Solihull College

Emily Chadwick – Film

“Simulations, in the form of images and the media have replaced reality, creating a new hyperreality” – Jean Baudrillard

Stacy Phillips – Installation

“I am aware of being in a beautiful prison, from which I can only escape by writing” Anais Nin

Laura Jackson

As an artist I am concerned with those things that affect our perceptions of what we consider ‘normal’ and/or ‘unusual’ in everyday life; aspects which might unnerve the viewer, challenging their response and reaction to a piece of work.

The definition of ‘Uncanny’ is something “characterised by apparently supernatural wonder and horror” with thesaurus entries listed as “weird, creepy, strange, mysterious” and yet also categorised as “astonishing, exceptional, fantastic, miraculous”. I began thinking about these descriptions further; how can something be repulsive and frightening and yet in the same sentence be magnificent and exciting? Could art be the perfect way to express such contradictions?

My work aims to evoke this ‘Uncanny’ sense in the onlooker; confusing them by manipulating space and the size of familiar objects in unfamiliar situations. This makes the work by definition, ‘Uncanny’.

Jacqui Thomson – Textiles

I am a textile artist who uses embroidery and the art of the stitch to explore feminist themes, ideals and the everyday lives of women.

Women have always stitched, be it purely for pleasure or out of necessity. My quilt consists of 20 vintage tray-cloths sewn together, from a bygone era when women devoted countless hours to the art of embroidery, and sewing items for their homes and families. Using embroideries discovered in charity shops, on Ebay, and found abandoned in the backs of cupboards, I have brought them back into the limelight to make an artwork. I am reclaiming the past histories of the women who stitched them, honouring the many hours of work they have invested in them, and celebrating the skills and crafts traditionally associated with women. Each ‘panel’ of the quilt is dedicated to a ‘Lady of Stitch.’ Some of my ladies are women I have known, like my mum Frances who ‘knitted for England’, sewed all our summer ‘frocks’ and took in mending to ‘earn a few bob’. Others are based on real women I have discovered during my research into the history of embroidery and stitch and are typical of their era. “I dedicate this quilt to all those women who devoted hour after hour to the art of embroidery and stitch.”

Victoria Redgrave – Installation

Life isn’t always what we want it to be, it has its up’s and down’s.

Society consists of all kinds of people and backgrounds in every imaginable situation.

We can become immune to the issues that exist in society for many reasons. They may be hidden or brushed under the carpet, or we simply get wrapped up in our own lives

We are fashioned and moulded by our experiences and interactions with the people that make up society. Likewise others within society are changed through our actions.

Yet the constant is that we are all human with the traits that are inherent in all of us; compassion, love, caring for others.

Our best contribution is to bring these inherent traits to the forefront of our lives.

We can lie to ourselves, but ultimately change emanates from within.