Kings Oxford: Art Foundation Trip to UWE Bristol
24 May 2022
Back in December, a group of Kings Oxford Art Foundation students headed to Bristol for a film workshop at UWE, followed by a visit to the international Arts Centre and gallery, Arnolfini.
It was here that Stephen Gill’s photographic exhibition was on display celebrating the Bristol-born photographers’ work spanning over three decades. The exhibition included new, previously un-exhibited work alongside other iconic photographic series. The workshop was hosted by professional, industry specialists with partnerships with industry, imperative to young creatives. The workshop was practical and interactive and allowed students to experiment handling professional industry standard videography equipment which was both fun and informative.
Shelly (Xiayuye Cao) has been studying at Kings Oxford for 5 months and is currently midway through her Foundation Art and Design course. She hopes to learn more art knowledge and diverse creative techniques before she departs in June. Once she’s finished her course she hopes to continue down an artistic route and study either illustration or animation at university.
She comments that:
“The most interesting part of the trip was learning more photography tips; for example the use of light, the change in position and use of various angles to take photos of objects, thinking carefully about the colours, and picture fusion. This I know will all be very useful to me with regards to my studies. I really enjoyed Gill’s photographic series Talking to Ants, the neatly arranged artworks on the wall, including some small objects in the storage cabinet, are very cool. His use of colour and light is very clever, the strange combination of different things brings people back to their childhoods.
She says what inspired her the most was Gill’s series, Hackney Flowers:
“The integration of city and flower forms a thriving and dilapidated beauty. This kind of incomplete and perfect integration makes people feel the desolation of the suburbs of the city and the blooming flowers.”
Marie (Marie Mathilde Lillamand) who has been studying at Kings since September, also on the Art and Design Foundation course, agreed with Shelly that the most interesting part of the trip was the visit to the Arnolfini gallery.
“I only discovered Photographer Stephen Gill’s work on this trip and immediately really liked it. I find discovering new creatives and artists rewarding and inspiring. My favourite work of his was probably The Pillar and Night Procession because it was unusual and strange, but involved animals which I enjoyed. I loved how strange both these two photographic series were without really knowing why. I found it interesting how he works with nature and is able to transform it too. The workshop too was interesting and a valuable experience in widening my creative experiences and interests.”