Film & Digital Art (from Sept 2019) studying the experimental and creative possibilities of moving image, photography and hybrid digital practices at UCA Farnham
Our new first year have been asked to use their smartphones create a 2
minute digital media work as a fun activity for Induction Week.
They have been asked to explore their relationship to the environment and each group group of three will research into artists, filmmakers, factual information, literature
or other relevant sources to come up with a concept by using the wonderful UCA library as well as searching
online.
We've told them that their moving image work could be linked
episodes of short videos, animations or a series of stills and their challenge is to use at least one of their
favourite apps to capture or manipulate their material but to use them more critically and to reflect on how they are used on social
media for representation and interaction.
“When I was young, most people just assumed the
permanence of the fragile system which we were living in. Now we cannot deny
the interconnectedness of everything we do” Olafur Eliasson.
We are excited to see what they do tomorrow. Check back here to see what they come up with...
Two more videos from our 48 hour smartphone challenge now uploaded on our YouTube channel! Check them out below!
Wow wow wow! Everyone made an amazing attempt at the challenge and hope you all had fun. There are still some wonderful films saved locally on our archive drive to upload so this is not the end of it. So much talent in this group and we're all so excited to be working with them. Keep watching this space...
See this video by Vincent Honore, Exhibition Curator, and Tarini Malik, Assistant Curator:
I went last week after going to Parliament Square for the XR Youth Strike. I literally bumped into an old friend in the foyer of the Hayward Gallery that I used to share a student flat with in Hulme, Manchester, back in the 80s and we were able to explore the exhibition together. Fantastic to visit familiar photos from Del LaGrace Volcano taking me back to the mid 90s when we shared a studio with Grace Lau and Robin Shaw as founding members of Exposures - a collective of Women Photographers. Since then Del has transitioned, lives in Sweden and is currently MaPa to their two children who they are raising as non-binary.
Its easy to fall into a lull over the summer and to let your creative juices stop temporarily however the summer is a great time for you to get inspired, work on your own projects and just enjoy being ARTY without all the pressure! whether you are between years or about to embark on your Film & digital Arts journey in September, these tips are a great way to prep and get those creative thoughts flowing ready for all the exciting work to come but also to keep your artistically active. Building on my advice for you last year here are some more creative things you can do this summer...
GET INSPIRED & EXPLORE ART
Now you have more down time you can visit exhibitions that inspire you, but also visit exhibitions from artists you've never heard of before - something that sounds different to your usual areas of interest. It can be fun to explore new art on a whim, especially if its free (like a lot of the work at the Tate!) A lot of exhibitions are usually in London which may be far for some of you but if you find lots that interest you, you can make the most by doing a bit of a gallery-crawl! Here are some exhibitions going on round London which sound unique, powerful and well worth a visit:
The Culture Under Attack season at The Imperial War Museum, London. Now - 5th Jan 20.
FREE
'A free season of three exhibitions, live music, performances and talks at IWM London that explore how war threatens not just people’s lives, but also the things that help define us. Telling stories spanning 100 years, Culture Under Attack reveals why some try to erase or exploit culture, while others risk everything to protect, celebrate and rebuild it.' https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/what-remains
What Remains is a new exhibition here, which explores cultural heritage and how and why it is attacked during war through collections of artwork, objects and photographs.
Frieze Sculptures at Regents Park, London. Now - 6th October.
FREE
Londons largest outdoor free display of artwork. This year it includes the artists: Iván Argote, Ghazaleh Avarzamani, Huma Bhabha, Peter Buggenhout, Jodie Carey, Ma Desheng, Tracey Emin, Lars Fisk, Barry Flanagan, Charlie Godet Thomas, Leiko Ikemura, Robert Indiana, Vik Muniz, Zak Ové, Jaume Plensa, Bettina Pousttchi, Tom Sachs, Lucy Skaer, LR Vandy, Joanna Rajkowska, Tai-Jung Um, Bill Woodrow and Emily Young. The sculptures vary from symbolic numbers to a giant matchbox car.
Miss Bugs: Do No Harm at Jealous East Gallery, London. Now - 21st July.
FREE
This is a piece/exhibition about our societies need to consume everything. The artist has made a series of popsicles which are not fit for consumption as a statement on this.
Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life at Tate Modern, London. Now - 5th January 20.
£18
Eliasson has created a show at the Tate which focuses on sustainability, which is an urgent and important topic at the moment. He plays with light creating things such as rainbows indoors. It sounds like a very powerful exhibition.
If you feel inspired by these exhibitions, or anything else for that matter, then push yourself to make something. BE CREATIVE! As photographers, filmmakers and artists this should come easy to you, however I understand it can be hard to have motivation, especially over the holidays, so here are some things to try:
Summer Montage Challenge - Film 10 seconds to 1 minute from every day of the summer. Capture things you have been up to and seen but try to also think about what interest and excites you. Then you can edit and combine all these interesting visuals together to create a summer film unique to you. This keeps your brain thinking creatively even if only for a short while each day.
Daily Photo Challenge - A lot of people will already, sometimes unknowingly, take part in this by posting pictures at least once a day to instagram. However this is a good approach even if you don't post them on social media. The idea is to take one photo a day that sums up that day, by expressing yourself, your feeling or what you have seen/done. You then collect these images together (posting daily if you like) or posting as a series. You can even combine them together to make manipulated images or a montage video of images. This is another fun way to keep you actively creative every day.
Daily Art Challenge - Very much the same as the last two challenges, however you create art work every day which again will only take you a few mins or maybe sometimes longer, but expresses that day or your feelings towards it etc. You can then collect these and post them online, creating yourself an online summer gallery or collate them into something bigger at the end of the summer. Again another interesting way to keep stimulated and creative.
Finish the unfinished - As creatives you sometimes find you start working on an idea or project and you sometimes just loose focus, time or you just forget about it all together. You end up with half-finished pieces, unedited photo shoots & films, or rough sketches and plans that never became more Summer is a great time to revisit these. You can come back to them with fresh eyes and use this extra time you now have to finish the unfinished. Even if it's not a fully fledged portfolio worthy piece of work, its always good to feel a sense of accomplishment from finishing something you have started
CHILL OUT & RESEARCH
All these exhibitions and tasks I speak about are just ideas of how to keep creative and busy, but one very under-rated use of your time is also RESEARCH! As artists you must realise that the best way to become inspired and create contextualised work is to have a field of knowledge behind you. If you find yourself with spare time then look into art from the comfort of your own home. Go online and research art movements you have heard of, artists you want to know more about and anything else that may feed one day into your ideas and works. If you fancy a trip out the house as well then libraries are a good place to take some time to yourself to again research and read into art etc that you may not have found any other way! The best bit about research during the summer is there is no pressure to look into any particular thing, as its not for a project etc, it's just looking at what interest, inspires and excites you. By doing this you'r building yourself up with a wealth of knowledge around subjects that matter to you, which you can then use in future projects making your ideas more fully formed and contextualised at an earlier stage.
SHUT DOWN is created and designed by Charlotte Vincent alongside a talented team working with the Vincent Dance Theatre Company. It's their first ever all male production and 'explores the spectrum of modern day masculinity and investigates the pressures, contradictions and confusions of being a man.' They are touring the country with this live performance as well as it being made into a 6 screen video artwork.
We gave students the opportunity to see this show while it was here in Farnham at The Maltings in February 2019. The show was an amazing experience, one that shocked but also inspired and made you question yourself and the way you think about the issues and topics surrounding masculinity. It used so many diverse styles of dance from pop & lock, to contemporary to gestural movements etc to try explore and represent masculinity. Each type of dance was used so specifically to link to the ideas they would explore in that scene. It combined the art form of dance alongside a multitude of others to create this powerful performance. It used Spoken Word, Rap and real life testimonies to make this piece even more charged. The spoken word was said with such passion and really felt like a integral part of the piece, to not only see visually how these men are impacted but also to hear how they feel and drive the piece forward in this sense as well.
I feel like this show is one that will be perceived differently by everyone but the biggest divide will be how men perceive this show, compared to women. As a women myself watching this, I felt on edge at times almost wanting to cry for the way these men were demonstrating the most simplest of issues to us, at times almost feeling bad for the part I may have to play in these issues societally. However at other times I found myself smiling and even laughing at the obvious but comical stereotypes we were also being presented with. This show really is a rollercoaster of ups and downs and that is what made it so exciting and impactful, really making me think about the way men and masculinity can be thought of in current day society and the problems this presents. It was an experience not worth missing and I would encourage anyone, even if not into dance, to go see this.
Other people have said:
‘Once again I was blown away by @VincentDT. #VDTShutDown is fearless, meaningful and so relevant. Everyone needs to see it.’ Audience Feedback, London.
'SHUT DOWN seems to present simultaneously a manifesto, a rebellion, a cry for help, and a mapping of the many identities ‘a man’ could take on.’ Exeunt Magazine.
'This was my highlight of the Festival – honest, thoughtful, funny, gut-wrenching.’ Audience Member, Brighton Festival 2018
Another fantastic event attended by Will McGregor (who showed a sneak preview of his new feature - shh!), Ben Burdock (producer at Pulse Films), Iain Whitewright (editor at Whitehouse Post), Sam Heasman (freelance cinematographer), Laura Thomas (Freelance TV Co-ordinator - BBC, Channel 5, RDF and more), Shahid Abu (Audiovisual Tech/Engineer at Media Powerhouse), Charlie Akehurst (FX Technical Director at MPC) and Thomas Doukinitsas (Motion Graphics Designer at RT UK)
Accomplished careers in the creative industries were discussed along with tips for our current students to find work during and after their studies. Everyone agreed that you should get paid but perhaps occasionally take an opportunity to help someone for free and learn new skills. Also use your network - make work with your friends. Some of the most simple and best advice is in the presentation above - WORK HARD & BE NICE TO PEOPLE!
After a Q&A we went to the Hockey Gallery for the Private View of Milieu? our Y2 exhibition:
Students
explore maps and networks as metaphors, through inventive and imaginative interpretations
of space, memory, identity, surveillance, cultural anthropology, ecology and
sustainability. Spanning video, animation, multi-screen film, spoken word,
video games and installation, the work in the exhibition illustrates the
breadth and interdisciplinary nature of the course which enables students to
consider social, personal and political concerns through film and digital art.
Harnessing creativity to technical know-how, intellectual curiosity to social responsibility,
Film & Digital Art affords students invaluable opportunities for individual
and collaborative expression and experimentation.
Digital Dystopia by Pip Brett Our student curators Brodie McBride and Ance Priedneice have done an amazing job of planning and co-ordinating the exhibition with all the Year 2 students helping out and our TA Billie Williams providing valuable advice too. Big thanks also to Laura Rowe, the UCA Gallery Technician, for her help and patience. The exhibition is open until March 16th so please come and visit.
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!
For the first term of year 2 DFSA, the class was given the artistic assignment to make a project following the theme of Maps and Networks. Students took this theme to different lengths, thusly, the output of the unit deemed that the collective has been called Journeys & Gender, covering the mediums of photography, video art and sculpture. The ideas developed over several weeks following individual tutorials, group brainstorming and ending with a peer assessment. The results included feminist creations such as anecdotes from young women leaving university to the world careers and a dual screen piece showing women's powers and experiences. Demonstrations of journeys were presented in multifaceted meanings, including an intrinsic documentation of depression and a photo gallery of a young boy growing up.
These are just a few distilled descriptions of a larger body of work exhibited in the spinal corridor at UCA Farnham. There are sixteen works installed to be viewed before the exhibition ends on February 1st, along with next weeks alumni event when graduates can explore the work alongside the creators.
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"Students explore the metaphor of ‘maps’
and/or ‘networks’ to investigate narrative and non-linear ideas through
inventive and imaginative interpretation of conceptual themes. Spanning
photography, video, animation, multi-screen film, participatory artwork and
installations students explore a host of themes including the expression of
sexuality, shifting perceptions of global and social issues and metaphorical
travels." Rosie Gunn - Course Leader Digital Film & Screen Arts BA
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Artist Statements
Savina Simmons
Forget Me Not
Forget
Me Not is a mixed media piece reflecting upon a journey from childhood to a place
of creative development, invoking a feeling of nostalgia. Using elements from
the home and replacing items to create an uncanny effect, this piece represents
a journey that is not necessarily what it seems.
Ciara Rose Goldfinch
Four Lives (Varied
Colour)
An
insight into four individual women’s experiences whilst at turning points in
their lives. Told in their own words and represented by different colours.
Alice Ball &
Danielle Winter
Avert Your Eyes
This
twin screen video installation explores the themes and ideas of women,
sexuality, power and experiences.
Suzanne Bellisio
Lost in Communication
A
comparison between how we communicated and networked in the 1950s is compared
to the modern day. Even though technology is useful, is it bad for us? Do we
keep getting lost in communication with each other?
Adelaide Somers
Face Up
This
video documentation of my performance was designed to put people on the spot
and ask them to confront the choices as to what they say online. I wanted to
show that the words you say leave marks on those you say them to.
Holly Probert
Support Network
Building
off the work of artists such as Zawadzka, Rankin and Biennial, I have created
this piece to represent the network of support that exists around me and to
remind you that everyone is surrounded by the ones who helped build you.
Lorna Moseley
Chanced Impressions
This installation uses fingerprints to explore identity and criminality. The
sound explores the concept of selective hearing; what we choose to hear or
not.
George Pryer
Fuck My Gender
Influenced
by Duchamp and his concept of the ‘readymade’, this sculpture attacks the
metaphysical idea of gender. In a moment of self-discovery this sculpture confronts
societal fascination with the gender and genitalia of the transgender
community, in hope that the artist can detach themselves from the
‘psycho-sexual’ and biology.
Jodie Lambert
De.personalisation
An
exploration of losing a sense of yourself and trying to find your emotions
again.
Jack Gunn
Frownland
Frownland
is a dystopian world where everything seems broken. The blues of lingering
misery interrupted by an overwhelming wave of red lines. The gloom lit night is
long when in sorrow, but the morning always comes like a switch.
Luca Balivio
Light trails are formed into a journey through familar spaces in Farnham and London to create a metaphorical map that joins places of personal significance.
Paige Armstrong
Joseph Palmer &
Nina Sayuri Noreiga Sato
Turn Around
This
is an experimentation of perspective and the representation of unspoken
communication, where we break the boundaries between language and
understanding.
Oliver Wilshaw
Emotion’s World
Four
characters express their emotions and behave as opposites to each other but the
story isn’t one that has a defining narrative. It is set in a fictional dream world
full of symbolism, of ideas and of possibilities.
Jacob Howard & Ben
Manning
Mind Out
Delving
into the human brain to explore the creative right side and academic left side
and how our thoughts and emotions are affected by the two working together.
Gareth Loughlin (in
the stairwell at the end of the Spinal Corridor)
Boundless and Bare
Inspired
by poetry by Percy Shelley, this piece documents the admiration and
exploitation of nature. An observational work that investigates mother nature
as its own entity, and human interaction with it.
