University of Chester Degree Show 2024
Words, Hannah Harry
A selection of strong student work from the various strands of the University of Chester’s department of Art and Design strikes a balance between the personal and the political, in many cases highlighting the link between the two and emphasizing the individual’s interconnectedness in the wider political landscape of their time and place.
Kayleigh Quinn’s highly personal photographic record of her experience of motherhood raises interesting questions about our societal understanding of being a parent more generally. Quinn’s frank, clear images of her body during pregnancy, her self-portraits with her child and the images of her son emphasize the dichotomy between the joy of loving a child and the exhaustion that accompanies parenthood.
A similar degree of frankness is achieved by Annabel Carter’s large-format street photography. Carter’s records of encounters with people on the streets of Chester are refreshingly clear and unaffected – here are images which ask us to think about the relationship between character and appearance, raising the question induced by so much visual art and by portraiture specifically: how does what we see with our eyes connect to the interior life of individuals, whether artists or sitters?
A number of stand-out sculptural pieces act as reminders of the power of three dimensionality. Tirion William’s large installation inspired by the agricultural industry and limestone quarries of their hometown in North Wales highlights the unexpected beauty and aesthetic power of everyday tools and workshop paraphernalia. The rustic simplicity of the assembled objects combine to create a monumental structure which is both dominant in scale and aesthetically inconspicuous – a result of the harmonious relationship of his selected materials.
Similarly impressive is Aimee Hughes’ use of latex, PVA and re-purposed pregnancy pillows to create a series of uncanny installations. Here, delicate and brightly-coloured textiles are used to partly enclose outpourings of latex, creating a sense of something visceral and potentially repellent bursting forth through the flimsy seams of conventional prettiness. This is a self-confessed exploration of the experience of womanhood and of the difficulties of masking elements of self that are often considered unwelcome and unwanted.
From sculpture to two dimensions and Karol Kwalski’s Henry Moor-esque paintings of train stations have a lovely looseness and palette that recalls the works of many British modernists. A similar nod to art’s past can also be seen in Marthe Nauf’s spare acrylic paintings, where the artist has removed the figures from famous art-historical works including Jacques-Louis David’s ‘The Death of Marat’, Gericault’s ‘The Raft of the Medusa’ and Thomas Gainsborough’s ‘Mr and Mrs Andrews’. Nauf’s work raises the question of how we respond to figures in art and the political implications of the human presence – or, conversely, absence.
From the Graphic Design department come a selection of exciting book cover designs by Anna Rowell, bringing the work of Stephen King up to date for a modern audience. Works by the rest of the cohort demonstrate the freshness and modernity of the next generation of designers at Chester.
The exciting possibilities for the practical application of creativity can be seen in the work of Product Design students, whose submissions include a pet bed for reducing anxiety in dogs by Ella Snape, a stool for engaging teenagers with storytelling at Chester Zoo by Sophie Green and a privacy-screen for changing outdoors by Dylan Page. From the industrial to the societal and educational realms, these works demonstrate the problem-solving capacity of imaginative design and the importance of Art schools for the development and growth of our economy. Accompanied by student portfolios, the display of these works offers audiences a chance to track the creative process of the makers, outlining their process, aims and techniques from idea to product.
University of Chester Degree Show 2024
Words, Hannah Harry