Tuesday 30 June 2009
Work the Way the World Works - Art and Design MA Expo 2009
Work by MA fashion design student, Feng Yan Wang
A space-saving sofa to reflect the small dwelling sizes in China, photography exploring the representation of women in Iranian art and media, and fashion inspired by the ancient art of paper folding, feature in this year's showcase of art and design Masters work at Nottingham Trent University. Projects for the MA exposition - Work the Way the World Works - reflect culture, creativity and diversity from across the globe as more than 100 students from 15 countries exhibit their work from 11-18 July.
Projects, by postgraduate students from the University's School of Art and Design, will represent a range of disciplines including fine and decorative arts, fashion design, knitwear and textiles, fashion marketing and communication, photography, graphics, multimedia and product design.
In one student's product design project, intricate symbols and meanings from traditional Chinese furniture design are incorporated into a table created using Western design practices. Fashion design students, meanwhile, have produced work exploring the metamorphosis of the sari into a contemporary garment and a stunning collection of dresses inspired by historical English costume and nature.
Other projects include an investigation into the buying behaviour of design-conscious Chinese males, strategies for the improvement of fashion retail websites in Taiwan and research into the relationship between the Bombay film industry and the Indian fashion market. The integration of Asian culture into modern design, such as wall hangings, and an examination of broadcast graphic design work from the Middle East, will also feature.
Among the artists will be MA Textile Design and Innovation student, Armita Shirazi, who this month became one of the first winners of the East Midlands' Healthcare and Bioscience Fine Art Competition. That event, devised by the Healthcare and Bioscience iNET, challenged students to express their creativity and demonstrate their talent using the theme of innovation in healthcare and bioscience.
Armita looks at manipulating images drawn from nature, using digital printing and laser-cutting techniques, to explore how they can be used to enhance wellbeing within healthcare environments.
"The Masters students in the School of Art and Design have taught us yet again how wide the world is, how varied its cultures, and how creative are its inhabitants," said Carol Jones, Academic Team Leader for Masters Programmes at Nottingham Trent University.
She said: "The students' creative practice demonstrates their ingenuity and skill, but also how truly global the creative industrial sector is. The theme, Work the Way the World Works, reminds us to keep our focus on a world which, whilst experiencing a global economic downturn, is also rich in multi-level opportunities in many different contexts."
Notes to editors:
Work the Way the World Works is open to the public in the University's Bonington building from 11-18 July (closed July 12). Opening hours are: Saturdays, 11am to 4pm; Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.
There will be a private view for industry and professional contacts on 10 July from 4-6pm and a private view for family and friends from 6-8pm.
For more information and to attend the industry preview please email or telephone +44 (0)115 848 8327.
For more on Work the Way the World Works visit our Expo 2009 webpages.
The recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) saw Nottingham Trent University once again confirm its reputation as an international research institution. For art and design, results showed that the majority of research at the University was of international quality, with some judged to be world-leading. For more information visit Nottingham Trent University’s School of Art and Design website.
Press enquiries please contact Dave Rogers, Senior Press Officer, Nottingham Trent University, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8782 or via email, or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, Nottingham Trent University, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8774 or via email.
