My Personal Statement
Published by Eva Leer,
Art and design are highly profound subjects, and I have a deep passion for both. They challenge how artists, designers and the public perceive and engage with the world. When I am creating I like to explore how beauty and ideas can be crafted and communicated. This is a central practice that I always return to, and drives my love of art and design.
Most pieces in my portfolio consist of sculpture, illustrations and metal jewellery. I am currently exploring Rodin sculptures as a starting reference point and I have been distorting and elongating these forms to explore ideas around body dysmorphia.
Art and design can be used as platforms to express ideas and thoughts in a direct way way that the written word (and other subjects) cannot. It is direct and can challenge views and opinions. It can alter how people view the world and how it things work. For example, I recently saw a contemporary interpretation of a classical 1920s radiator at a student exhibition. The radiator was made of glass and was visually striking and functional. Seeing the hot water pass through the radiator created an aesthetically pleasing effect whilst also showing how water circulated around a central heating system.
I see university as a vital next stage in my personal development and as a chance to immerse myself in art and design. I hope to explore my technical skills, artistic expression, design and problem solving skills. I also want to create work with meanings that challenges the viewer.
I admire the way the artist Jenny Saville directly challenges the viewer with her work. She uses graphic imagery portraying humans as pieces of meat. She shows how society places too much emphasis on outward image, whilst overlooking people’s feelings and emotions.
I am currently enjoying working in 3-Dimensions. The tactile act of sculpting and the ability for me (and the viewer) to see the object from every angle interests me. I feel I am creating something that impacts and creates a visceral reaction.
Throughout my academic career I have learnt how essential it is to have drive, determination and dedication – and I am always trying to develop these three skills. I complete assessed coursework projects two weeks before deadlines so that I have time for refinement and iteration. I do this for my personal satisfaction and to get the best grades.
Work experience has also helped me learn. In 2014 I worked with the design consultancy WhatPeopleWant.com. I was involved with usability testing of the BBC News App for tablet and smartphones. I was 14 at the time and I had to learn how to act in a professional environment. I also got to see the role of research in the design process. I viewed the research from behind the one-way mirror, took notes and observed the analysis. During this research participants found the app easy to use. However the new personalisation features (the ability to add News categories) were new and overlooked by some users. As a result a tutorial was introduced for new users.
In 2016 I had work experience at Disney in London. The work experience was in the European Games Design team. During this work experience I was tasked with designing a basic obstacle course game using Unreal Engine 4. I was also asked to create some simple in game assets using computer software. I was 16 and it was the first I had to follow a commercial brief and I realised that design was about more than my personal vision. I also play tested the Star Wars Arcade game and gave gameplay feedback.
I currently have a part time retail job as a Sales Advisor at Laura Ashley. I am enjoying the feeling of independence and professionalism that earning money gives me.
This job shows the practical and influential role that design plays in everyday life. Discussing design choices with customers has taught me that design and personal taste is different for everyone. It's not just about shopping; the customers I meet are creating a personal sense of identity and self-image.
Over the last three of years I have been approaching art and design industry contacts and showing them my work. I have on-going contact with sculptress 'Eve Shepard' and bespoke jewellery designer 'Frida Hulten'. For example Frida Hulten encouraged me to explore the anthropometrics of a female torso to make my jewellery pieces more wearable, balanced (in terms of weight) and proportional to the neck. I think it is vital to ask for feedback if I am to progress in an industry as competitive as art and design.
Regarding technical skills, I have recently taught myself how to: cold cast, pewter cast, create moulds and how to work with a variety of different mediums. I look forward to developing these skills and processes further. In addition to this I really look forward to learning how to channel my concepts and ideas and to learn from the experience of university tutors. I visited the Uffizi and the Academia in Florence in 2015. This experience gave me so much inspiration and opened my eyes up to new worlds of art and design.
I want to continue developing my own creative style, learn new practices and communication skills and to engage with the wider worlds of art, design and the university community, and see what happens next.