The 2018 Graduate Show

In June we were proud to fill three gallery spaces on the Farnham Campus with work from our graduates. Digital Film & Screen Arts (DFSA) places an emphasis on exploring the creative and conceptual possibilities of moving image and hybrid digital practices.

The diversity of projects by our graduates testify to the richness of the moving image and its dynamic role within contemporary art and the creative digital industries. These highly distinctive productions included single-screen and multiscreen works as well as physical installations, animation and sound-design.

Students worked both individually and collaboratively to synthesise critical, conceptual, creative and technical skills across the breadth of these productions.

Here are some photos and screen shots from the show:

Billie Williams

Umor Hussain

Tarald Tvedt

Sugini Nageswaran

Arturs Reinholds

Colin Cha

Ivan Uzunov

Ivan Uzunov & Arturs Reinholds

Katherine Whetton

Logan Gourley

Preston Hartley

Nicole Harman-Smith

Natalie Hodgins

Mary Novoselova

Jay Hayes

Rufaro Maumbe

Here is graduate, TJ's (Tarald Tvedt) review:

May and June marks the calendar every year as the University for the Creative Arts Graduation Show, and this year was no different but what a year for artwork it was! So when the middle of May rolled around it was time to start building the walls and hallways that would eventually turn into the show, and even though the University has countless art installations on display throughout the year, there was still a lot to do. Any build transformation starts with countless piles of timber, nails, screws, and a whole lot of paint – well that, and technicians and students working hand in hand. And work we did! For three straight weeks we were sawing, hammering, and painting like frantic art students, even though we almost do all our work on computers, for now we had to exchange Adobe Illustrator for a real life paintbrush.

Slowly, but surely, both G12 and R19 were starting to look more and more like galleries. All the monitors, projectors, art pieces, and film reels had to be finished, and time was starting to run out. The grand opening of the private view was approaching, and there was still tape on the floor in certain places! Not to mention that there were still no artist statements on any of the walls! But with multiple students and technicians working overtime during the last couple of days, we were as ready as we could be when the first guests started arriving. It was time to blow everyone away.  

So the doors opened and families started pouring in, everyone eager to see what their son, daughter, or sibling had created. And they were not disappointed! The moment you enter you see the most incredible work by the glass and metal work (not sure what this course is called?), and you right away know that this is going to be a good exhibition! After that most people had a quick pit stop at one of the booths for refreshments to cool down on this hot summer day, before venturing into the rest of the Graduation work. You would not have to walk far to get to the DFSA rooms, with the first, R19 only being a little bit down the spinal corridor and to the left. Upon entering you were met with a great projecting on the far wall of an experimental dance narrative called Gunpowder Mill. Upon looking around the room the guests could either watch two experimental pieces, one about the experience of growing up black in a white culture, and the other about the mythological Greek muses, or they could sit down comfortably in one of two sofas to watch two of the longest pieces the Grad Show had to offer, two documentaries - As a Man and A Journey with Vairavar. There were also six screens in the back showing some experimental work about how to beautifully restore cracks in your metaphorical skin using a traditional Japanese technique.

After finishing in R19, you could head straight to G12 for your next DFSA experience! In term time this space is a film studio, but our hard work turned it into a fabulous dark gallery to show our work to best advantage. Great projections about childhood memories, music videos about love, loss, loneliness, and independence, but also experimental work like Dog Favour, or Fine Art work such as Chloe Debonnaire’s critique of traditional fairy tales as projections on painted canvases. You could honestly spend an hour in this room, and you would still not be done! Everyone has worked incredibly hard to make thie curation of this work come together in such a wonderful fashion, but we’re not quite done yet! There is still the cinema room to discover! After walking for a little bit, or by following the map, if you didn’t want to risk getting lost considering how massive the university is, eventually you will find W612 – the cinema room. This is where you could enjoy a large amount of the work already on display in other rooms, plus some exclusive work, in a dark cinema setting, to set the mood properly, particularly for our two cinematic dramas. Here you could experience the almost the entire body of DFSA screen work, and watch it in peace and silence.

It was truly a magnificent graduation show with all kinds of work on display wherever you looked. It is sadly over for now, but do not worry, the grad show will be back in June 2019 with a whole new batch of work for everyone to enjoy! And if you want to watch some of work again, or for the first time if you missed the show, most of the films, animations, music videos, and experimental projects are available of the DFSA YouTube page. See you there! 

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