Please Note – The following blog contains work that covers themes of child abuse and trauma, reader discretion is advised.
The Resurgence Degree Show was an exhibition, celebrating and showcasing the work of final-year students from the Contemporary Media Practice BA. The interdisciplinary projects range from moving image to emerging technologies and feature innovative and exciting ways to experience art and culture.
The student projects are a culmination of the skills and creative practices developed during their studies and are highly anticipated amongst students, staff and industry guests every year.
A variety of emerging technologies, creative practices and media disciplines explored throughout the course were on display during the showcase, with 24 unique student projects exhibited. We took a look at the diverse range of wonderful projects and caught up with some of the students during the exhibition. The degree show took place at the internationally acclaimed central London gallery space, Ambika P3, based at our Marylebone campus from 14-17th June 2023.
The Halfway Garden is a short film about love loss and hope. The crew included Students Brando Naldi as Director, Screenwriter and Executive Producer and Maxwell Francis as Sound Designer and Boom Operator. The film tells the story through the eyes of an elderly man named William. William, who lost his lover during World War II, finds himself reliving a time when his lover was still there and waiting for his return.
The film was narrated by Emmy nominated, English actor, Charles Dance OBE, who is famously known for his roles in James Bond: For Your Eyes Only, Alien 3, Game of Thrones and The Crown. In addition to working alongside students for this project, Dance also attended the film’s private screening.
It’s Just Us is a talk show produced and hosted by Chrizia D. The show featured guest Shani D, a content creator who discussed the experience of being a black woman in Britain. The chat covered topics such as media representation, sense of belonging and cultural traditions around marriage. The show also featured an interactive element, asking viewers questions and providing interesting facts about the black beauty industry. It’s Just Us, projecting the silenced voices…
Parallax Point is an expressive screen dance piece that explores the relationship between the camera and the body. It uses the technology and methodology of cinema to collide with dance practice. Parallax Point is a 3-minute film, featuring two dancers, playing with the technology; and the placement of the camera on the body. They move with the camera, not for the camera.
Revival: The Vanishing Cloud is an immersive and educational exhibition raising awareness of human interventions on the natural environment. The project includes an interactive 3D map, created using sensors, where users can engage with bitesize and user-friendly information from the extensive research done by the St Helena Research Institute. The project also features text and images on the walls with further information. Visitors experience a digitally created, visual and audio guided tour of the Cloud Forest, to learn more about the problems they are facing.
Joseph Vaz, Graphic Designer for the project commented “This is a proud moment for me and my fellow course mates. It is an opportunity for us to demonstrate what we have learnt over the last 3-4 years. It’s a bridging moment where we can show what we have learnt and what we can offer to potential employers and the industry”.
Egg Me is an interactive meditation experience set in a semi-deserted 3D landscape, distinct from everyday life scenes. Participants can control the 3D character, Cute Dodge (Egg), using WASD keys on the computer keyboard or through an Arduino board. The 3D character serves as a meditation guide, leading users through the experience. Its design is inspired by calming plants to further enhance the soothing atmosphere. Through the companionship of the 3D character, this meditative experience provides a sense of floating and weightlessness. Wanting Ma, created the game with Unity, a cross-platform game engine, used to create 3D and 2D games, as well as interactive simulations and Blender, a 3D production suite used for making real-time interactive content. Egg me was designed to promote happiness and relaxation amongst users, a contrast to the typical computer game.
Mind and Matter is a multi-media exhibition which aims to raise awareness of childhood trauma and its impact. The project includes 16 pieces of work covering topics around sexual, physical and emotional abuse, domestic violence, suicide and violence. Each piece focuses on a statistic to help educate the audience on the topic. The final piece What would you tell your younger self? Offers the audience the opportunity to reflect and contribute to the art by asking them to express their answer on the chalkboard, being creative, using colours, drawing pictures or writing.
Left: Say Cheese, Mind and Matter (2023). The display reveals the insidious role new media plays in enabling abuse of young children, despite their abuser being physically absent. The audience takes on the uncomfortable position of the perpetrator, viewing children as inanimate objects through the lens of an invasive camera
Right: My Security, Mind and Matter (2023). Repurposed unwanted materials from charity and remnants shops take on a new form as a therapeutic blanket of safety. The use of soft textures forge a calming environment for traumatised individuals to explore emotional expression.
Rhythmic Remembrances explores the methodologies used by African descent communities in Colombia to preserve a history that disregards the written word. Using mediums of communication like gesture, enunciation and dramaturgy the artist aims to explore the cooking of the traditional dish Sancocho Colombiano as a repository of collective ancestral memory and memoir.
Building Bridges is a book about immigration by Vernonica Olmedo. Telling the stories of immigrants within her community, the book aims to celebrate immigration at a time when public discourse is dominated by only negative connotations through narrative photography.
To find out more, please visit Westminster Degree Shows 2023 or watch our Westminster Degree Shows TikTok.
About the University of Westminster
As one of the most diverse universities in the UK, we are a global university with London energy with more than 19,000 students from 169 countries. To find out more about our courses, visit the University of Westminster website.
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