BFAP Magazine 2023 - Flipbook - Page 9
of work, it makes so much more sense, and you
understand what you were trying to communicate with
a lot more clarity.
YF There’s a level of bravery in exploring your own
personal experience. From what I’ve witnessed in my
experience with other students, I think some people also
pay attention to or are interested in collective trauma.
Making work about issues they care about and exploring
well-being without necessarily putting themselves out
there. For example, some students are making work about
sexual violence against women by revisiting a news
incident and using painting as an investigative lens to
those tragedies and that’s captivating. On the other hand,
some students process difficult times through escapism
by focusing on the everyday, it’s a way to deal with
hardships. Sexuality is explored in a lot of people’s work
as well; do you think living and studying in Brighton has
impacted that?
AD It’s been amazing to live and study here over the past
four years, it’s so open-minded and accepting. Whether
consciously or subconsciously, living in Brighton will
have impacted all our artmaking in some way shape or
form in my opinion.
EW I’ve found the separation from the male figures
in my life, especially my family, really made me think
about my individuality as a woman. I think I understood
myself and my gender from their lens and since living
in Brighton I’ve been able to reflect on the parts of me
that were criticised. Now I’m coming to terms with
those things. Brighton is such a nice place to be able to
think about and process all those things. There is such a
community of people here, friends to help support you
during good and bad times.
AD Before I moved to Brighton I didn’t question my
sexuality or gender much but living here changed a lot
for me. Having the freedom, away from home to explore
those things has been really life changing.
EW I feel the same. I always knew I was never on the
straight and narrow so to speak and having the separation
from my family granted me the space to talk about and
explore those parts of me.
YF Having a supportive community allows you to have
the freedom to explore oneself, also the creative freedom
to explore those issues through art. Additionally, I feel
landscape is a popular genre within your year group,
people seem to be interested in seascapes, landscapes,
nature. There’s a shamanistic and magical approach to
handling materials. I’ve observed this collective interest
and again, which I suppose could be affected by living
in Brighton as well. Jesse Woodward and Livvy Nurse
seem to have a direct, first-hand approach to materials
and make work from nature, or in Livvy’s case making
work with objects she’s collected. It’s very interesting
when thinking about painting, and painters. A lot of
painters need to find source material by digging inside
of themselves, from a memory or a painful experience
BFAP
or looking online, getting secondary images. It seems like
there’s an alternative way of sourcing material, going out
for a walk, and immersing yourself in nature, gathering
materials from nature.
AD I completely agree. I think another artist to mention
is Saul Baraitser, who adopts similar methods within their
work and practice; making their own oil sticks and sewing
their own curtains to make work on, it’s a very innovative
and impressive way of working.
EW With regard to people using and exposing themselves
to nature more, I think again we have COVID to thank in
some ways. Going for your designated hour of exercise,
people observed more. I think this has carried over postCOVID as well, with people being a lot more grateful
for time spent outside after so long inside, and I think
that is reflected in students’ work. They are a lot more
connected to their environment and that comes across in
their processes.
AD There does seem to be a deep spirituality within
peoples’ work, connecting to other realms and other
worlds. Taking an esoteric approach to making art, using
the elements within their work; collecting pigments,
objects from their travels.
EW I feel in some ways we all explore spirituality in
different forms. Maybe that is also connected to living
in Brighton as well, going back to what we said about
having space to freely explore and there being a strong
sense of community.
AD Art is, and can be, an exploration of the self and
I feel like all of us make such authentic and incredible
work.
YF Agreed. Thank you both, this has been great. A final
question, how do you feel about leaving university and
becoming artists now, are you excited about it or nervous
to leave university?
AD Definitely nervous! And really excited at the same
time. It’s weird to think they’ll be no more scheduled
crits or tutorials, we’re out here on our own now. I’m still
going to talk to people and ask for feedback on my work,
it all feels very daunting but also as I said, exciting too.
EW You know when parents put children on a lead, I feel
like I’m taking off that lead.
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2023