Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Leeds Beckett students take a leap of faith
The weeklong event, entitled ‘Leap’, is set to run from Friday 3 June to Friday 10 June at Broadcasting Place, Leeds. It will provide an opportunity for members of the public and industry professionals to view the work of students from: Architecture; Design Product; Fashion; Fine Art; Graphic Arts and Design; Interior Architecture and Design; and Landscape Architecture and Design courses at Leeds Beckett.
Head of the School of Art, Architecture and Design, and former Leeds Beckett student, Lisa Stansbie, said: “The School has always been known as a place where radical experimentation in art, design and architectural practice takes place, where challenge and risk taking is crucial.
“For creative students, imaginative leaps are essential to challenging the way we view the world around us. We encourage students to go off on a tangent and surprise the viewer. As they leave us now, as ambassadors of the University, I hope they will remember what the incomparable David Bowie said: ‘If you feel safe in the area that you are working in, you are not working in the right area…always go a little further into the water than you feel you are capable of being in…go a little bit out of your depth and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you are just about in the right place to do something exciting.’”
The School, which is famed for its involvement in a wide range of projects, from community-led work to national shows, has this year been involved in such projects as: The British Art Show in Leeds and Edinburgh (the largest survey of contemporary British Art in the U.K); a partnership with The Institute of Contemporary Art, London (the first in the North of England); and a consultancy service by the School’s Project Office for the £1,000,000 New Wortley Community Centre which involved students from courses within art, architecture and design.
BA (Hons) Architecture student, Rebecca Bradley, said: “Life on an architecture course is challenging but worth every second. The artistic nature of the course at Leeds Beckett University has enabled me to focus on the areas I find most interesting and allowed my designs to become as crazy as my thesis project.
“My work on show is a conceptual vision of Leeds that works with an underwater community of mutant fish in a kingdom known as Wetropolis. The story aims to educate the population of Leeds on the deviating effects their water waste has on the natural water systems surrounding Leeds City Centre.”
Aoife O’Rourke, BA (Hons) Fine Art student, commented: “In an era of social media fame, the idea of projecting a perfect and exciting life online is forever bombarding us. My work explores basic human habits within the compass of the everyday. I look at the real aspects of life, the relatable tasks we fulfil daily and show them for how interestingly unique they can be - I make the mundane beautiful.
“The course has provided many opportunities for me to put into practice the skills I have learnt, including exhibiting outside of the University and working with visiting artists. The best thing about my studies has been having the freedom to explore many practises with the support of specialist staff members for each area - as a multimedia artist, this has been invaluable.”