Young Arts, Run Free
By Helen Murphy and Nick Pelling
The School of Art and Design in Hastings has quite a historical pedigree. For well over a century – at various locations and under slightly different names – it has been offering a supportive habitat for those hothouse flowers known as art students. Two weeks ago, the Art and Design Department at East Sussex College put on an exhibition of the works of their current second-year, Level 3 students at the Electro Gallery on the seafront in St Leonards. The brief the students were given was to create works inspired by the idea of ‘alchemy’. We went along to the show on a freezing night to see what was bubbling up.
DESIGN FOR LIVING
We feel that art students have not had a good press. There was a time when it was assumed that art students sat around making roll ups and staring into eternal space or waiting to turn into the new Keith Richards, or Faris Badwan. (Who? Ed)
L to R: Ruby-Rose Exley with her work; Poppy Baker with her work; Bella Rose Sharpe with her work
But now things feel somewhat different. The Hastings students have grasped something – that modern Britain feeds off design almost as much as the Victorian economy fed off coal. Everything is about design, and the College shows its students they can be commercially minded. (The College has just put on its first annual Christmas Fair in which students could sell their ‘seasonal’ artworks, at the College’s Station Plaza location). Despite this worldly approach, we did still get the sense that art college remains a bit of a laugh. And maybe, it should be.
The theme of ‘alchemy’ is obviously going to be open to all sorts of interpretations. Catherine Bell, the passionate Head of Curriculum, Art and Design, at the College explained that the challenge was essentially to explore the idea of “the act of transformation.” For many of the students, this took them towards the endless mutability of the human form. Bella Rose Sharpe seemed particularly interested in the “objectification” of the human body and the fault lines between art and exploitation. Her work took the form of photographic collage, mixing in elements of sexual ambiguity in eye-catching photo-mosaics. One of which featured the grand panjandrum of all artsy alchemy, David Bowie.
BUTTERFLIES AND HUMANOID DUCKS
But, the approaches were all sharply different. Poppy Baker sowed images and words into white cloth, creating disconcerting pieces that resonated in the mind for some time. Bayley Bull, went for hard-edged pop stuff, such as his oddly funny humanoid duck with a green face. Emily Lowe’s photographic work was also intriguing. As was Finn Seamann’s enigmatic piece, The Watcher. Toby Bellos blended some childish humour into his quirky mix of drawing and collage in ways that were splendidly baffling. Tia Banfield went for a more poetic take on transformations, creating a gentle film, starring that most alchemic of insects, the butterfly. Hebe Harris’ cyanotype, high-exposure photographs of a bleached-out female form stood out as the genuine outcome of a chemical interaction – quite literally the product of alchemy.
The Watcher by Finn Seamann
Other works also caught our eye, such as George Padgham’s wonky sculpture and Ruby-Rose Exley’s textile creations. However, given that there were 42 students on show, there is simply not space here to mention everyone, but we can say that the overall standard and the sheer energy level was very impressive. Being able to show at the brilliant Electro Gallery must surely have given the students pause to think about how to use space and indeed how to project themselves.
THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM
The Level 3 course at Hastings College clearly has much to offer any young person considering a creative career. It gives an opportunity to explore a range of artistic approaches from traditional drawing and painting through to clay, textiles, photography and computer graphics. And it also helps students discover what sort of disciple they might prefer, whether they should move towards fine art, graphics, fashion, or whatever. Many of the students will go on to Foundation courses at the big London Art Colleges. Evidently, the Hastings Art school is maintaining its tradition of producing people who will bring us something different.
Emily Lowe explains her approach; Photography by Emily Lowe
Talking to the students, though, it was clear that although they appreciated the way they were given ‘creative freedom’ that this could at times be a problem. If anything is permissible the daunting expanse of possible ways forward can lead to a kind of paralysis. But most felt there was enough structure and guidance to stop them simply drifting. Chatting to Becky, Poppy and Emily, it was obvious that the students had wrestled with this paradox and, as Bowie almost said, found ways to turn and face the change.
• First Year, Level 3 students are currently putting on a show at the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, titled ‘Object.’ It runs until February 2023.
• If any young creatives would like to write a piece for Hastings Independent, the arts team
would welcome you. Please contact [email protected]
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