6 August 2001

PR 01/77

Multi Media Textile artist selected for one of Europe's leading art exhibitions Multi Media Textiles graduate, Abigail Hunt, has been selected from over 1,100 artists to take part in one of Europe's most important contemporary art exhibitions. She is one of just 23 artists from seven countries currently exhibiting in EAST at Norwich Gallery until 18 August. EAST is widely reputed to be a proving ground for new talent in painting, photography, film, sculpture and installation. The internationally renowned exhibition has developed a strong association with the Turner Prize, with past exhibitors including Tomoko Takahashi, who was shortlisted in 2000.   The artists exhibiting in EAST are selected by some of the world's leading artists that have also included many Turner Prize nominees and the 1989 winner, Richard Long. The selectors of this year's EAST exhibition are the US-based feminist artist, Mary Kelly, whose installation, Post-Partem Document, was hailed as one of the twentieth century's most significant artistic statements on identity. She is joined by British screenwriter and filmmaker, Peter Woollen, whose book, Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, is regarded as one of the seminal works on structuralist theory. Abigail, who graduated with a first class degree from Loughborough University School of Art and Design in 2000, is delighted to be selected for EAST. "This is my first major international exhibition and I'm delighted to find myself in such good company," she says. Since graduating, Abigail has been busy establishing her reputation as a textile artist, setting up her own studio and participating in exhibitions in the UK.    Abigail's inspiration for her art stems from the rules we impose on our lives, idiosyncratic obsessions and the obsession of process. One example of her work involves the painstaking folding of many book pages into tiny bundles tied with thread. The work is installed in an abandoned domestic space, reaching out into every room. As the viewer walks among them, they are struck by both the delicacy and the sheer scale of Abigail's work.   "Abigail's success is richly deserved," says Val Beattie, Programme Leader for Multi Media Textiles at Loughborough. "Throughout her studies Abigail has shown a unique style and flair as an artist. She demonstrated a fascinating capacity for researching her ideas, combined with a very detailed knowledge of the fine art world. She was a pleasure to teach and we wish her every success for the future." Multi-Media Textiles at Loughborough has established an international reputation in the fields of contemporary art, fashion and commerce. In addition to Abigail's critical acclaim at EAST, French fashion guru Christian Lacroix has commissioned the work of staff and students for his couture collections. Reebok has commissioned exciting new textile ideas from Loughborough students, while Amtico's revolutionary glass effect floor tiles are the brainchild of a recent Multi MediaTextiles graduate. For further information contact: Anna Seddon, Publicity Office, Tel 01509 223445 Email: A.J.Seddon@lboro.ac.uk Note to editors

Loughborough is an established university, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, and for unrivalled sporting achievement. An average teaching quality score of 22.7 out of 24 places Loughborough first equal with Cambridge in the UK. Industry highlights Loughborough in their top five for graduate recruitment. In Research, more than 70% of staff were assessed in grades 4 and above. The University has been awarded three Queen's Anniversary Prizes - for its collaboration with industries such as BAE Systems, Ford and Rolls Royce; for its work in developing countries; and for its pioneering role in developing applications of modern optics and laser technologies.