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MA Stories : Talks at Middlesex University
In October, MA Sculpture were invited to give a talk to BA Fine Art students at Middlesex University. We split into smaller groups that were each assigned a theme that connected our practices. My group took on the theme of Material and Meaning.
During my section of the presentation, I spoke about the ways in which my approach to materials and materiality has developed over the course of the MA. I started with images of my work from my BA and went on to show the development of my work since then - highlighting the shift away from materials being the means to an end in terms of expressing meaning, and towards allowing meaning to emerge through more rigorous investigation of my materials.
Preparing for this presentation was a useful exercise in attempting to clarify my own thinking regarding these elements of my practice. It allowed me to reflect on the ways in which my practice has changed and grown over the last few years, and to consider what would have been useful to know when I was studying at BA level.
MA Research Festival: Steering Committee
In the run-up to the MA Research Festival I volunteered to be part of the Steering Committee, a student-run group that develops the title, theme and marketing for the event.
This year’s festival has been titled Metabolizer. We thought about the event in terms of creating the conditions for "metabolising" (processing, absorbing, transforming, exchanging) practice and research. We imagined the research festival as a science-fictional machine or organism that activates creative metabolisms via proximity and "plugging-in" to each other's research.
The title came about from a conversation I remembered having with Owen Herbert, an artist from the previous year’s MA cohort, who said that he felt like he was still processing the MA a year on from finishing. Given this connection, I was also able to get in touch on behalf of the committee to ask whether Owen would write a short introduction for this years Reflection collection - a compilation of texts written by current students who reflect on their practices in relation to the festival.
Within the committee I am also part of the design team. This has been a great opportunity to learn more about the creation of imagery and marketing materials for an event that encompasses such a wide variety of artists.
Although the work of the committee is still ongoing, it has already been a really valuable experience in developing the kind of skills that will allow me to do more community-facing work in the future.
Poster for Metabolizer by Alice Payen Dubois De La Patellière
A drawing that I submitted in planning sessions that will be used as motif in marketing materials
BA Drawing: Talks and Tutorials
In November, a number of MA Sculpture students will act as Visiting Artists to present our work to BA Drawing Students before hosting one-on-one tutorials with them.
This year has given me the opportunity to consider the ways in which drawing feeds into my sculpture practice. I am hoping to communicate some of these ideas as well as exploring the wider ways in which drawing and sculpture are so intrinsically linked.
In the MA Drawing cohort, many students have incorporated sculptural elements into their works and so I’m looking forward to seeing if and how the BA group has done the same.
In terms of my professional practice, I am interested in working in community engagement roles so this will be a chance to develop those skills as well as opening some valuable dialogue between students at different points in their academic journeys.