They are ceramic vessels created by a 3D printer, but deliberately ‘glitched’ to ensure that no two pieces are the same. As an example of creative ingenuity and imagination, the work of Kirsty Lloyd, BA (Hons) 3D Design, is up there with anything around; little wonder she has already had commercial interest in her collection.
And Kirsty was by no means alone among her art and design contemporaries, whose final year projects were proudly on display to fellow students, academics, industry experts and the general public at this year’s showcase, Hot ’15.
For many, the multi-venue exhibition represented their first chance to engage with a critical audience, providing an opportunity to enhance their employability and gain further knowledge and experience of the marketplace they are about to enter.
Professor Dafydd Moore, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, said: “The University is blessed with hundreds of talented arts students, and HOT ’15 provided an opportunity for them and their lecturers and tutors to celebrate their achievements. For many of them, what people saw was the product of years of hard work and the results are something of which they can all be very proud. We now hope the creativity and imagination nurtured during their studies at the University can inspire them to even greater success in their future careers.”
HOT ’15 featured works by final-year students from 3D Design, Fine Art, Illustration, Media and TV Arts, Photography, Digital Media and Animation, Architecture, Graphic Communication with Typography, and Digital Art and Design. There were sculptures, paintings, photographic collections, illustrations and digital innovations, many with interactive elements designed to capture visitors’ imaginations. And while many of the works were completed in studios within the University, other students drew inspiration from the wider city, the South West and beyond.
BA (Hons) Photography student Olivia Dunn spent several months gaining the trust, and then documenting the activities, of naturist groups within Plymouth while BA (Hons) Architecture student Oliver Millett developed a plan to incorporate craft-based activities into the regeneration of Exeter Quay.
Benjamin Peake, completing his BA (Hons) Architectural Technology and the Environment course, developed the concept for a conservation-based culinary institute, while students on the BA (Hons) Graphic Communications and Typography course combined their final-year projects with a crowdfunding initiative to enable them to reach as wide an audience as possible.
Dr Steve Butts, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, said: “Inspired and inspiring, the two weeks of HOT ’15 were an opportunity to celebrate the ingenuity of our graduates as they embark on the next step of their journey. With so many projects on show, it was also a great chance for members of the University and wider community to see the creative talent in evidence among our student body.”
