Free Range 2016 | Week 2 Roundup
The Free Range art and design graduate shows, held each year at The Truman Brewery in East London, are a fantastic platform for creative students to showcase their work to the public, and get noticed by industry professionals. The photography exhibitions are spread over two weeks, and after the resounding success of week #1 (you can read a round up of our favourite work here) we took a trip back to Brick Lane to see what photographic gems we could uncover during week #2.
With double the amount of colleges and universities exhibiting this week, and a completely different layout, the space was transformed into a labyrinthine creative hub, containing a huge range of work from talented students up and down the UK.
With such a large and eclectic variety of work on display, and such a high overall standard, it was particularly tricky to pick favourites this week, but here’s our round-up of some stand-out works that caught our eye.
Thomas Comber's minimalistic and abstracted images of the prototype Concorde plane were the first to greet us as we entered Free Range, and they made an immediate impression, with their vivid colours and graphic edge. The series ‘reflects the features of design and ideas of the 1960’s as the UK and partners of this venture revolutionised travel in technology through civil supersonic flight.’
Focusing on ‘people and places that either go unseen or have a controversial topic’, ranging from gravediggers at work to mental health issues in middle aged men, we were drawn to Arthur Montgomery's work for his beautiful use of light, which really added an extra element of intrigue to his series.
Lauren Oliver’s ‘The Known Unknown’ hones in on the micro detail within natural objects such as fruit, vegetables and plants, morphing them from the familiar, into something intriguing and abstract. ‘It is fascinating to come face to face with the microscopic details of natural material that we often take for granted, and the resulting sense of beauty and mystery combined is a key intention for my work.’
Paige Veitch’s series ‘Work in Progress’ gives the viewer an intimate insight into the ‘unseen spaces and overlooked pieces of art’ belonging to makers and craftspeople. We loved the curved mounting, which we felt drew us further into each subject's private world.
‘Exoverse’ is presented as a series of images depicting planet like orbs set against a jet black background. Amy Gee highlights 19th century astrophotography as a key influence, and with the images created by exploring chromatography and macro photography, the project invites the viewer ‘to create their own three-dimensional reality from the two-dimensional depictions.’
Sarah Bennet’s proposed advertising campaign for ‘Block’, a British product design company, caught our eye, with its vibrant colours and graphic style. The series is presented as four images which are designed to reflect the ‘personality, form and function of four of their standout products’.
Yvonne Robertson’s portraiture project ‘OPA’ focuses on Manfred Handel; born in Germany, but eventually settling in Scotland and becoming a British Citizen after spending time in POW camps during WWII. The sensitively shot images of Manfred Handel, taken in and around his home, offer a quiet insight into his life and evoke a real sense of nostalgia.
We were drawn to Matthew Dillon's large scale print and intriguing series title. The notion of ‘Palimpsest’, meaning 'something that has been changed or reused, but still shows visible traces of what came before.’ is carefully tied in with the work, with the use of layers and montage representing the ever changing face of the city.
Thomas Webber’s series focuses on the coastal town around Severn Beach, and depicts the decline of the coast from popular holiday destination to commuter town. With a mix of portraits and detail shots, Thomas’s project captures the faded glory of the the British seaside community perfectly.
‘How does one share with others the things we wish to say without ever speaking the words?’ We loved the concept behind Gabrielle Fulton’s series ‘Floribus’, presented as a colourful series of prints, and concentrating on flowers as a means of communication. The project ‘draws upon this symbolic use of flowers to share a person’s thoughts and feelings depicting a fresh contemporary take on a now faded way of sharing hidden meaning.’
Bekah Parnham’s playful installation and self portrait series focuses on mental health, with her colourful balloon filled bathtub offering a strong contrast to the issues represented within her images, which visualise ‘the daily struggles of anxiety, depression and insomnia.’
Ash Islam’s two stunning images shot at Billingsgate fish market in Polar, East London, form part of a wider series capturing the colourful environment and the people that work there during the early hours of the morning; ‘for many of the workers of Billingsgate, their day ends as ours begins.’
The photography shows are now over, but the Free Range exhibitions continue on Thursday 7 July with Fine Art Week.
Remember that all exhibitions are free of charge, so head down to the Truman Brewery and get inspired by the creatives of tomorrow. A full list of all the universities exhibiting, plus student galleries can be found on the Free Range website.
Private View: Thursday 7th July | 6 – 10pm Open to the Public: Friday 8th - Sunday 10th July | 10am - 7pm Monday 11th July | 10am – 4pm
Written by Emily Faulder for #PHOTOGRAPHY Magazine
