Welcome to our tenth issue of ST.ART Magazine. Within this issue we are delighted to showcase a variety of work, from paintings and delicate etchings to lyrical creative writing and powerful photography. Although firmly planted in St. Andrews, ST.ART continually strives to reach beyond our town, engaging fellow students with the arts on a national and international basis. Our short feature on Tin Roof Collective introduces an exicting Dundeebased art collective only a short bus ride away, while our fashion shoot showcases the work of Heriot-Watt graduate Kirsty MacLennan, who also took part in the renowned University of St. Andrews Charity Fashion Show. Our achievements and continual evolution thus far is something we are proud to have shared with you. This year began with the success of our brand new website; our visions of the future are even more exciting and we cannot wait to share them with you after a long summer filled with sun, relaxation and inspiration.
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Kirsty Elizabeth MacLennan’s designs are filled with contrast, from the dramatic to the restrained, creating a beautiful swirl of abject sensuality and mysterious romanticism. It’s no accident that there’s a palpable poetic sensibility to MacLennan’s garments. Her inspiration for this collection was Ingrid Jonker, a South African poet who is often likened to Sylvia Path due to her intense and turbulent struggle with depression. MacLennan was drawn to the powerful juxtaposition between Jonker’s flamboyant and magnetic outward personality and deep inner struggle. This contrast runs throughout MacLennan’s pieces, clashing different materials, colours, and details in a way that creates both tension and subtlety. ST.ART’s New Lace plays homage to the essential character of MacLennan’s inspiration and collection. The appeal of the beautiful and the broken is both undeniably captivating and mysterious. How could something so magnificent fall into such disarray, and why is it then in many ways even more entrancing? New Lace ruminates on this appeal of deterioration, surrounding the MacLennan’s dark, almost dangerous, glamorous
pieces with a place of similar contrasts. surrounding MacLennan’s dark, almost dangerous, glamorous pieces with a place of similar contrasts. The growing acclaim surrounding Kirsty Elizabeth MacLennan is due to her impressive technical capabilities as much as her deeply creative interpretation of inspiration. Her graduate collection for Heriot Watt University, where she received First Class Honours, embodies this technical virtuosity, relies heavily on the expert application of lace, stitching, and beading. This detailing is unquestionably difficult, but it lends MacLennan’s pieces a level of almost organic delicacy that has lead to her increasing recognition as one of the most promising young designers coming out of Scotland today, as evidenced by her official nomination for Graduate of the Year 2013 at the Scottish Fashion Awards. MacLennan’s talent earned her another highly prestigious honour—being featured in the St. Andrews Charity Fashion Show. MacLennan’s bodysuits and evening gowns wowed the audience, making her designs an undeniable hit of FS 2014 and further cementing her position as the future of British fashion.
By taking a romantic and almost gothic aesthetic in a thoroughly modern, sexy direction, MacLennan gives a refreshing perspective on eveningwear. Her bodysuits, for example, are unabashedly revealing, while still embodying a delicacy and restraint. By refusing to design for either the ingĂŠnue or the “bad girl,â€? MacLennan makes pieces that are all about the appeal of contrast.
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Surprisingly, there is no selfie or snap to mark the moment when the life of Kevin Systrom, a co-founder and the current C.E.O. of Instagram, was irreversibly changed. However if there had been, it would have been from early April in 2012 at the Caltrain commuter station in Palo Alto, California, where the young and lanky Systrom was awaiting the arrival of his business partner Mike Krieger. Systrom had just left Mark Zuckerberg’s house and was most likely still digesting the offer that the founder of Facebook had made him: to buy the photo-sharing app that Systrom and Krieger had launched just eighteen months before for one billion dollars. Zuckerberg was right to recognise the potential of this filter camera app, which has now seen more than 150 million people share more than sixteen billion photos, predominantly of latte art. It is, therefore, undeniable that Instagram has had a monumental influence on photography and who’s complaining? Almost everyone now has the ability to take good photos and share them with the rest of the world. Perhaps it is a shame though that through apps like Instagram people have become lazier with photography and don’t need to learn and master the intricate mechanisms of a film camera, for example. However, for the rest of us who just want to show the world what shoes we are wearing through a cool indie filter, Instagram is a Godsend. The real appeal of Instagram, however, is in its voyeurism. It is a window through which we observe the worlds of our friends and strangers, whether it is their fashion, travel, food, or even their photography. The success of Instagram is, in fact, very similar to that of the published photographer Todd Selby (no family relation), who has graced us with books such as Fashionable Selby and The Selby Is In Your Place, which actually goes into the homes of cool people and enables the rest of the world to dream of being as cool.
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intaglio etches by
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The morning, just before dawn Darkness erased by light, this happens everyday The overwhelming optimism made me less afraid. I watched the branches strain like veins Spidery on blue skin I watched the morning drops of rain Cling to branches like pins. From black to blue to grey and I watched it all We lived and inhaled and heard because I refused to fall Asleep. This time. Continuing to function was easy to resist But living slow in hours that should not exist Made the headache go away. Mollified and empty I ate a little bit, Then as though we were the day We happened once more without even doing it.
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Amongst the red brick warehouses of the industrial area of Blackness, Dundee, one would not expect to find a hub of creative activity taking place. However, open the doors to one of the warehouses and you will find the home of the Tin Roof Collective. Started in 2010 by various art graduates and creative folk, the Tin Roof Collective sought out to make a difference in the lack of available studio spaces for the newly emerging artistic community of Dundee. Thanks to funding from various sources including Pure Media UK’s graduate program, Tin Roof Collective were able to secure the warehouse as the base for their studios. Flash forward to the present and now twenty two artists have their studio in this space which includes a workshop, discussion area as well as a 20ftx20ft white space that is used for exhibitions and larger projects. With such talent found in one place, Tin Roof have accommodated projects that range from boat making to fashion design and even have their own community garden where they grow their own fruit and veg! Tin Roof are also able to provide even more opportunities for creative individuals by running an internship program which our contributor Bryndis Blackadder is currently taking part in after having graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee with a degree in Fine Art.
We had a little chat with Bryndis to hear all about her experience‌ S: What are the biggest perks of being involved with the Tin Roof Collective? B: I have been given a studio to make and store my art as well as access to the wood workshop and the materials within which are completely invaluable resources for an art graduate like me. S: What has ship consisted
your internof so far?
B: I have been able to attend the weekly committee meeting and I have learnt so much from them about the ins and outs of running an arts collective. Not only am I now aware of the issues that can arise from running such an enterprise but I also get to see all the fun and exciting projects from the start and get a chance to help them flourish from idea to reality. As part of my internship I am also given the opportunity to put on my own solo show in the exhibition space during the summer which is an incredibly exciting opportunity as it is not very often that recent graduates have a personal exhibition so soon - if ever for that matter! S: What is your favourite aspect of the Tin Roof Collective?
B: I love the Tin Roof community and it’s ‘can do’ attitude towards collaboration not only between its members but also visiting artists and other art collectives, institutions musicians, film makers and many more creative individuals. I really appreciate the collective’s drive and confidence in pursuing its own self-development as a physical space but also as an artistic community. Although most St. Andrews students utilise their trips to Dundee for a wider choice of sartorial options and perhaps even a Big Mac at McDonalds, there is so much more than meets the eye and Tin Roof Collective is testimony to this thriving underground art scene. From graduate exhibitions to gigs, Tin Roof has so much going on to keep you entertained. We at ST.ART are definitely planning on going in the future and we hope to see you there! wood cut print by
facebook.com/tinroofdundee
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photography Maria Faciolince Lauren Santucci Ane Singleton Lennart Spindler Hibak Yusuf
other mediums Naomi Marshall Lily Sanders Eloise Bennett Bryndis Blackadder Anna O’Connor Quentin Ransohoff
words Hector Selby Lara Johnson Wheeler
MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE HELP OF WILLIAM WILLIAMS, DAVID WILSON, PAUL SAVAGE, ANASTASIA EFIMOVA, SUSAN KERR
Nicole Horgan - editor in chief Hettie O’Brien - creative director Bianca Howard - managing editor Katya Leibholz - marketing and PR Lily Moodey - blog editor Vanessa Krooss - fashion editor Ian Hoppock - finance Polly Mitchell - sponsorship Gus Townsend - sponsorship Chris Govier - events team Ruoy Zhang - events team Devon Williams - events team Elizabeth Panton - events team Sarah Pollock - events team Anna Gudnason - photograpy editor Nefeli Piree Iliou - photography editor Charlotte Coote - resources Claire Abrahamson - resources
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