Creativity to fore as UCOL art and design students prepare final shows
The design and art departments at UCOL Whanganui are hives of activity as bachelor students complete their final works for the year.
Third-year students in the visual arts, fashion and design media are putting the final touches to graduate pieces that will feature in the DNA 19 exhibition, which opens at the Edith Gallery on November 22.
Visual Arts senior lecturer Lorraine Webb said it is both a stressful and exciting time for students.
"It promises to be a wonderful range of exhibitions and this year we have the student fashion show back on the programme for opening night so it will be very visually stimulating."
Four visual artists are preparing very different series for their final show.
Kris Lott's paintings are a series of self portraits which she describes as "a play on the modern habit of taking selfies".
Louriel Masson-Oakden's workspace is filled with brightly painted three-dimensional works of shredded canvas mounted on wooden poles.
"They represent protest banners but they have no messages."
And Eva Harkness's (ex WHS) works incorporate animal skulls and mummified cats decorated with bright, inorganic materials.
"The theme is about organic matter versus junky manufactured materials that don't break down," she says.
Bede McMenamin's (ex WHS) paintings are a series of layered and deconstructed works with letters that don't form words.
"They are about the build-up of layers of information that becomes meaningless."
Visual design students Kate-Lee Ure (ex WHS), Amelia Mohammad, David Hall (ex WHS) and Adrian Wei will exhibit their final designs.
Adrian Wei has printed his range of designs in white ink on black T-shirts and a bag.
"I'm really pleased with how the designs look in print.
"I'm branding myself at this stage."
David Hall has designed cardboard packaging for coffee cubes which generate less waste than capsules, he says.
"We look at sustainability as part of the design process."
Kate-Lee Ure's design for a vegan make-up company incorporates a wreath made of organic plant materials with a laser-cut wooden logo in the centre.
"I'm really pleased with how well my design has translated into a three-dimensional result."
Amelia Mohammad has channelled her Malaysian heritage to create a batik-style fabric print.
"I'm also working an animated piece which tells the story of a celestial princess."
In the textile and fashion department, Alex Morder has assembled a group of models wearing her final collection.
"It is inspired by Japanese street wear," she says.
"You see young people wearing eclectic outfits in the streets and they have these wonderful combinations of colours and patterns."
Morder has included colourful masks to go with the collection.
"People in Japanese cities wear masks because of the air pollution and they are usually white or black.
"Mine are co-ordinated with the designs."
The young designer has added pleating and smocking detail to the garments, which are constructed from fabrics of different weights, patterns and colours.
Programme leader Stephanie West said the fashion show, which will be held in UCOL Whanganui A Block, provides a wonderful opportunity for Morder and the other students.
"It's great for the students to have something to celebrate their hard work. It's something for them to aim for and be excited about."
"It's great for the students to have something to celebrate their hard work. It's something for them to aim for and be excited about."
This is the second year that all of UCOL Whanganui's Art and Design programmes have combined for an end-of-year exhibition. Last year's exhibition, Tributaries, attracted more than 200 people.
Fashion Show: Friday November 22 at 7.30pm, UCOL Whanganui A Block. Tickets $15 from UCOL Whanganui Info Hub.
Exhibition Week: November 25-29, UCOL Whanganui campus (atrium, B & C blocks), 16 Rutland St, NZ Glassworks, 2 Rutland St 10am-3pm. Free entry.
Liz Wylie
Whanganui Chronicle 16/11/19
