Huddersfield New College has revealed that two students are having their lockdown work shared in a national exhibition by the Sixth Form College’s Association (SFCA). The SFCA has invited colleges from around the country to submit the best work from students who have taken photographs or created a piece of artwork that best reflects the theme of the exhibition ‘At Home: Reflections on how it feels to be at home living a different kind of life.’
Two students, Maria Anjam and Kathyrn Bell, had their work selected for the national online exhibition which will run from 2 – 14th June (Update 4th June: the gallery is now live and can be viewed here: https://www.sixthformcolleges.org/411/at-home .) The online exhibition celebrates the artistic talents of students in colleges across the country, and provides young people with a valuable way to showcase their creative talents during the current pandemic. The SFCA will be sharing this work with national media and a range of galleries. Below you can view Maria’s and Kathryn’s work, along with their personal explanation of the inspiration behind their pieces.
Marcus Smith- Connor, Vice Principal comments: “We were invited by the SFCA to showcase the creative talents of our students on a national platform. We received a range of wonderful submissions, all of which will feature in a special lockdown edition of the HNC Echo. We chose Maria and Kathryn’s submissions to go forward to the national exhibition as we felt that these pieces best represented the brief, and really did reflect the emotions of currently living a very different life. Here at HNC we support our students to develop their creative skills, and during this lockdown period it has never been more important for our students to express themselves, which of course develops their wider skills. This is a prestigious national exhibition, and we are sure guests at the virtual exhibition will be impressed by these submissions.”
Maria Anjam - Quarantine
This piece portrays how I have been feeling during lock-down along with many others. The words in the background show my confusion at what's happening but I felt like it was important to acknowledge that 'NHS have been great'. The arrows pointed towards the woman show the stress of both key workers and those at home when listening to the guidelines, even though it may be tough. The crosswords have been used to enlighten the audience and show people what I have been doing during these times. This piece is important to me because it shows the struggle of key workers as well as those at home which is why I wanted to 'shine a light' on this pandemic and show people that everything is going to get better.
Kathryn Bell - Interaction
'Interaction' refers to that of which we have lost so recently. How we, within a world of billions of people, can feel so alone even though we see the people surrounding us. The hat struck me with a feeling. Someone had worn that hat, picked it up, and placed it down. It was the feeling of wonder - the profound feeling of realising that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, have a life as complex as my own, which they are constantly living, likely feeling the same emotions regarding the distance we are having to force between ourselves. As much as we are different we are connected through the very thing that keeps us bound by rules from human interaction. Having the hat be placed upon the wooden fence reflects this although someone wore the hat another person placed it on the fence to make sure no harm came to it.
Kathryn Bell - Normality
'Normality' is the concept of getting back into routines, for example, catching the bus. The bus stop represents a waiting point, a moment stood statuesque. This is what the lock down could be perceived as being - a period of waiting, and hoping, for a better time to come. The fact that this particular bus stop, at which one point was usually busy, is abandoned is a worrying thought. It makes me question the world beyond my own road, about the towns that I remember filled with people, the cities thriving with on-goers minding their own business. Are they as barren as this?
