Creative students from Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD) celebrated their passion for fashion and their desire for dazzling designs at the opening of the College’s 2017 Degree Show, and are now taking up some amazing opportunities to develop their creative careers following their studies.
The cream of the north east ‘s young artists and designers put their talents on show at the opening night of the degree show titled ‘Northern Exposure’ at CCAD’s new £11m building in Hartlepool.
The work from the talented young artists and designers is now on display at CCAD’s dedicated university level campus until Saturday 10 June, and features works from ten degree courses, including creative film, production design, fashion and photography.
21-year-old Shannon Garland, from Brotton in Saltburn, studied for a degree for costume interpretation with design, and has now secured a job as a designer with Seaham-based bridal company, House of Mooshki.
Her final major project showcases a collection of bridal gowns inspired by the company’s bridal label, Grace Philips. She said: “I did some work experience in my second year with House of Mooshki, helping them prepare for the label release of Grace Philips. After a week with them I was offered a job with the company working on weekends and in the holidays. By the end of second year I had helped in every aspect of the company, including a location photoshoot and trade show. I decided to use the label as my influence, as bridal was the industry I wanted to enter upon graduation, and the label was so new and contemporary.
“The build up to the degree show has been very busy for me, as I have been to both Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week and White Gallery London doing industry trade fairs with House of Mooshki and Grace Philips, all while handing in final major project and also while building the degree show. However, what I have learned from doing this has only helped me further with my work. The support which everyone at House of Mooshki and Grace Philips has also offered me has been amazing and has helped me achieve the best I could.”
Shannon added: “At CCAD I have really enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with different styles and techniques and being able to develop and refine skills which has enabled me to secure my job within my second year of study. After graduation I will continue with my job becoming a full time employee and hopefully developing my role within the team.”
Robert Patchett, 21, is a textile and surface design student from Linthorpe in Middlesbrough and after graduating, will undertake an internship with London-based designer, Orla Kiely, in the design studio.
His final major project is about exploring texture, structure and compositions of urban landscape cities and has created a collection of rough and working designs inspired from the rawness seen in everyday industrial cities.
He said: “I am really looking forward to working at Orla Kiely, secured thanks to my teacher Claire Baker. Once I have finished there I will continue to apply for roles within the industry and keep building my knowledge. Being at CCAD, I have enjoyed building up my skills within textiles and building connections with my tutors and making new friends. It is a very welcoming place and am glad to be part of it.”
Hartlepool photography student, Danny Day, 32, has overcome the physical challenges of being partially blind to produce a series of works for his degree which were recently recognised by major industry professionals, including Vogue UK, Times Magazine and Esquire.
Originally from Wakefield, Danny was one of only three UK degree and masters’ students in the country selected through the competitive process to win a bursary and attend the high level Portfolio Review event in London.
A fine art documentary photographer, Danny created a series of images providing a personal perspective on the experience of eye sight. He uses his camera to question the meaning and purpose of sight as he lost sight in one eye as a child, and in his 20’s had the same eye removed, to be left with one, short sighted eye.
Danny said: “My final major project is titled ‘The Gift of Sight’, which aims to challenge this very gift by providing a personal perspective on the experience and difficult of eye sight. It considers the problem of a world bathed in colour, but also the issue of detail, asking the viewer to consider how much of the world we really ‘need’ to see.”
As the project is about sight, Danny has created a body of work that’s accessible to those of various degrees of sight. This involved producing framed prints with purposefully small text for those with very good sight and a large print book with large bold text for those who are short sighted. He has also produced photographs with braille printed directly onto them for those who are registered blind and can read braille, therefore not excluding them from being able to access and experience the work.
Danny said: “The degree show was very exciting, as this was the first time I’ve created work with the intention of exhibition in mind. I have really enjoyed seeing how people responded and reacted with it, especially with regards to the photographs with braille, as I’ve found that even sighted people are curious. I wanted people to feel free to pick these up, interact with them, and get involved with them.
Following graduation, Danny fully intend to continue photography within a fine art context, and to find an outlet for his work. Although interested in exhibiting work, he is fascinated in photography that has the power to change perspective on a much more personal and emotional level, and with an interest in art therapy, he is considering working with charities too.
Textile and surface design degree student, Rynae Masawi, 29 from Newtown in Stockton, has been chosen to attend Texprint, a leading trade show which promotes new textile designers and showcases the best of British textile design talent. She is also representing the college at the New Designers Show in London this summer.
Rynae said: “Having been nominated for both TexPrint and New Designers 2017, if I am honest, I am still a little bit in shock! It is all unreal for me and pinching myself is not doing the trick. I am so excited to be interviewed by the industry’s prolific people and exhibiting my work – what could be better than that?”
Rynae’s final project theme is Preciousness Hidden, inspired by artists such as Tracey Emin and Jean Michael Basquiat, who often used their human emotions as part of their work. During her degree studies, Rynae had a two-week internship at luxury wear labels Burberry and Fishwife, which helped her to understand the running of design businesses.
She added: “At CCAD I have been surrounded by very talented people who really want to succeed this was infectious it made me want to work harder. The studios here at CCAD brilliant you can work independently to develop your own art practice.”
After graduating Rynae is hoping to study for MA in Fine Arts.
Pat Chapman, Head of Employability and External Relations at CCAD, said: “It is always inspiring to see the creativity and talent that our students produce, and I offer my congratulations to them all. The students have worked tremendously hard over the course of the degree, and they can be justly proud of their final work, as I am sure are their family and friends.
“For the graduates it is not the end but the launch pad for their careers. Every year the show is different and wonderful but this year is particularly special as it showcases their work in the new state-of-the-art building with its teaching, studio and workshop facilities. I encourage people to come along to the exhibitions and see the incredible talents on display for themselves.”
The degree show is open to the public every day from 10am until 8pm until Friday 9 June and 10am until 4pm on Saturday 10 June at the new building on corner of Church Street and Mainsforth Terrace in Hartlepool. During the exhibition, which is now a popular regional event, visitors can experience a huge array of works, including costumes, wallpapers, clothing, prints, films and illustrations.
For more information on opportunities at CCAD contact (01642) 288888 or visit www.ccad.ac.uk.