The view as you enter the shop looking towards the back to the left.

The view towards the back on the right hand of the shop.

The exhibition was held in the same pop-up shop as last year, the Haven, Church Road, off Parson’s Street in Banbury.  Preparations began at the beginning of May. First Students choose their space, and then the whole place is scrubbed and painted to within an inch of it’s life by everyone. There is also the electrics to be fixed by Steve and Martin, as some exhibits are videos or sound based. The emphasis is on the finish and  it goes without saying that the works themselves must also be finished to a high standard.

My space.

As I am part time, I was put in a shared space, as my exhibit is not being assessed this year.

I exhibited my 3 ceramic nests, which I have described in the previous entry, on 2 plinths. There was also a drawing of a paper nest (which was how the idea of the ceramics emerged) on A1 paper and hanging from clips, and one photograph of a close up of the Bowerbird nest. This was backed on polystyrene to finish it off.

 I was very pleased with the boxes which I had had made in order to display my work and by the overall result. The boxes not only display my work but also protect it because at the end of the day it is fragile and can break very easily.

I feel that the work I have produced is very original, something that I found very difficult to do in painting or other mediums. I am also happy about the form and texture of it and the edges of the rings. Probably the most successful is the big white one that I did first, but others like the blue and gold Bowerbird’s nest.

Some of the work by other Students, reading from left to right: Aidan Smith has created some beautiful photos of animals using a digital technique.  Victoria Essex’s exhibit was about the destruction of childhood dreams. The memories (familiar objects) were destroyed on film as well as  literally. It was about her childhood dreams not coming true ( no prince charming after all!)  as she got older. She had some very imaginative, slightly sinister pieces which represented her dreams. Elva Fernandes Rivero’s jewelry was influenced by Serpents in culture and myth, their shapes and movement, and the fact that they are poisonous but they are also used for healing remedies. She has captured their movements beautifully in rich primary colours.  Hector Garay Airoghi made a Museum of Memories which included a huge plaster of paris head of an extinct beast, (visible in the photograph) and ceramics based on memories, using a combination of crank clay and whitestone clay. A huge amount of work, and beautifully made, but quite poignant when he talks of memories of his Grandmother . Joanne Woodward, using a completely different technique and topic, has produced the Banal Report exploring patterns of behavior. She has produced pie charts and an actual report using Social Media. She was influenced by Dear Data, a book by Stephanie Posavel and Giorgia Lupi. Very well presented, interesting as well as topical. There was also some excellent work by other students too numerous to mention here, I have mentioned the ones that interested me the most.

The Shop

This is situated in the front of the Haven, and is where all the Student’s work can be bought by visitors. There are some lovely pieces such as Lampshades, Jewelry, Cards, framed and unframed prints and painted furniture. Everything is made by the Students to a very high standard.

The first night went well and there was a very good attendance. When I went back on the Saturday, there had also been a good attendance. When I went back today (Saturday 3rd June) a good number also came in (40 and £39 was made.) Many people have commented that they wished our shop could stay for longer in the Town.

Feedback

The shop is not advertised enough from the outside – there should be more banners and signs. People should be encouraged to go round the show one way with the shop at the end. On the opening night sell programmes for £1 to raise extra money.

The exhibition was praised for its presentation and professional touches like the labeling and the descriptions of the pieces.