For three days in early December BA (Hons) Visual Communication second year students transformed a former shop unit in central Bradford into “Grotto” – a unique seasonal browsing experience.
The old Boots chemists was converted into a magical environment showcasing student work in three themed collections: Innocent Joy, Playful Encounters and Dark Wit.
Students were asked to create designs which responded to the pre-Christmas period in a vibrant and ethnically diverse city where a high proportion of the population do not actively celebrate Christmas. The results were extremely varied, focussing on themes including: family and community, consumerism, homelessness, sustainability, sharing and celebration.
Over the three days several hundred people visited the event and feedback was very positive particularly about the breadth of the work and the creative and critical ways it engaged with the theme. Students were amazed by the variety of people who came into the space and how long they spent looking at the work and the interest they showed in what it was all about.
The space was generously provided by ReBooted a Bradford-based arts organisation.
