Friday night saw the opening of Uclan’s annual showcase of creative talent at various venues across the university campus, and our self imposed mission was to catch as much of it as possible in the three hours available.
AdvertisementFirst stop was the architecture department based in the Harris Building on Corporation Street. The department was recently renamed the ‘Grenfell-Baines School of Architecture’ in honour of Sir George Grenfell-Baines who studied at the Harris Institute in the 1920’s and went on to found the BDP architectural practice which continues to this day.
The architecture studios had been cleverly transformed to showcase the work of the latest batch of young architecture graduates and the launch was marked in some style with a Champagne soaked opening ceremony.
As you’d expect from architects, the attention to detail in their displays was flawless and the overall look of the show was visually stunning. Preston Bus Station featured in several of the displays with some very innovative ideas for its uncertain future.
It was good to see that many of the projects on show included elements of ‘green’ technology and sustainable design demonstrating a growing awareness of environmental considerations among young architects. Top marks to the architecture students for their innovative and eye-catching show!
Following a rain soaked dash along Fylde Road; we arrived at the Victoria Building to sample this year’s offerings from the students of design. Several displays across four floors featured works by students of interior design, graphic design, 3D design and ceramics, games design, fashion, photography, film production, animation, product design, advertising and illustration. As ever, the design department put on a great show, highlighting the creativity of its many talented students.
With time fast running out, next on our agenda was fine art in the Hanover Building. With three floors of artworks to get through, and only thirty minutes left on the clock, we had to up the pace considerably! The artworks were many and varied, from more traditional painting and drawing to large scale installations and abstract sculptural works.
By the time we’d raced around all the exhibits, it’s fair to say that our mission had descended into a cultural trolley dash! Despite our lack of time, there were some stunning artworks on display and the fine art students had done themselves proud by putting on a thought provoking and diverse show.
View photos from the opening night of the Degree Show
If you’ve got a couple of hours, or more, to spare in the coming week, why not call in and see some of the great work produced by talented students at Uclan. The shows are open to the public between 10am and 6pm from now until Friday the 21st of June.
More info here: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/news/creativefocus.php
Let us know in the comments below what you think of the work on show if you go along…