With preparation for our End of Year Show in full swing, we asked some of our graduating students to give us a look behind the scenes.
Meet the students who will be taking over the University’s social media account in the run up to the show...
Christopher Hoare, BA (Hons) Animation
@christophers_animations
Thursday 23 May
I am an animator and scriptwriter aiming to tell stories which make people laugh but encourage them to consider themselves. My final film, Gloop Café, tells a story of two diners which co-exist on the same street. When a bizarre new menu item is introduced, what starts as confusion from regular clientele soon escalates into riotousness. I most enjoy animation because it is an inherently eye-catching medium whose uniqueness can prove incredibly resonant.
Katy Wolfe, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication
@kikicomms
Thursday 30 May (with Eloise Ferguson)
My final module focused on the creation of Viable, a fashion publication for sustainable means. Viable, as its name suggest, aims to explore feasible sustainable avenues within the fashion industry. Exposing those areas causing the most concern as a means of encouragement to do and be better. If the following content causes people to take further action or research the issues themselves then the purposes of Viable will have been met.
Profiling forward-thinking conscious individuals, unwilling to settle for the current and worsening ecological state, with sustainability, equality and diversity at its core, the ensuing output aims to provoke and inform. The first issue of Viable covers a range of topics with all creative content exclusively commissioned from a collection of creative partners. The six features, comprising of eight shoots alongside articles and illustrations, explore ways we are and can take action, the issues we’re facing and solutions some are already making use of in the hopes that it will increase the readers responsiveness and responsibility towards the planet.
Eloise Ferguson, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography
@eloise__ferg
Thursday 30 May (with Katy Wolfe)
As a starting point for my project, I reflected on the prominent issues with the fashion industry that are most important to me. The environmental impact of the fashion industry is detrimental - as the second largest polluter in the world, the way we consume fashion needs to change. As a part of this industry, I aim to raise awareness of these issues and present alternatives to fast fashion in a way that is accessible to consumers, whilst maintaining a curated aesthetic and visual language.
I produced images primarily on medium format for this project, finding that it slowed down my process, forcing more consideration and intent behind each image, further pushing the concepts explored. The final outcome of my project was “Ecocentric”, a magazine made up of a mix of editorials and photo series, featuring sustainably styled garments and local, ethical designers, including many students from Leeds Arts University as collaborators.
Eppie Westwood, BA (Hons) Printed Textiles & Surface Pattern Design
@e.p.p.i.e
Monday 3 June
I am a surface pattern and print designer with soft-digital approach to design, combining hand and digital processes to produce printed outputs primarily for fashion.
I am inspired by natural forms in both the humanistic and botanical aspect, and use detailed style of drawing which is a graphic, yet fluid and illustrative translation of these themes.
My graduate collection presents a colourful and imaginative interpretation of patterns inspired by nature. With a bold and graphic use of print, playful figurations express almost dream-like illustrations based on botanical gardens from around the world. These prints evoke vibrancy and liveliness in pattern and print design.
Maria Cepeda, BA (Hons) Fine Art
@mariacamila.cepeda
Tuesday 4 June
For my final project I worked with transhumanist ideas which talk about surpassing the limits of the human body through technology. I used these ideas which seem very far-fetched from our technological reality, together with a popular visual culture around the subject, to create imaginary characters in a scenario where body augmentation took centre stage.
I worked with Nick Castledine, a University of Leeds robotics student, who helped me make the robots which I would then incorporate into wearable sculptures to create the character of a video in which I play the characters. Fellow soon-to-be-graduate Natasha Joseph, helped me with recording the footage. This video will be shown in the end of year show, alongside complementary sculptural pieces. I hope they bring with them interesting discussions about human body limits, its physicality and its sensory reality.
Aderice Palmer-Jones, BA (Hons) Illustration
@Adericelaura
Wednesday 5 June
My practice is inspired by my strong interest in black history, 70s textiles and my own personal experiences of being mixed raced woman within a western context - often bringing a social message amidst my visuals. The focus being in bringing modern black culture forward to a mainstream setting. Another side of my work is experimenting with children's textile illustration with figurative visual language being at the forefront of my imagery.
Ami Vadi, BA (Hons) Graphic Design
@ami.vadi
Thursday 6 June
Throughout my degree I explored many different forms of design, that being: digital, analogue, motion and interactive. Through my practise I enjoy bringing my experiences, ideologies and personality to life in design, creating work that has a purpose and creates a conversation. For my end of year show I will be showcasing my editorial on Plastic Pollution.
‘The Plastic Ocean’ is a pocket sized editorial, filled with hard hitting facts and figures about the devastating effects of plastic pollution to the ocean. The book is a condensed response to the comprehensive research underwent in this brief. Simple in design yet intricate in production processes, the book is made of recycled/recyclable elements making it a sustainable product that promotes a sustainable lifestyle. It offers an informative yet frustrating experience, with vast layers of reused plastic inserts. Mimicking the excess of plastic used and dumped in the ocean, placing the reader in a position of continuously navigating through the plastic layers to read the book. It is bound with plastic bottle rings and completed with a self made resin cover forming a look similar to plastic submerged in water.
