In Conversation With…Stamford Arts Centre Student Exhibitors

Creative Arts students of Stamford College exhibited their artwork in the Winter Exhibition at Stamford Arts Centre. We caught up with some of the talented students that showcased their creations in the gallery of multidisciplinary installations of film, still image, art, fashion and graphic design.

Level 3 Extended Diploma Fashion and Textiles student, Ella Stimson, exhibited two articles of clothing in the gallery. Ella explained the inspiration behind their work; “The first piece was massively inspired by decay, both physical and mental. I wanted to honour a family member that passed away from Dementia. My work represents how Dementia not only affected my family member, but also me and the wider family. The disease of grief spreads through loved ones, care workers and the people around the Dementia patient”. Ella continued, “My second piece is inspired by underground, Ukrainian club culture - there’s an organisation called CXEMA who find abandoned landscapes and turn them into a space for parties and raves. It’s a form of escapism – people can get away from the troubles of their day-to-day lives, no matter who they are, their age, gender, religion, or beliefs – everyone is united in one place to enjoy the music. I therefore designed an inclusive piece – it’s unisex and can be resized easily”. Ella is planning on going to university to study Fashion Design; “Most of my top picks are in London, including Ravensbourne University London and Central Saint Martins. I want university to broaden my horizons even more, be it from the additional skills I’d learn on my course, to immersing myself in the different cultures of a big city. I think it will be a big shift for me, but I’m so excited about it”.

Another Level 3 Extended Diploma Fashion and Textiles student, Marisol Hannah, was delighted to have their work exhibited; “I designed my exhibited piece to meet the Alternative Materials design brief at College. My inspiration was therefore obviously sustainability, but I also wanted to showcase my Scottish heritage. The kilt-style skirt is made from my family tartan”. Marisol commended their experience of the course and explained their future plans; “I love the course. We have so much creative freedom with each module. Next, I want to either go to university or do an apprenticeship. I’d love to do an apprenticeship with the Royal Opera House – applications open in May. But, I have applied to study Costume Design at five universities”.

John Paul Sisican, studying for A Level 3 Extended Diploma in Graphic Design, didn’t name their striking artwork, but instead “focused on making them as visually interesting as possible”. John Paul explained that they enjoyed taking inspiration from artists that they’d learned about on the course; “Both my pieces were inspired by Japanese artists. The first one takes inspiration from freelance illustrator Kinu Nishimura – I really like their work, it’s very stylised. For the second one, I’m inspired by Seiichi Hayashi’s ink-based work. It was a great way of broadening my range”. John Paul had a very successful autumn term at College, having been accepted onto the British Film Institute’s Short Film & Animation course, which only accepts 40 applicants a year. They would like to continue their education further after College, and have applied to study Games Art at University of the Arts London; “My artwork has always been inspired by video games. Games arts is already such a broad industry, but I can also take the skills elsewhere to other media industries such as film and animation”.

Fellow Level 3 Extended Diploma in Graphic Design student, Adam Nagy, would also like to pursue a career in Games Design; “I want to go and study at Norwich University. The industry is so high-level so I want to go to university to expand my skills – especially 3D work”. Adam was delighted to showcase three works in the Winter Exhibition; “A lot of the work I do is personal, done in my own time – I didn’t think I would be given the opportunity to exhibit”. They continued, “Two of my pieces were inspired my mythology, and the other, World War II. In the third piece, I used a bright background colour to make the subject stand out. But in terms of the actual soldier, I took inspiration from a set of World War II uniform that my friend owns, which was really interesting to do”.

Woody Moore, Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design student, shared how they were inspired by ‘One World Week’ – an annual cause for awareness of global issues that damage the environment and cause poverty; “I wanted to take an alternative approach and allude to the mental health impact of the refugee crisis. It shows the sadness and depression that they endure in their travels”. Woody commended their experience of the course; “I really enjoy my course. It’s definitely made my interest in art grow. Being able to learn about all of the different techniques, art periods and artists is so interesting”. Woody continued, “When I leave College, I want to go to university. I’ve applied for Central Saint Martins in London, Glasgow School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan and University of the West of England in Bristol”.

Anabelle Pillen also studies for a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design, and explained how the course has helped them to develop their creative skills; “I used the paint for my exhibited piece because it’s a medium I’m less confident with using and wanted to test my limits. I often use our regular life drawing classes as a way of practicing things I’m less confident at. Practicing drawing anatomy is really useful, because lots of university art courses like for you to be good at that”. Anabelle continued, “I’ve really enjoyed my course and I’m really glad that I picked it. If you’re looking to go into something more creative, I think that a diploma is a really good option. In comparison to A Levels, you’re obviously more focused on the one subject, and so get to explore in more detail and a wider range of techniques and artists. I feel like you have so many resources available to you at College”. Anabelle is going to pursue the Higher Education route; “When I finish College, I’m hoping to go to university to study Illustration. After that, I’d love to work in the book illustration industry”.