#NTUDEGREESHOW Spotlight: Gemma Harper

This latest #NTUDEGREESHOW Spotlight piece features BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion student Gemma Harper

From Squeeze, Gemma Harper, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion, 2019

In the run-up to the Art and Design Degree Show, we will be sharing a series of student projects from across the 26 participating courses through #NTUDEGREESHOW Spotlights.

Squeeze

Love without action is only a word, all too often forgotten in millennial dating. Exploring the world of online dating as part of my final year self-devised brief revealed that for many, it is about escaping boredom rather than pursuing love, skipping the actual date part almost entirely. Yet being in front of someone is good for one’s soul. This shoot combined the playfulness of an illustrative concept inspired by pop art and strong graphics, bringing it to life by creating a surrealistic fantasy-dream-date world called Squeeze, merging graphic design with fashion photography.

In a nutshell, Squeeze is about spontaneous dates for spontaneous hearts. Aiming to capture the fun and spontaneity needed from dating in order to make it not only wanted again, but also romantic. The aim is to make people stop thinking and start feeling, and Squeeze is there to provide the bit in-between the match and the relationship: the dates. As a collective we never just look at one thing; we look at the relationship between things, combining the unimagined with the ultimate possibility, creating moments worth dating for and people worth spending time with. The aim is to rediscover that romantic feeling and that playful heart, quirks, emotions and all.

From Squeeze, Gemma Harper, BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion, 2019

I have always had a passion for storytelling and emotions. By focusing on the emotion of love as part of my final year project, I have realised how much more successful branding can be if made witty, relatable and humorous. Connecting with consumers’ hearts is the key. Attending exhibitions such as Scoop: A Wonderful Ice Cream World by Bompas & Parr and the Mac Matte Me 2019 Valentine’s Day pop-up showed me how much more immersive and exciting experiencing something in reality can be, rather than just seeing it on your screen.

As a creative, I want to continue merging offline and online art forms, combining them to create a world where not everything has to be experienced via a screen, but instead encountering the beauty in what is around you. The simplest thing really can be turned into something extraordinary. I will continue experimenting within the fields of photography, graphic design and magazine journalism, and see where the opportunities take me.

Gemma Harper

Find out more about the BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion Degree Show here.