1940s and the movie version most recently embodied by Heath Ledger.

I chose to stick to the older version.

I have been told that I draw characters that emote; they have life behind their eyes. I like to get a good performance out of the characters I draw and who better to draw than the Joker?

Do you have time to work on your own projects?

In the 1980s I was asked to draw and write my own short stories for comic anthology A1.

I created the Actress and the Bishop, potentially a scandalous couple. The stories were written in rhyming doggerel. Any rudeness was in the mind of the reader! Generally they had mundane adventures together, a bit like The Owl and the Pussycat. My other character Mr. Mamoulian was more of an alter-ego. These stories were published in the book Bolland Strips!, which are now available on the iPad and other tablets.

Which artists inspire you?

As a kid it was Gil Kane, later Jesús Blasco. I like artists completely unlike myself who I couldn’t possibly imitate or list all of their names here. Favourites include Jim Woodring, David Mazzucchelli and my friend David McKean.

artists are now worldwide and bring such a brilliant new take on the medium. I have to make the best out of my skills and make sure my work is still current.

What are you working on at the moment?

A cover for Doom Patrol collection edition by Grant Morrison and I recently finished another Batman cover featuring Two-Face and a 1960s retro-style Superman cover.

I have also started a picto-memoir. I have been working on a six panel grid, adding in photos, drawings, scans of postcards, letters, mementoes etc. with text about my family history and general musings. I’m up to page 71 but if I publish it or not remains to be seen.

What advice would you give to a new graduate just starting in the comic industry?

To keep drawing. Take inspiration from artists you like and learn the language of the medium. Draw some more and get a strong portfolio of work together. It is a very competitive industry but if you make great work then you will get great work. www.brianbolland.net

I like to keep up to date with what other artists are doing: old and new. Thanks to the internet 13

LES BICKNELL

Photography by Les Bicknell

UNPICKING AND REBINDING The Gallery at NUA recently hosted a one-day pop up exhibition unpicking and rebinding by Les Bicknell, Senior Lecturer in Textile Design at NUA. The exhibition, a series of textile wall hangings, archives, and books was attended by many graduates who had been taught and influenced by Les’s practice.

The exhibition was a response to his Arts Council funded project, which explored the role of the fold within historical and contemporary textiles and printed material held in heritage collections within the Eastern region: The Textile and Costume Collection at Norwich Museum, Museum of East Anglian Life (MEAL) and Suffolk County 14

Council Archive. Les’s hands-on approach to his materials and display methods enabled the viewer to engage with the works in a tactile and intimate way.

New work, focusing on the idea of the fold, its role and purpose, was shown alongside photographs and objects found within the archives. Les mapped his exploration through the collections, looking at the opportunities for creative starting points that the objects provided and how connections can be made between the pieces and subsequent art work. One particular link made was between the construction of the smock through the process of smocking (the process of sewing folds

into garments), and the ploughed land worked by the people who wore the smocks. Smocking was functional – it strengthened a garment and gave it form but was also decorative.

The exhibition set out to find these links, encouraging visitors to think about how they could use the collections and work with the material in new ways, inspiring them to make new work, learning from the past to make work in the present for the future. unpickingandrebinding.blogspot.co.uk lesbicknell.blogspot.co.uk

ALUMNI NEWS

Signs of Life by Anthony and Phillip Reed

GRADUATE EXHIBITS TWO SHOWS AT ONE A recent exhibition by photographer Anthony Reed (BA Fine Art 2007) at One Gallery, Shanghai, showcased work from his two latest projects, collaborations with his twin brother Phillip, also a photographer. Their work focuses on the effects of the built environment on individuals living in two very different cities based on their own experiences: Anthony lives in Shanghai and Phillip is based in London.

In Between documented the on-going photographic dialogue between the two and explored how the internet and online platforms affect the way in which images are produced and

how people communicate visually.

Taking their own relationship of being identical twins and keeping in close contact via email and Skype, it seemed only natural for them to explore the same process with images.

Signs of Life took a more critical look at the state of contemporary architecture, focusing on east coast cities in China shot by the pair in 2012.

photographic collaborations are a way of finding a cognitive cohesion between our separate lives.”

After graduating from NUA, Anthony began working as a photographer for the BBC before studying Chinese at Qingdao Ocean University in China. He now works full-time as a freelance photographer. anthonyreedblog.tumblr.com

Speaking about working with his twin, Anthony explained: “We had worked together on previous projects and each new idea formulates a new dialogue. Although we have our own personalities, we inevitably influence each other’s work as we do each other’s lives and these 15

ARTS AND DESIGN NEWS

ARCHITECTURE LECTURER SHORTLISTED FOR RIBA AWARD

Graham Linehan

NUA lecturer Dr James Benedict Brown has been shortlisted for the 2013 RIBA President’s Awards for Research for his PhD A Critique of the Live Project. James has also been invited by the Association of Architectural Educators to be the founding Series Editor for a new architectural journal, Charrette.

FATHER TED WRITER INSPIRES STUDENTS Television writer and director Graham Linehan, best known for writing cult comedy series including Father Ted and The IT Crowd, visited NUA in October 2013 as part of the Talk lecture series. Speaking to a packed hall of eager graphics students, the writer gave an inspirational talk on creativity and the process of pursuing an idea from the beginning through to the end.

Talking about the similarities of comedy and creativity, he explained: “The process is the same in any creative endeavour. You have a process of research, working with the material assembled.

You need to go away and

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think about it and if you have done everything right something magical will occur.

Then it is a question of implementing the idea.”

Graham then set a new design challenge to students and he will be revisiting NUA later in the term to check their progress.

Talk speakers this term have also included Sean Perkins from NORTH and Tony Brook who spoke about Unit Editions. @talk_norwich

STUDENT WINS MACLEHOSE PRESS AWARD Congratulations to Year 3 BA Graphics student Coral McCloud who was announced as the overall winner of the Maclehose Press Design Competition in September 2013. Coral impressed the judges with her bold and coherent designs for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Three recent graduates from the BA Illustration course at NUA have taken part in a three-month reportage illustration residency at Topolski Studio, London.

Chloe Parke, Laura Fitton and Alex Nicholson, all BA Illustration 2013, will exhibit their work at Vibe Gallery, London in December 2013.

MEDIA NEWS

LECTURER’S FILM SHOWN AT CANNES A film directed by BA Film and Moving Image Production lecturer and BAFTA nominee Suri Krishnamma was shown at the Cannes Film Festival 2013 before its premiere in Los Angeles in August 2013.

The Dark Tourist (2013) follows a man who has a fascination with serial killers, which leads him on a horrific and menacing journey as he retraces their footsteps.

Suri was also selected as President of the Jury at the Munich Student Film Festival Suri Krishnamma

held in November 2013.

During the seven-day festival, Blue Notes, the graduation film by Tim Swaby (BA Film and Moving Image Production 2013), which addresses the impact of domestic violence on everyone in the family, was selected to be shown alongside Suri’s own film A Man of No Importance (1994).

Blue Notes can be watched on the NUA Film and Moving Image channel at: www.vimeo.com/filmandvideo

TIGA AWARD NOMINATION NUA has been shortlisted for a prestigious Games Industry award by The Independent Game Developers’ Association (TIGA). The University was shortlisted in the Best Educational Institution category in their Games Industry Awards 2013, in recognition of recent successes for the BA Games Art and Design course and its recent Creative Skillset accreditation.

Course Leader Marie-Claire Isaaman has been nominated for the European Women in Games Hall of Fame Award for her role as ‘an education industry champion, supporting the need for gender diversity.’ Out of the students who started the BA Games Art and Design course in 2013/14, 40% were female, a sharp increase from the numbers six years ago when Marie-Claire was appointed. In 2012, graduates Rosie Ball and Sophia George won a BAFTA Games Award and Sophia has recently started her role as the first Game Designer in Residence at the V&A Museum. www.awards.tiga.org Marie-Claire Isaaman

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ALUMNI NEWS

START ANIMATING WITH GRADUATE’S NEW BOOK A new book by animator Helen Piercy (BA Graphic Design (Animation) 2006) aims to encourage children to start making stop-motion animations using their mobile phones and digital cameras.

Animation Studio provides all the tools and tips to create 2D and 3D films and includes a fold out mini set, gadgets to make, press out props and a director’s handbook. The book is inspired by the workshops she leads through her company Helen Animates, teaching a variety of different animation techniques to young people in museums, schools and theatres. Helen also appears in the book as an animated character guide.

After graduating from NUA, Helen studied at the National Film and Television School, London and her graduate film Goodbye Mr Pink was premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. She has also created films for commercial clients including the World Wildlife Fund, BBC Radio One, Sky Arts and London Fashion Week.

Animation Studio is published by Walker Books and available at most high street and online book retailers. www.helenanimate.com

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ARTIST BOOK PUBLISHED Priscilla Moore (BA Graphic Design (Illustration) 2008) has had her artist book Fêtes et Légendes à Kyoto published. The title, translated as Festivals and Legends in Kyoto was published

by Paris-based Éditions Nomades. The book is part of the series A.R.T Livres (À la Rencontre de Talents meaning Meeting New Talents) and features a series of paintings inspired by Priscilla’s love for Japan, in particular the celebrations of the seasons. While she was a student at NUA, Priscilla took part in a student exchange with Osaka Seikei University and developed a passion for Nihon-ga, a traditional Japanese painting technique which she has applied to her paintings ever since.

The book is now available to buy from: www.editionsnomades.com www.priscilla-moore.com

ALUMNI NEWS/

ANIMATOR CREATES NEW COLDPLAY VIDEO

ALBUM COVERSHOOT FOR LONDON GRAMMAR

NUA graduate Jonny Bursnell (BA Animation 2011) was part of the team at motion graphics agency Blind Pig, commissioned with creating a new lyric video for the band Coldplay’s latest single Atlas. The four-minute track is featured in the new Hunger Games: Catching Fire film released in November 2013.

Photographer and NUA graduate Lee Kirby (BA Photography 2013) was commissioned to shoot the album artwork for the band London Grammar’s debut album, If You Wait, a day after graduating from NUA. Lee was approached by design agency Big Active after they saw his work published in 360 magazine in Los Angeles.

Using illustrations by Micah Lidberg, Jonny’s role was to lead and direct the animation team and work with his creative director to finish the final edit. Jonny explained: “We had to take the motionless illustrations, put them together and animate them, constantly considering the look and style of the already beautiful illustrations.”

He continued: “We had to devise alternate methods of animation/motion graphics without using too many special effects so not to interfere with the style and charm of the video we wanted to preserve.”

Lee spent two days with the band shooting the artwork. Working to an open brief, Lee wanted the imagery to reflect the music, electricity and a sense of calm; slightly abstract with movement but the band to be recognisable. After shooting four different ideas the final outcome was a set of images that made a visually coherent album.

The album was released in September 2013 and reached number two in the album charts. www.leekirbyphotography.com

Jonny was in regular contact with the band and their creative directors in New York. The band were pleased with the final outcome with lead singer Chris Martin passing on his: “great thanks and admiration” to the team once the video was finished. www.blindpig.tv www.jonnybursnell.tumblr.com

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GRADUATION

2013

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE CREATIVITY... and Harry Potter star making it an extra special occasion for them and their families.

John Hurt CBE presents Tim Flach with his Honorary Doctorate

There was an extra touch of glamour and excitement surrounding this year’s graduation ceremonies, which took place on 2 July 2013 at St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.

New Chancellor, actor John Hurt CBE, attending his first graduation, congratulated graduands on their achievements as they crossed the stage. Graduating students had the opportunity to shake the hand of the Midnight Express 20

Congratulating students on their achievements, the Chancellor told the congregation: “Our country is world famous for our creativity and you now join this creative community. I offer you my encouragement and to remember that the most important thing is the creativity and the art and not the salary.

But – of course – both are ideal!”

The morning ceremony also celebrated the first cohort of graduating students from BA Fashion. The course, now well established after a successful first appearance at London Graduate Fashion Week, brings fashion back to Norwich where it has a long distinguished history with the University, pioneering new designers during the 1950s and 60s. Sadly, it

was the last year of BA Visual Studies but the course went out on a high after an accomplished degree show and the clapping and cheering for the last cohort of graduates could be heard half way down St George’s Street.

Also at the ceremonies, new Honorary Doctorates were awarded to fashion designer and NUA alumna Anne Tyrrell MBE, pioneering photographer Tim Flach, best known for his highly conceptual and innovative portraits of animals, and renowned walking artist Hamish Fulton, whose work encompasses sculptures, photo-text pieces and actions which respond to direct physical engagement with the natural landscape.

You can watch a short film of the graduation ceremony at: www.nua.ac.uk/alumni

GRADUATION 2013

Anne Tyrrell

ALUMNA ANNE TYRRELL MBE HONOURED Fashion legend and NUA alumna Anne Tyrrell MBE, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the Graduation ceremony in July 2013 for her contribution to the fashion industry and fashion education. Presenting Anne with her doctorate, Dr Hilary Carlisle explained: “If we were ever going to describe anyone as a ‘Doyenne of Fashion’ or ‘Fashion Legend’, it would be Anne.”

Anne studied her Diploma in Art and Design at NUA before continuing her studies at the Royal College of Art where her talent was quickly spotted and has taught there as both a Senior Tutor and Visiting Professor for over 35 years.

Anne began as a pattern-cutter and has championed the need for advanced technical skills and an industry focus in fashion education. She is now Chair of the British Fashion Council

Colleges Council, which is instrumental in supporting higher education to develop industry links and provides recruitment and promotional opportunities for students with companies such as Topshop, Chloé, Burberry, Warehouse and Harrods.

Anne hasn’t given up her design practice however and after 25 years as Design Director for John Marks, she set up Anne Tyrrell Designs, a worldwide design and consultancy service.

Past clients include Nike, Victoria’s Secret, Next and House of Fraser. She is still actively designing and has been responsible for diverse designs such as the current London Underground uniform and the refurbishment of St Mary’s Rectory in Chelsea.

For Anne, the highlight of her career so far, is receiving an MBE in 2008 for her services to the fashion industry. Returning

to Norwich to collect her Doctorate, she commented: “I am so excited and honoured to be invited by the University to receive this award. I was once a fashion student at NUA, so to be back at the place where my career started makes this award extra special to me.”

From her vast experience in the fashion industry, what advice would she pass on to new graduates just starting out? She replied: “This is an excellent time for young designers; the creative industries have never been more supported. The British Fashion Council gives huge help and mentoring to graduates but they need to have a unique look and identity, be original, and have something which makes them totally British.” www.annetyrrelldesigns.com

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CAMPUS DEVELOPMENTS

Photography by Owen Richards

NEW DIGITAL INNOVATION CENTRE FOR NUA

GUNTONS ATRIUM TO OPEN

Norwich University of the Arts has been granted funding for a new £3 million development to support Norwich’s growing digital creative industries sector. The new Digital Innovation Centre will be located in Cavendish House in the heart of NUA’s campus in the city centre. The development will be the new home for the ideasfactory@NUA offering high quality space for digital creative businesses and opportunities to graduates who want to start their own digital business in Norwich.

The centre will also be home to a contemporary gallery space, which will continue to attract exhibitions by internationally recognised artists, curators and media practitioners.

Building work on the multi-million pound refurbishment of Guntons is on track.

The new atrium, the centre piece of the building, along with a new entrance will be unveiled in January 2014. Guntons has already undergone an extensive refurbishment with new studio spaces for students within the Faculty of Design. The new studios provide industry standard, accessible facilities for students as well as preserving the heritage of the campus.

Funding for the project has been secured through a joint venture between The Higher Education 22

Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and a capital investment from NUA and is expected to open in 2015.

NUA Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Last, commented: “The creative industries sector has long been an integral part of both the regional and national economy and is forecast to grow substantially. This project allows us to support our students after graduation, offering opportunities to stay and work within the region, as well as providing existing regional businesses with access to our academics and research facilities. Companies locating in Norwich will be able to tap into the city’s highly skilled workforce and readily available talent pool.” www.nua.ac.uk/ideasfactory

IDEASFACTORY@NUA

STUDENTS DESIGN LOGO FOR GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THREE DESIGN STUDENTS AT NUA JOINED THE TEAM AT THE IDEASFACTORY@NUA TO CREATE A NEW CORPORATE IDENTITY FOR GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, FXHOME. FXHOME is a technology company that, like most new companies, started from a bedroom and has grown into a global player, developing products that offer market-leading performance at achievable prices.

Although the business itself has taken off, the company’s logo and identity had become steadily more out of step with the product range, and their competitive context. FXHOME saw the need to make a radical change which would enable them to compete with peer technology brands.

FXHOME has a fiercely loyal following for their flagship products, PhotoKey, and HitFilm. Transitioning them across to the new brand identity was vital and the ideasfactory@NUA team used quantitative research amongst

core users, via social media platforms, to understand how to pitch their proposal.

Working on the project were Year 3 Graphic Design students Barnaby Robinson and Toby Roberts and graduate Stephen Lister (BA Graphic Design 2013). The team initially pitched several ideas to the client from which they chose two to develop.

The final design uses the colours of the ‘old’ logo to create instant recognisability for current users, but within a fresh shape. The unique ‘shutter’ device references the company’s equity in disrupted photographic imaging and the font chosen communicates the experience of their products; modern, beautifully designed, effortless in use.

Tom McLoughlin, Marketing Manager for FXHOME, enjoyed

the process of working with students at NUA, and commented: “FXHOME has a history of going about things in an innovative way – it’s in our DNA. So for us it was a natural choice to develop our identity with the freshest designers we knew – and we are delighted with the result.”

Working with the ideasfactory@NUA allows students the opportunity to work on live client briefs, to pitch their ideas and gain feedback. Toby commented: “Working with FXHOME has been a rewarding experience.

They responded constructively to our creative work, producing a vibrant array of solutions.”

To commission a project through the ideasfactory@NUA, please visit: www.nua.ac.uk/ideasfactory

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MA DEGREE SHOW

Photography by Andi Sapey

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Mark Amos Jo Clarke

MA DEGREE SHOW

A VERY HIGH CREATIVE STANDARD THE MA DEGREE SHOW, NUA’S LARGEST EXHIBITION OF POSTGRADUATE WORK TO DATE, WAS HELD IN AUGUST 2013. THE EXHIBITION SHOWCASED WORK FROM ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES OF ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA. Work was exhibited within the spacious galleries in St Georges building and although students were shown by course, there was an overall coherence to the work on display, exemplifying the shared sense of purpose within the NUA postgraduate community, creating an exciting and interesting exhibition.

Speaking about the curation of the show, MA Leader Paul Fieldsend-Danks explained: “The character of the MA Degree Show is always reflective of the academic journey of the participating students.

While research is central to postgraduate study, the students are exhibiting the results of work that is informed by professional practice and this year there was a real focus on engaging with the public domain, often externally of the University. We were very proud to present a show of art, design and media work of a very high creative standard.”

Work in the show that caught visitors’ attention included: The Emotional Colour Wheel

by MA Communication Design student Mark Amos explored the relationship between colours and sensory emotions and encouraged visitors to spin the

wheel for themselves and interact with the piece.

A series of woven textiles re-defining the image of Norfolk reed was a collaborative project between MA Textile Design student Jo Clarke and the Broads Authority. The project sought to find an alternative and sustainable use for the reed and used weaving techniques to produce a series of decorative and functional bowls and containers.

Also on display were a series of ink prints by MA Fine Art student Véronica Domingo Alonso who was recently awarded the Itzal Akitboa Prize for Young Talent in Contemporary Art 2013, and a series of tessellated images

by MA Textile Design student Beatrice Heuvel.

Ferreira Caridade, which received a Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation.

Graduating students on the MA Curation course curated their own exhibition of work loaned from the Arts Council Collection in the Gallery at NUA as part of the autumn programme. www.nua.ac.uk/madegreeshow II

Assimilation (27 million), a video installation by MA Fine Art student Richard Brooks, provoked much thought for visitors. It showed 27,000 rice crispies being counted into a bowl over almost 10 hours of footage, representing the reported 27 million people in modern day slavery.

Short films by students on MA Moving Image and Sound were shown in a special screening area including a sound installation, Everything is not alright by Joáo 25

MA CASE

STUDY

“EXHIBITING YOUR WORK OUTSIDE OF THE NURTURING ENVIRONMENT OF UNIVERSITY OPENS YOUR EYES.” JAMIE GLEDHILL, MA MOVING IMAGE AND SOUND 2013 GRADUATE

A key focus of the postgraduate experience at NUA is ‘externalising practice’. As MA Leader Paul Fieldsend-Danks explained: “MA students need to take their work to the next level professionally. They need to forge partnerships with organisations external to the University and get used to public feedback.”

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The MA Degree Show addressed these points by showing a short film in which students discussed how they externalised their practice.

Jamie Gledhill (MA Moving Image and Sound 2013) explained what he learnt through his recent exhibition Mirror Noise, a modern take on the fairground classic The Hall of Mirrors held in collaboration with Fusion at The Forum, Norwich.

How did the idea for Mirror Noise come about?

I’d been thinking about developing an interactive portraiture piece but couldn’t settle on a single approach.

I took a handful of ideas and worked them into a set of studies.

The resulting work was a six-day installation on Fusion’s screen.

The screens were connected to webcams and people found themselves part of the work.

I was interested in how people going about their day, doing their shopping etc. would react to the experience.

Your piece relates back to the fairground Hall of Mirrors. What inspires you about these?

Halls of Mirrors are all about shifting self-perception. Sometimes it’s a scary experience, at other times hilarious – but the outcome always provokes a reaction. There’s a social aspect to the experience as we enter the Hall of Mirrors with others.

MA NEWS

Barbara Dougan

Did feedback make you see your work in a different way?

BEYOND THE FACADE

I learned more through observing visitor behaviour. It’s so hard to see your own work from the point of view of people who have never encountered it before when you’ve been living and breathing it for several months!

A group of former MA Fine Art students from NUA were artists in residence curating an exhibition titled Beyond the Facade at Blickling Hall, Norfolk in October 2013.

Artists Beverley Broadhead (2011), Linda Chapman (2010), Barbara Dougan (2011), Gena Ivanov (2011) and Ruth Philo (2011) used the Blickling estate as inspiration for the exhibition, delving behind the scenes and taking their own research path depending on their area of interest.

Blickling and Russia during the seventeenth century, the Jacobean drama Measure for Measure and the working lives of servants on the estate.

The artists are all members of the artist collective Future Perfect, which aims to initiate exhibitions and projects, critique each others’ work and provide ongoing mutual support. The group worked together to curate an interesting and unique show which explored specific works of art in the Blickling collection. This covered the storage, conservation, presentation and labelling of pieces, the diplomatic links between

Barbara Dougan has also received a prestigious collaborations bursary from a-n to work on a project with the choreographer Darren Ellis.

The funding will enable them to review their research to date and to employ a dancer to explore early ideas for a performance piece or dance-based film installation.

Why do you feel it’s important for students to externalise their practice?

It’s excellent professional development on all levels. You get to exhibit your work outside of the nurturing environment of the University and this really opens your eyes. It’s also a way of raising your profile as an artist.

You can watch the film at: www.jamiegledhill.tv

During the exhibition, a public discussion led by Amanda Geitner, Head of Collections and Exhibitions at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, was held at the Queen of Hungary Project Space in Aylsham to discuss their emerging work from the exhibition.

www.nua.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate

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Photography by Andi Sapey

MA CURATION I

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SHOW

MA CURATION SHOW

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH The 2013 summer exhibition in the Gallery at NUA represented the culmination of ten months’ planning by the graduating cohort of MA Curation students at NUA. For What It’s Worth explored different interpretations of value in contemporary art, using works selected from the Art Council’s national collection to illustrate three strands within the theme.

Working collaboratively as a curatorial team, the students worked closely with a number of partners including the University, the Gallery at NUA and the Arts Council itself.

The requirements of the show in terms of presenting a coherent narrative had to be balanced against the Gallery’s crucial role in engaging diverse audience strands, particularly over the

summer when large numbers of visitors descend upon Norwich. To be able to select freely from the largest public collection of modern British art in the UK was a great privilege and responsibility for the students. The show attracted an audience of over 7,500 visitors, many of whom had never been to the Gallery or NUA campus before.

In particular, visitors of all ages were attracted by the activity area in which they could ‘turn trash into art’, and interpret the notions of value on display within the exhibition.

The organic installation of drawings and sculpture grew each week, accompanied by postcards on which visitors could write down what they value in their own lives. The final collection of public work showed both funny and

moving responses to the artwork in the show.

Visitors could also play ‘Fantasy Curator’, placing various well known artworks around a large wall plan of the gallery to imagine their own exhibition exploring value in art.

Several of the artists selected for the show, such as Andrew Logan, Jeremy Deller, Lisa Milroy and Grayson Perry have an existing connection with the University, either because they have taught, lectured or shown their work here. The show illustrated the University’s continuing critical engagement with contemporary British art, both through the students’ curatorial experiences, visitor engagement through its public gallery space and partnership with the Arts Council.

II

I

List of exhibition artists

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L-R: Alice Lee, Andrea Sanders and Christine Pike

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ALUMNI BENEFITS

ALUMNI CARD

CAREERS SERVICE @NUA

SIGN UP KEEP IN FOR OUR TOUCH E-NEWSLETTER

All graduates from NUA can continue to access a number of facilities and services on campus with an Alumni Card.

Valid for three years, the card costs £25 and allows access to:

If you graduated within the last three years (or have an Alumni Card) you can continue to access the Careers Service and book one-to-one appointments with the Careers Adviser.

Appointments can be by telephone, face to face, email or via Skype. To make an appointment please call: 01603 751471 or contact:

To receive the latest news and invites to events please register for our e-newsletter.

The bulletin is also an opportunity for graduates to promote their own events and exhibitions. If you have an event to advertise please email the details two months prior to the event to:

• The Library for reference use • NUA Careers Service • The University Shop • Access to the computer facilities in The Library • Remote access to the intranet and online Library resources • Reduced membership to Cinema City, Norwich • Membership to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich for you and a friend.

For more details and to download an application form, please visit: www.nua.ac/uk/alumni 30

careers@nua.ac.uk

You can also receive job alerts into your inbox by signing up to the NUA Job Shop at: www.nua.prospects.ac.uk

alumni@nua.ac.uk

Don’t forget if you move house, change your email address or switch jobs to let us know, we always enjoy hearing from you.

Email your new details to: alumni@nua.ac.uk or register online at: www.nua.ac.uk/alumni/register

JOIN US ONLINE Become a member of our online communities at: www.facebook.com/ nuaalumninetwork Norwich University of the Arts Alumni @NUAAlumni

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Rosalyn Crosthwaite and Johanne Couldrey

TEXTILES TRAVEL AWARDS

Photography by Denisa Ilie

GRADUATES FUND NEW LOOM Thanks to the generous donations by graduates, the Textiles department at NUA is now a proud owner of a new state-of-the art digital arm loom, which has been installed into the Constructed Textiles workshop. Using Scott Weave, industry standard computer software, students can create more complex and intricate fabric designs. As the loom is much quicker than manual looms, it also allows more time for experimentation with colours and textures.

This is only one of the ways in which donations to the Alumni Fund assists current and future students. As well as providing industry standard equipment

and improving facilities where needed, the Alumni Fund also supports student scholarships and bursaries and the Gallery.

If you would like to support the next generation of creative practitioners at NUA, please make a donation to the Alumni Fund. Whatever the size of your donation, it will make a difference and if you are a UK taxpayer and we can claim Gift Aid on your behalf, your donation goes even further without costing you an extra penny.

You can now donate quickly and securely online at: www.nua.ac.uk/supportingnua

Two students on the BA Textiles course at NUA have been awarded The Angela Houston Constructed Textiles Research and Travel Award 2013. The bursaries are in memory of Angela Houston, a weaver, textile enthusiast and active member of the Norwich Costume and Textile Committee. Rosalyn Crosthwaite and Johanne Couldrey were presented with their awards

by Lady Walpole, Chair of the Wolterton Committee who funded the prizes, during the Wolterton Hall Costume and Textile Fair held in September 2013.

Rosalyn and Johanne’s work stood out to the committee for their creative and experimental use of materials, colour and the use and application of constructed textile techniques and processes.

If you would like to support a student scholarship or bursary, please contact Caroline Bailey, Alumni Relations and Development Officer on: 01603 756288 or email: c.bailey@nua.ac.uk

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO

RICHARD CASTON

KEVIN HARRISON

CHRIS DREW

(PRE-DIPLOMA FINE ART 1964)

(BA FINE ART 1974)

(BA GRAPHIC DESIGN 1992)

After my studies at Norwich and inspired by John Wonnacott and Henry Clyne, I continued my education in London graduating from the diploma course in painting in 1968. In 1974 I moved to Germany and became Head of Visual Arts at the International School of Düsseldorf where I worked until 2011. Here I developed the Visual Arts Programme for the International Baccalaureate and later became a senior examiner.

Throughout my career in art education, I maintained my own painting studio, regularly exhibiting work mostly in Cologne and Düsseldorf, where I still live. I have also maintained close ties with Norwich and I am producing the exhibition Living Stones at The Hostry, Norwich Cathedral in February 2014.

After completing the sculpture course at Norwich in 1974, I was one of the first students to do the new MA course at Chelsea School of Art. After this I was Junior Fellow at Cardiff College of Art and had a studio in the city centre for three years. On my return to London I moved into an Acme house in East London, joining the first wave of artists moving into the inner cities in search of affordable studio space and accommodation. Since then, I have been a full-time sculptor, making many public sculptures around the East End of London and leading workshops in schools. I am represented by Treadwell Gallery, Austria, where I recently had an exhibition titled Please Take a Seat.

Since graduating from Norwich I have been involved, one way or another, in the animation industry. Since starting as a runner in Soho, I have worked my way through the industry via assisting on animated commercials and features, deciding to avoid becoming an animator and sidling into pre-production. I then ventured into layouts and finally storyboarding to reach the dizzying heights of Storyboard Supervisor for Hit Entertainment.

Along the way there have been many live action commercials and feature films, animated 2d and 3d shows but I’m happiest when working in pre-school animation. The people are really nice.

kevinharrison53@live.co.uk

www.chrisdrewstoryboards.com

www.castonart.com

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www.kevinharrisonsculptor.com

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO

ANTHONY (ANTO) MORRISSEY (BA GRAPHIC DESIGN 1999) I recently celebrated 25 years of song writing and performing and returned to NUA to launch my new album Never Had to Shout. The cover sleeve features a painting by Brian Whelan who coincidently had an exhibition in Norwich at the same time. I describe my music as ‘PunkFolk’ – Christy Moore meets Billy Bragg. The story telling folk tradition is a strong element of my songs but there is also a catchy chorus or two to sing along with. Coincidentally the album features five other NUA graduates from the last four decades so it felt right to launch the album at NUA for a one-off acoustic performance of songs from the album in November 2013. www.antomorra.com

ANDREA GIRLING

BENJAMIN HARDING

(BA FINE ART 2012)

(BA FILM AND MOVING IMAGE PRODUCTION 2012)

Earlier this year I was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2013 and exhibited my drawing Untitled at the Jerwood Space with other artists and sold my work at the private view! The exhibition is now touring to universities around the UK. I was also selected for the King’s Lynn Eastern Open 2013 and exhibited as part of Les Six, a group show of contemporary artists in Norwich so my CV is growing and growing!

I am currently Junior Audio & Visual Technician at King Edward’s School in the historical city of Bath. I started volunteering for Reel People Films in Bristol at the start of 2013 providing help as a Camera Assistant and Editing Assistant. Their debut feature film One is currently in post-production, ready for submission to Cannes Film Festival in March 2014. After experiencing a week in London as temporary video editor at Young Film Academy and receiving a credit as a runner for The Haunting of Harry Payne, I continue producing my own short videos. My latest Scabs, can be watched at:

www.andreagirling.co.uk

www.onceaweekfilmfest.com. www.2bee.co.uk

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EVENTS @NUA

THE GALLERY

OTHER EVENTS

We are pleased to include a number of NUA graduate shows in the 2014 Gallery programme:

TATE LECTURE SERIES Art Under Attack Talk by Marcus Dickey Horley 16 January 2014 The lecture will discuss painting and sculpture that has been attacked, destroyed or spoilt for political or religious reasons.

5.30pm – 6.30pm NUA Lecture Theatre, Duke Street, Norwich, NR2 3AJ Free admission

TO WANDER TO LUST Recent paintings by artist and NUA alumnus Alec Cumming 3 December 2013 – 11 January 2014 Ten minute talk: 3 December at 12.30pm CONCRETE: NOAH DA COSTA An exhibition of kaleidoscopic images of modern British Architecture by contemporary photographer and NUA alumnus, Noah Da Costa 21 January – 1 March 2014 JERWOOD PAINTING FELLOWS EXHIBITION Contemporary painting from some of the UK’s leading artists 11 March – 5 April 2014 TIM DAVIES Video/installation work from the artist and NUA alumnus, Tim Davies 24 April – 24 May 2014 GALLERY OPEN: Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 5pm Closed Sunday and Monday www.nua.ac.uk/thegallery

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NOAH DA COSTA Noah Da Costa in conversation with NUA Architecture Lecturer, Dr James Benedict Brown Tuesday 4 February 2014 5.30pm – 7.00pm The Gallery at NUA, St Georges Street, Norwich NR3 1BB Free to attend but please rsvp to: gallery@nua.ac.uk Join our mailing list to receive our regular e-newsletter listing details of upcoming events at: www.nua.ac.uk/alumni/register

UG DEGREE SHOWS 2 – 8 July 2014 NUA Campus

This edition was printed using Explorer Offset, an FSC速 accredited paper, produced from sustainably managed forests, using vegetable based inks.

The plastic wrapping used to mail the magazine is degradable polythene.

If you would prefer to read the magazine online, each edition is added to our webpage at: www.nua.ac.uk/alumni

WWW.NUA.AC.UK

WRITE TO US Alumni and Development Office Francis House 3-7 Redwell Street Norwich Norfolk NR2 4SN

CONTACT US T F W

01603 756288 alumni@nua.ac.uk www.nua.ac.uk www.facebook.com/nuaalumninetwork Norwich University of the Arts Alumni @NUAAlumni