Edinburgh College of Art DEGREE SHOW 2018

Cartoonish gloves, taekwondo and gothic sculptures star in art show

A deformed block of clay beaten by a taekwondo fighter, ornate gothic spires sculpted from sand and colourful jewellery inspired by the artist’s obsessive compulsions will all be on show as part of the annual showcase of art and design by University of Edinburgh students.

For nine days in June, Edinburgh College of Art will be transformed into vibrant gallery spaces exhibiting work from hundreds of graduating students at this year’s Degree Show.

For the first time the show will feature a closing concert, with new student compositions performed by Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) musicians.

The Degree Show will feature work from the latest graduating cohort of artists, designers, architects and landscape architects – including architectural models, animated films, photography, textiles, jewellery and interior design.

Photographers are invited to preview one of the capital’s largest and most diverse annual exhibitions tomorrow, Thursday 31 May at 11am.

Sculpture student Taylor Shaw has used her background as an elite level taekwondo athlete to inform her work. She has taken a lump of clay and pummelled it with her feet, distorting it and leaving indentations of her toes and heel.

Her work also includes a circle of mirrors, spaced at the exact distance from the centre as the reach of her kick, to give the viewer an insight into what it feels like in a fight.

Elsewhere, Jack Handscome has sculpted detailed spires from sand and kneeled a mannequin in a biker’s outfit over a laptop, referencing work by William Blake and Eduardo Paolozzi.

In jewellery, Georgette Newman has used her obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as the basis of her work. Her need to turn taps and switches on and off reaches the level of religious repetition.

She has taken this idea and created jewellery that reflects these almost religious rituals: necklaces of her hands are presented on an altar and she has created a jewel-encrusted glove with cartoonishly long fingers featuring a tap icon.

For the closing concert, InterConnect, professional musicians from the SCO have teamed up with 10 composers from the Reid School of Music to bring to life their musical ideas.

The Degree Show is free and is open 11am-5pm from 2-10 June. Late night openings will be held on Wednesday 6 June and Thursday 7 June, until 8pm.

For more info visit Edinburgh College of ART Degree Show 2018 website.