Aspex Gallery Schools workshop 19.3.13

I had the pleasure of working with three primary schools at Aspex Gallery for a days' workshop based on 'does making make us human?'  Solent Infants, College Park Infants and Copnor Infants all arrived in the morning and worked solidly all day.  The brief was to create paper likeness of their partner that they were asigned to for the day.  These had to be to scale and be clothed!

The afternoon they spent investigating each others thoughts, 'who or what do you love?' 'what are you thinking of?'. The answers were translated into drawings and then inserted into cut windows on their paper bodies.

They were all absolutely brilliantly behaved, hard working and supportive of each other. The day was a success and was down to not only them but the wonderful support from all the teachers and volunteers who attended. thank you!

New Creatives Show 2013 Final work at Aspex Gallery

The final work has been installed and the private view taken place at Aspex Gallery. All seven colleges taken part have submitted work and it looks great, there is a huge selection of processes and methods and it all looks very confident and professional.  Its been a real pleasure working with the students and the staff with many hours of hard work.

St Vincent College 

Highbury College 

 

St Vincent collaborative installation

Highbury collaborative artists' book final work

Highbury collaborative artists' book final work

Highbury collaborative artists' book final work

Highbury collaborative artists' book final work

Highbury collaborative artists' book final work

new creatives preview friday 8th march 2013

the preview event is due to take place tomorrow night at Aspex Gallery for the all the students and artists taking part in the new creatives 2013 project.

New Creatives 2013 Preview, OVERTHROW/ASPEX, Susanna Bauer, After Hours, Embroidery Workshops and more.... Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. New Creatives 2013 Preview: Friday from 6pm New Creatives is an annual exhibition project led by the University of Portsmouth and aspex that showcases the work of young people from seven further education and sixth-form colleges in the Portsmouth region. This year features commissioned artists Eileen White, Oliver Merkin and Chris Jenkins working with our current question Does Making Things Make us Human?  Join us between 6 - 8pm for the preview - find out more on Facebook here!  Susanna Bauer Exhibition now open in our Craft & Design Space aspex are delighted to be hosting a solo exhibition by artist and sculptor Susanna Bauer. Some of the work is available to buy, with interest free loans on offer from Own Art for items over £100! Susanna’s work explores the tension between fragility and strength, making both a contrast and a balance between form and texture, preconception and interpretation. She describes her works as ‘a series of individual stories that evolve and shape themselves in the process of making’. The work is on show until 30 April. Build your own Mezze! Have you tried our new Cafe Bar menu yet? Following customer feedback, we've added more choice to our menu -  you can now build your own perfect savoury platter from our Mezze selection, including delicious chorizo, piquant peppers and sumptuous foccacia bread. We've also added a couple more paninis to the menu, which can be viewed in fullhere. Why not pop in this weekend and give it a go? OVERTHROW/ ASPEX Limited spaces available! There are just a couple of free spaces left on our crash-course in curation for participants aged between 15-21 this weekend, with an objective to curate mini-interventions across the gallery. All you need to do is follow the link below and reserve your space online! The course runs this Saturday & Sunday from 11-3pm - find out more on the aspex website. New Workshop for Grown-Ups! Learn alternative embroidery with Georgina Giles Come along to this evening workshop at aspex on 23 April and stitch a modern sampler for your home, inspired by the work of Susanna Bauer, whose work is on display from 6 March – 30 April. Let artist & maker Georgina Giles teach you new embroidery stitches, whilst you experiment with texture and colour and add unconventional elements to this otherwise traditional technique. All materials, refreshments & cake included! Become a Friend get reduced entry –  find out more at http://www.aspex.org.uk/friends/. After Hours Returns on Thursday from 7pm You know the drill -  it's our ever popular free open-mic night. No need to book, just turn up on the night with any kind of acoustic music, poetry or spoken word (or a combination of all three) and get involved! If you just want to come along and watch, that's fine too - we've got plenty of seats and the Cafe Bar is open throughout, with beers priced at a very competitive £2.50 a bottle (wine is the same price for a 175ml glass!). See a selection of last month's pictures here. LOVE ASPEX? You can help us today! In these times of austerity, we increasingly rely on you, our visitors and friends, to help us to provide an interesting and stimulating programme. If you'd like to help us, check out the "Support Us" section of the website - any assistance or donation, small or big, is always appreciated! Find out more here.    forward to a friend aspex Vulcan Building Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth PO1 3BF To get in touch please telephone 023 9277 8080, or email info@aspex.org.uk.  Copyright © 2013 aspex, All rights reserved. If you do not wish to continue to receive such emails from aspex, please follow the unsubscribe link in the footer of this email. Our mailing address is: aspex The Vulcan Building, Gunwharf Quay Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 3BF United Kingdom Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

new creatives 2013, last visit to highbury college

This was my last visit to see the final year BTec students at Highbury College.  Eight students make up the core group producing work for the show at Aspex Gallery, which starts on 8 March 2013. Following on from the workshops, professional practice introductions and last weeks collaborative artists book exercise, I spent time with each individual student looking through their work which are they are each making in addition to the collaborative book piece.   Responses to the theme of 'does making things, make us human?' varied hugely and included ideas ranging from sculptural pieces based on artificial limbs, conceptual wallpaper, deaf inspired casting to video art.  I was really impressed by the depth of research, commitment and level of skills demonstrated by all of the students who have committed extra time and effort to this project. 

 

New Creatives Project 2013

The two colleges that I am working with on this project are in the final throes of producing work for the show at Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth. This week included visits to both Highbury and St Vincents. 

At Highbury we spent 3 1/2 hours on a collaborative book project.  Using personal mobile phones as the basis for exploring the idea 'does making things make us human?', we discussed ideas surrounding networks and connections and applied these during the making process under timed conditions.  

The outcome will be photographs documenting the individual stages leading to completion of the book, along with the finished bound volume. 

Despite adverse weather warnings it was a beautiful clear cold day and the journey down to Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth, was as ever stunning, even from the motorway! I met up with students from St Vincent College, Lauren Scott-Smith, my final year illustration student buddy,  as well as Sam, a pgce student and and Jon Leftley, lecturer, both at St Vincents.

The aim of the visit was not only to let the students see a professional gallery space where they will be exhibiting their work in March, but also to meet and talk to Clive Claswell,  the gallery's programme manager.  Currently they are showing 'Human Made Things' a group show featuring a selection of works from Suzanne Moxhay, Sarah Dobai and Andy Holden, all of which explore making as a means of questioning, understanding and communicating.

sttting by the virtual fire

Clive Claswell, Aspex Programme Manager

Clive explaining the gallery layout to students

Christmas over with, so blew the dust and cobwebs away with a trip down to Highbury College in Portsmouth, as part of the ongoing 'New Creatives Project'.  The college has a magnificent new building with wonderful facilities.  I was working with Suzie Darcel, the programme leader for level 3, years 1 and 2 and her students.  We had 3 hours of continuous line drawing and papercutting.  We've got a pretty sound plan of how we'll incorporate this into the curriculum and assessed course work, by allowing the students to create individual pieces alongside a collaborative creation that we'll decide upon when we visit Aspex Gallery next week.