IT’S DEGREE SHOW TIME AGAIN and we have a lovely eclectic mix of Undergraduate and Master students’ work on display. Don’t miss the chance to see it! The show is open daily from 11.00 – 17.00 until Sunday 9 June. Tonight is Late Night so we’ll be open until 20.00! Looking forward to seeing you on the 4th floor of Evolution House!
And here’s a wee sneak peak of what’s on display..
On Friday 26th, our 1st, 2nd and 3rd year gathered in the illustration studio with their work to show each other what they have been up to this year. Some exhibited sketchbooks, work in progress or finished pieces.
It was a chance to chat and see what everyone has created since September and for some an opportunity to have a look at the projects they might be doing next year. Some amazing work has been produced so it was fitting to celebrate our students achievements with a drink and some snacks!
Our final project for first year illustration was to make a picture book based on a well-known folktale. It had to address a social/environmental issue and use some postmodern techniques.
Poppy Brook chose to use the story of Little Red Riding Hood to make a statement about deforestation, it’s presented as a beautifully constructed concertina with black and red linocut print illustrations.
Anna Meron used the tale of the ugly duckling to talk about ocean dumping, it’s a playful book which offers two different endings depending on the decision of the reader.
Ziqing Wang uses the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes to talk about online issues, her illustrations use a variety of media such as oil pastel and inks. It’s a beautiful, entirely hand-made creation with dynamic layouts including the use of flaps and paper cutting.
Erica Molina talks about LGBT issues in her retelling of Snow White. Her illustrations combine oil pastel with digital techniques, we’re especially fond of the way she combines image and text in her compositions.
The “Once upon today” brief explores postmodern picture books; it takes a well known fairy tale and adapts it to critique a social or environmental issue. Each book has its own voice and incorporates fundamental postmodern ideas such as intertextuality, humour and texture.
Yennie Wong produced an incredibly tactile book, using a plethora of textures to provide drama to her reimagining of red riding hood. Red riding hood in this tale is a wolf slayer who takes no prisoners, resulting in some gruesome (and furry) double spreads.
Paulina Met grounds her tale about ocean pollution in the well known tale of the little mermaid. The book has a gorgeous gloomy colour palette which creates drama. The book uses postmodernism really well in its narrative and image and text compliment each other well.
Weiqing Liu reinvents the ugly duckling, criticising beauty standards and cosmetic surgery. The book is extremely tactile, with endearing duck characters. The book is exciting to flip through as each page provides a new textural experience with strong composition.
Kirsty Wade uses Cinderella to explore the poverty gap and the empowerment of women. The colour palette works well in creating a consistent atmosphere. Image and text is used well in the book, with characters being extremely emotive and thoughtful.
Georgia Smith also explores the tale of red riding hood but this time tackles the issue of climate change. The book is full of vibrant colour and dynamic composition with the double spreads often depicting a chaotic journey.
This year we have been working on an exciting project called WW100 founded by the Scottish Commemorations Panel. It involves young people from over Scotland and aims to commemorate 100 years since the First World War.
Lateral North have been working on the project alongside the Scottish Print Network and the 5 print workshops in Scotland. Edinburgh Printmakers approached ECA illustration to invite 20 of our students to become a fifth of the 100 young people who have been invited to create a print inspired by a Scottish story from WW1.
20 current students and graduates were each given a story and were asked to produce a print using a printmaking method that required a matrix. A variety of printmaking processes were used from collagraph, photo etching, linocut to woodcut. The finished prints will be bound into a book, each print workshop in Scotland creating their own book of 20 prints.
The project aimed to to bring all 100 stories together to create a printmaking tapestry of Scotland. This will be delivered as an abstracted, sculptural map of Scotland which will allow visitors to meander around the coast and in between the islands to uncover the 100 stories developed by participants. All 100 print matrixes created by students from across Scotland will be integrated into the final sculptural piece and the 100 corresponding prints will be displayed alongside for visitors to refer to. The exhibition will be displayed in Scottish Parliament in June 2019.
The Scottish Commemorations Panel
Below you can see some photographs of the final submission of work from Edinburgh based printmakers.
Our masters students had a wood engraving masterclass today from Jonny Gibbs. He talked them through an engraving technique that uses Japanese woodcut tools and how to create a relief print using a spoon. Have a little look at their creations!
On Monday Meraki collective had a day long exhibition at Whitespace gallery. It started at 4pm with drinks & nibbles and live music started at 6! The exhibition featured work from third year illustrators and other artists, it was a print exhibition themed around the idea of home.
‘Meraki is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe what happens when you leave a piece of yourself (your soul, creativity, or love) in your work. When you love doing something, anything, so much that you put something of yourself into it.’
Take a look at their exhibition:
The Great Merge of Goo collective exhibition ran from Tuesday to Friday in the Andrew Grant Gallery at ECA. The collective invited artists to spend a week in B14, creating whatever they wanted. Then they all created work in response to the question , ‘If the world was about to end, what would you create?’
Have a look at the exhibition:
Last week BOOKMARKS artists’ book and zine fair took over the ECA Fire Station. Over 40 stall holders from all over the UK arrived to sell their wares and attend talks and workshops. The BOOKMARKS 2018 prizewinners also showcased their work on the day.
This year we had a Reading Room, where stallholders and visitors alike could sit and enjoy the books and zines on display. Alongside this print technicians Mhairi Braden and Gen Harrison brought some printmaking fun to the day. Mhairi created BUMPERZINE 2.0 inspired by our day of reckoning: a Brexit themed Doomsday. Stallholders were invited to create an image inspired by the theme, then Mhairi risograph printed the zine. Whilst Gen brought along the beloved Adana Press and invited people to live print their own BOOKMARKS bookmarks!
Here are a few pictures from the day!
“Don’t use the phone. People are never ready to answer it. Use poetry.” – Jack Kerouac
Our first year Illustrators spend the first half of their semester working on a number of poems they were first asked to write and then illustrate. Sources of inspiration were Surrealist word games, biographies linked to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and Political Protest. The main focus was image and text relationship and composition on the page. As part of this our students also learned to put together the pages of a book digitally and get it printed to a professional standard. Come to BOOKMARKS on Wednesday and you’ll be able to see some of these gems at our first year stall!
In its fifth year, BOOKMARKS artists’ book fair will again provide a stimulating platform for visitors to explore artists’ books and zines made by practitioners from across Scotland and further afield. Exploring the artists’ book in its broadest sense, BOOKMARKS is a first stop for those interested in bookmaking as an artistic practice. BOOKMARKS focuses on academic study, exploring how artists’ books are used, promoted and created in educational settings.
This year there are a number of exciting additions including a pop-up reading room and Showcase of the BOOKMARKS PRIZE winners 2018, looking at their work one year later. The BOOKMARKS staff and student board are also finalising a range of talks, workshops and exhibitions to run alongside the fair.
Previous participants include students from ECA, Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh College and Duncan of Jordanstone as well as Crisps, Edinburgh Zine Library, Out of the Blueprint and David Faithfull. The fair will offer visitors the chance to see and handle the work, meet the artists and designers and purchase an exciting array of artists’ books and zines.
For any queries please contact bookmarks@ed.ac.uk
LINK to book talks and workshops: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/bookmarks-17019426833
https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/event/bookmarks
