News / 13 Apr 2023
BA (Hons) Fine Art student awarded second grand prize in British Art Medal Society Competition
BA (Hons) Fine Art
BA (Hons) Fine Art student Tia Dunn has been awarded Second Grand Prize in the prestigious British Art Medal Society’s Student Medal Project 2023.
The Student Medal Project was set up by the British Art Medal Society (BAMS), to promote the art of the medal in UK arts universities and colleges. This is the fourth time students from the University have submitted to the competition, winning prizes in 2020 and 2021 and picking up merits in 2022.
Final-year student Tia said the competition has given her an outlet over the last three years discuss broader environmental themes central to her practice and is delighted to have her submission recognized by the judges.
“The front of the medal shows two bluefin tuna, and the soft, delicate nature of the sculpture shows them as majestic and beautiful creatures moving through the water. The opposing side is a large school of more simplistic but still delicate- tuna, in the act of being caught in a large fishing net."
Tia Dunn, BA (Hons) Fine Art student
When asked about the meaning behind her design, Tia tells us: "The medal has a simple message and is obvious. A beautiful show of ocean life, subverted by the back, depicting the bleak reality of humans destroying precious life for monetary gain. This is just one example of an industry worth billions while the environmental cost is inexcusable, an enormous contribution to our planet's ongoing destruction."
This is the 30th anniversary of the BAMS Student Medal Project and has resulted in the largest ever exhibition of medals.
The exhibition is open at Central Saint Martins in Granary Square until 9 May.