School of Design and Creative Arts Student Vlogs 2023
Every year the final-year students in the School of Design and Creative Arts put together a final collection to be shown in the Degree Show. This is the culmination of their work throughout their degree course and a platform to raise their profile prior to graduating and starting their careers, as well as an opportunity to share their work with family and friends.
We commissioned four students from Design and Creative Arts to put together a short video charting their progress as they worked towards the installation of their collection for the 2023 exhibition. These videos give a fascinating insight into the processes involved and the range of skills and techniques the students have used to complete their collections.
Alongside their videos (which you can watch below), we asked each of the students to tell us a bit more about themselves and their practice and/or collection.
The Degree Show 2023 runs from 14-18 June. After this date you can view the show online and find out more about all the finalists.
Aleida Hammond
Fine Art
I am a responsible and self-motivated individual with a great passion for the creative industry. I am in my final year of studying BA in Fine Art at Loughborough University and doing freelance work as a photographer and videographer.
My work covers a wide range of mediums. This consists of drawings which look at themes such as faith, identity, and the representation of people of colour. I also have a large body of photography covering acceptance and mental health themes. With my artwork, I aim to explore topics which are not as spoken about in the black community, such as mental health. I also aim to showcase aspects of faith in a contemporary space.
Watch Aleida's video
Find out more about Aleida
Robert McKinna
Industrial Design
My name is Robert McKinna, a final year Industrial Design student at Loughborough University. My project, "Phoenix," focuses on creating a smart, cooling garment to help individuals with MS manage heat sensitivity during endurance exercise. Inspired by my own experiences with non-visible disabilities and as a cancer survivor, I'm passionate about empowering people with MS to live without limitations.
Inclusive design is at the core of my work, which over the past 5 years for me has included projects aiding individuals with dementia in staying hydrated to helping those with upper limb differences improve their culinary confidence in the kitchen. Through Project Phoenix, I aim to create inclusive and accessible interactions to help both those with Relapsing Remitting MS and Progressive MS. I'm driven to continue this work and more inclusive design work in the future through my Inclusive Design Consultancy business, INCLUS.
Watch Robert's video
Find out more about Robert
Alfie Ovenden
Textiles
Hello, I’m Alfie a final year Textile student at Loughborough University. I specialise within printed Textiles. This has allowed me to gain experience working with screen processing and colour matching, knowledge of dying materials and processes.
I knew from the start of this project that I wanted all of the processes to be hand printed, this was because I wanted to have less control of the finished product. Through testing a series of colours and materials I had a rough idea of how the finished print would look, although using Vat pastes you don’t know what the final piece will look like until it has been steamed, washed, and dried. I chose to use this process to further the symbolism and the juxtaposition between life, to me it creates an understanding between the known and unknown properties of life, we know that death is inevitable, but we are not aware of what lies for us on the other side.
My final project is centred around the metamorphosis of butterflies and the parallels between their life and human life, through photography and extensive research I have created a collection of 10 hand printed samples demonstrating the life cycle of a butterfly.
Watch Alfie's video
Find out more about Alfie
Emily Stanisavljevic
Graphic Communication and Illustration
My name is Emily Stanisavljevic and I am a creative specialising in illustration and visual design. I love painting, drawing, stencilling, and creating short animations. My goal is to be a sustainable creative who promotes ethical design that celebrates people, culture, and the planet.
I study Graphic Communication and Illustration at Loughborough University. For my final project I made an animation about designing for the planet and changing attitudes about climate change. I also made a short comic about self-care and how to heal by connecting with nature, narrated from the perspective of the universe.
I like to create projects that tell stories promoting change. One of my favourite projects I have created is a zine explaining the symptoms of OCD and encouraging sufferers to become more informed on where to seek help.
Watch Emily's video
Find out more about Emily
Megan White
Fine Art
I have been at Loughborough for five years, beginning with an art foundation, after which I selected Fine art, with a Placement year in between. During my time at Loughborough, I have particularly enjoyed the wide range of workshops the university has to offer. As it was my final year here, I wanted to take full advantage of that, and try out as much as I can in every workshop possible. And by doing this I realised I could create a range of sculptures from different materials, juxtaposing material, and perception.
For my degree show I created a fully immersive installation, which displays the remnants of an unknown party. The installation displays an event familiar to most of the audience, cheap throwaway items bought for one day have been made permanent by pausing them in the moment. The kitsch culture of plastic and the disposable creating sudden temporary happiness. The items do not make a difference in our lives but the sight of them reminds us of the joy and we cannot help but smile. But none of these items are ever truly looked at for a long time, as by nature they are temporary, and by freezing them within that time does it make the object change meaning and make the party no longer a party but something else?
Through my installation, I create a fun, exciting space but when the viewer takes time to inspect the scene, they slowly come to realise that what they thought was a safe space is much more sinister in nature. Pieces such as the unsettling polaroid pictures strewn on the floor depicting the night before, or the shoe print in the cake where someone ran out of the room. We are left with questions such as why is that glass spilt over, why did someone flee or what was this party about, and some of the questions cannot be answered and some can, and by only exploring room can the audience build these answers for themselves. The pieces appear to be familiar, but we are deceived by our own senses. On closer inspection the viewer begins to observe each piece and the juxtaposition between material and object.