Tag: exhibition

11th July 2019

Illustration staff Astrid Jaekel wins AOI award

A Teaching Fellow in Illustration has been awarded a prestigious Association of Illustrators (AOI) World Award for her recent street art project, “If These Walls Could Talk”. For the twentieth anniversary of Wigtown’s book festival, Astrid Jaekel decorated 11 buildings on the small town’s square with her illustrations.

Astrid’s illustrations were inspired by the townspeople

A Wigtown resident stands outside his shop decorated by Astrid“If These Walls Could Talk” was a temporary project which challenged the perception of how older generations perceive street art, which is often associated with youth culture, and perhaps not the Scottish countryside.

In the 1980s and into the 1990s, many businesses in Wigtown ceased to exist and the small south-west town declined. In 1997, however, it was awarded the status of Scotland’s National Book Town, which has, over time, helped to regenerate the local economy. Now, Wigtown’s many cafés and second-hand bookshops attract book lovers all year round.

Astrid began her project by going door to door around the town square in order to learn about the buildings and find residents who might like to “donate” their houses to be canvases for street art. The town embraced Astrid’s vision.

Astrid decorated buildings with inspiration from the town’s love of books

“I’d like to think that the project made the people of Wigtown feel proud of their town and gave them the chance to continue telling their stories.”

Astrid Jaekel

Many locals have played a major part in growing the book festival as volunteers, and “If These Walls Could Talk” was intended to shine a spotlight on Wigtown and its residents. The project was also meant to encourage visitors to mingle with locals, and to get the visitors to see the place as more than just a charming festival town.

“I’d like to think that the project made the people of Wigtown feel proud of their town and gave them the chance to continue telling their stories to the festival visitors,” said Astrid, “I believe that that’s exactly what street art should do. It should generate conversation and make people reflect upon their surroundings. It should connect people with one another.”

A project of this grandeur proved to require a few extra pair of hands. Astrid enlisted fellow artists as well as ECA graduates, including Irish street artist Joe Caslin.

One set back during the project was Storm Ali. It decided to pay Wigtown a visit just after Astrid installed the wallpapers and many sections were left in tatters or destroyed completely. Through resilience and dedication, though, Astrid and her team managed to repair the damage to produce an award-winning project that seamlessly unites storytelling, illustration and street art while capturing the essence of the small town.

All of the 200 shortlisted entries of the awards will be displayed at an exhibition at Somerset House in London 11 – 28 July, with in-depth presentations of each of the category winning projects.

To learn more about the exhibition, check out Somerset House’s website.

Jul 11, 2019

6th June 2019

Degree Show 2019

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..

Jun 6, 2019

26th August 2016

House Style

Come and see ‘House Style’ at the Edinburgh International Book Festival -and maybe pick up a card or two!

House Style came about as a way of uniting all the staff and students of Illustration in a collaborative project. The staff came up with suggestions for a list of novels which was assembled by George Douglas, (GSA 2015-16). Each participant chose a book for which to make an image. Sarah Bissel, (artist in residence), put together the plan for a limited palette, a clever idea which has given a unified aesthetic to the considerable variety of imagery and use of media in the illustrations. It was felt to be a great thing to celebrate the literary connections with Illustration, particularly in its relationship to the novel.

Our programme director Jonathan Gibbs has made a number of commissioned pieces for the Radio Times in illustrations for novels to be read on Radio Four. These are illustrations on a miniature scale, but with a vivid and particular role within the printed page. The House Style brief emulated this process, with the results comprising the design of a 2017 calendar to be launched in December 2016. Alan Walker of Allander Print visited the Illustration studio several times to comment upon work in progress for House Style, and the visual result has been made possible by him and Allander Print.

With many thanks to him for making this possible, the seventy or so postcards of all House Style illustrations have been displayed for sale at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Thanks must also go to Nicky Regan for her excellent design of the calendar and postcards, with thanks also to Alan Ramsay for designing and constructing the display stand.

Aug 26, 2016

5th July 2016

D&AD New Blood Festival

It’s New Blood time again! Our students have packed a selection of their work and travelled down to London in order to showcase their talent and skill at this year’s D&AD New Blood Festival. Located in the heart of London, at the Old Truman Brewery just off Brick Lane, this annual event gives graduating design students across the country the chance to have their work seen by the creative industries.

During the next couple of days students will be given the opportunity to show their portfolios and receive professional advice as well as take part in various seminars and meet fellow creatives and potential future employers.

Our Graphic Design and Illustration students are currently in the process of setting up their stands and will later return to the private view, to which industry has been invited on their behalf.

It’s already looking great – but keep looking out as we’ll be posting more images once the setup is complete!

Jul 5, 2016

2nd June 2016

Degree Show part 2

Only 4 days left to see our degree show! Pop along and meet our enthusiastic graduates, have a chat and enjoy the fantastic views of rEdinburgh from the top of Evolution House.

Here are the next 8 out of 25 graduates, a click on their names will take you to their websites where you’ll get to see more work.

Jun 2, 2016

MA Illustrators – R16 Pop-up Shop and Exhibition

We delighted to present R16, a pop-up shop and exhibition at the lovely Stag Gallery, part of Warburton Gallery at the top of Victoria Street in Edinburgh.

This weekend only the postgraduate illustrators and graphic designers will showing off new work and offering a chance at a sneak preview of their work before they exhibit at the college in August.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1614443728829900/

Jun 12, 2015

9th April 2015

Exhibition at the Doubtfire Gallery

This month, the Edinburgh College of Art Illustration Department is pleased to present Escapade, a collection of works created by students, staff and notable alumni exhibited at the Doubtfire Gallery. We are excited to share our experience of what Illustration means to us as individuals and as a collective.

One of the most exciting aspects of Illustration is the wide-range of media where work can make an impact. The ECA Illustration Programme drives its students to apply their talent across a diverse range of end channels, from books and exhibitions to packaging, digital media and community arts. It is a dynamic and fast paced discipline that pushes the limits of both the artist’s and the viewer’s imagination.

Guided by acclaimed Illustrator and Programme Director Jonathon Gibbs, the course has thrived from its collaborative studio culture. During their time at ECA, students undergo countless tutorials, workshops and critics from the Illustration staff, their peers and successful practitioners, many of whom previously studied at ECA. The exhibition includes works from across all stages of the Illustration Programme’s creative community, from developing fourth year talents and fresh new graduates to the distinguished staff and alumni who inspired them.

All exhibiting Illustrators are currently living and creating work in the city of Edinburgh. Their collection of Illustrations offers a wide variety of themes, techniques and styles, all in celebration of their connection with Edinburgh College of Art.

Make sure to check Escapade out between 11th April – 2nd May. Find more information at the link below:

http://www.doubtfiregallery.com

Apr 9, 2015

18th February 2015

The Last Great Voyage of Discovery

One hundred years ago, in 1914 Ernest Shackleton set sail with a team on the last Polar expedition of its kind, his aim to cross Antarctica via the Pole. This was the last great adventure of discovery, exploration today is rooted in scientific endeavor, and it is a story littered with intriguing details of reindeer skin sleeping bags, penguins, tinned food and lots of ice.

First year students from the Illustration Programme at Edinburgh College of Art were asked to respond to the story of the Endurance expedition and create an illustrated map of the journey. In addition to this they were asked to construct an artifact that illustrated an element of the narrative.

Maps come in all shapes and sizes. They are made for a specific purpose and include particular information that informs us, or take us on a journey. Students were asked to draw as many ideas as they could from the maps they studied in the immense collection of the National Library of Scotland – this included colour, textures used to mark terrain, timelines, lettering, borders, contour lines, latitude/longitude grids, references, size, shape….and of course the frying pan shape of Antarctica!

The results are currently exhibited in the National Library of Scotland, giving students the opportunity to share there illustrated discoveries with the public. A huge thank you to the National Library of Scotland for collaborating with us on this adventurous, challenging and greatly rewarding project.

Feb 18, 2015

12th February 2015

Student Exhibition at Simpson House

Simpson House Show

Illustration students from Edinburgh College of Art are collaborating with the Simpson House counseling center to meet their desire to have some fresh, original artwork to permanently fill their center. Twelve illustration students have created work to donate to the center, which will be installed during Innovative Learning Week.

To celebrate these artists contribution and to raise awareness for the wonderful services the Simpson House provides to the community we are holding a showcase evening at the Simpson House. The show will be on Thursday, February 19th from 5:30-7:00 at the Simpson House, which is located at 52 Queen Street. All are welcome to attend, have a cuppa, a chat, and see some lovely illustrations.

The Simpson House center provides counseling and support for individuals affected by alcohol and substance abuse within Edinburgh. To find out more about the center you can visit: http://www.simpson-house.org

If you have any questions regarding the illustration show email: froggatt.sarah@gmail.com

Feb 12, 2015

9th February 2015

February Mini Exhibitions

Happy Monday everyone.

In the ECA Illustration Department we are kicking of the week with two new mini exhibitions. The Illustration studio is now home to ‘Bright and Early’ and ‘Boxes’, both collated from different projects completed by students of the Illustration Department in the past ten years. The Illustration Archive of past work is an excellent resource for research and inspiration, we look forward to finding new and exciting ways of sharing archival with our current students.

Bright and Early

Boxes

Feb 9, 2015

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