David Redfern ©gavinfreeborn

Donald Smith & David Redfern ©gavinfreeborn

David Redfern ©gavinfreeborn

World renowned British Photographer David Redfern packed the house out at CHELSEA space last night with a presentation of some of his life’s work documenting many of the world’s greatest musicians, accompanied by many a wonderful story. From The Beatles to Frank Sinatra, London to New York, we were treated to a photo essay that left the crowd mesmerised. The images were a selection from David’s book The Unclosed Eye and other material from his career. David has also kindly lent his collection of vintage photographs of the Newport Jazz Festival as part of the Dobells exhibition.

This legendary Jazz, Blues and Folk record shop was on Charing Cross Road for many seminal decades for music in the 20^th century. Dobells became an iconic venue, importing records from around the world and was a creative influence for icons in the making such as regular customer young David Bowie. This melting pot of culture created rich history in Dobells and made many more alike.

Sir-Peter-signing-books

Tuesday night saw a fantastic private view at Chelsea Futurespace of Peter Blake’s prints across four decades.  It was a wonderful opportunity for us to honour a great artist and celebrate his contribution to British Art.  The show features a selection by Sir Peter of his prints, including his ‘Appropriated Alphabets’, ‘Homage to Schwitters’ series and the ‘London’ and ‘Love’ Suites.

The exhibition is open daily 11am – 6pm until 28^th July, admission free.

Kindly supported by CCA Galleries, Paul Stolper Gallery and Berkley Group.

Sir-Peter-with-Kate-Ross-and-Daisy-McMullan

Sir-Peter-with-Brad-Faine

© Haroon Mirza

© Haroon Mirza

Chelsea Alumnus Haroon Mirza is exhibiting an exciting new show at Lisson Gallery from May 17 to June 29 2013, 52-52 Bell Street, London. His second exhition at Lisson will include a reverberation chamber, a turntable piece, some light works, an LED surround sound sequencer, o-o-o-o.co.uk and collaborations with Dave from Django Django (aka Jellyman) and Factory Floor. Remixes by Factory Floor and Jellyman pressed on vinyl and released on The Vinyl Factory as limited editions of 300 copies each: release date 16 May 2013. 

Haroon will also soon present an exhibition of new work at the Hepworth Wakefield from 26 May – 29 September 2013, including a site-specific installation.

Studio Space of the Week is in! This week, introducing Mia Julie, BAFA 3rd year student.

‘Antipodes’ by Layla Curtis is commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella, in association with Spacex. Technical support by Cuttlefish. Supported by Arts Council England.

18 May – 13 July @ Spacex, Exeter

‘Antipodes’ is an ongoing online and photographic project that pairs webcam images from places at the opposite ends of the globe. Although Australia, despite our colloquial name for it, is not directly ‘down under’ from Britain, and the other side of the world from us, like much of the planet, is actually sea, the 4 per cent of the earth’s surface in which land is antipodal to land offers rich terrain for interesting parallels and correspondences.

As far away from each other as it is possible to be, their day-for-night, summer/winter contrasts palpable, often extreme, these distant ‘twins’ (Bali/Tobago, Montevideo/Seoul, the Kalahari Desert/Hawaii) frequently possess surprising affinities. Having researched multiple webcam sources from myriad international locations, Curtis revels in drawing out these points of connection: finding topographical echoes in the landscape, as well as architectural and cultural similarities.

The volcanic peak of Tungurahua in Ecuador is shadowed by the majestic summit of Sinabung half a world away in Indonesia while the port of Melbourne is complemented, in miniature, by its geographical equivalent – a dockside scene in one of the islands of the Azores. Like mirror images, the key elements of the picture may be the other way round but their inherent similarities are undeniable.

A number of photographic diptychs, distilled from the stream of webcam footage, press the point home. Highlighting both the distance and the difference between us, they also remind us how technology is bringing us closer together.

Maria Salgado

Vanessa Hodgkinson

Jamie Barbour

A group show/publication devised by Vanessa Hodgkinson and Lillian Wilkie, supported by the Chelsea Arts Club Trust. It brings together six artists and six writers to explore the traditional institutional approach to the hierarchy of genre originating in painting. 

Newly devised works and new texts are presented in an exhibition and publication, using the MA Fine Art program at Chelsea as a starting point to find out whether these terms of engagement, (allegory, portraiture, genre, landscape, animal painting and still life) have any relevance to the way young artists are being taught or indeed are developing their idiolect within the art school framework. 

We are thrilled to be presenting works by 

NECOLE SCHMITZ, JAMIE BARBOUR, VICTORIA TRINDER, MARIA SALGADO, LUKE JORDAN, VANESSA HODGKINSON & LIILIAN WILKIE

and new accompanying texts by

PHILLIPA KAINA, NIKOLAI ISHCHUK, NATANYA MARK, JONATHAN P. WATTS, PADDY BUTLER, ALEXANDER REGIER & LILLIAN WILKIE.

The publication will be available to buy for £5 either on the night or by emailing vhodgkinson@gmail.com

Private View on Wednesday 22nd May 2013 between 5pm and 8pm and the show runs from 23rd May and 7th June 2013.

©SusanSmart

Save the date
Sounding Space
Private view: 5 June 2013

This summer, University of the Arts London (UAL) will host the BE OPEN Sound Portal on the Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art and Design. The private view offers attendees the chance to experience ambisonic sound pieces created by UAL students for the Sounding Space symposium.

The BE OPEN Sound Portal is the result of a collaboration between BE OPEN, a foundation that supports innovation and creativity, and The London Design Festival. The portal, designed by ARUP, forms part of BE OPEN’s research into sensory design and its potential impact on the environment.

UAL will use the portal as part of an inter-college project, where students from Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication and Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design will work with its ambisonic technology to create sound compositions. The project will begin with a series of lectures, masterclasses and workshops, and culminate in the Sounding Space symposium. Students’ work will be unveiled at the private view on 5 June 2013.

Each college has adopted its own thematic. Chelsea’s Sound as Measure looks at sound as an integral element of interior and spatial design work. London College of Communication is focusing on the thematic of Sound, place and memory, and Nomad Lab, led by Central Saint Martins, explores the creative potential of working across different artistic disciplines; to be nomadic.

For further information and updates please visit the BE OPEN website.

Commissioned by Museum of London and Film and Video Umbrella with generous in-kind support from the Cultureship. Supported by Arts Council England.

Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen, Chelsea Alumni has been commissioned by the Museum of London and Film and Video Umbrella with generous in-kind support from the Cultureship. Supported by Arts Council England.

Larsen’s ‘Portrait of a River’ showing in the ‘Estuary’ exhibition from 17 May to 27 October 2013, is an evocative study of the sometimes overlooked, strangely indeterminate landscape through which the Thames cuts its sluggish, widening course on its journey out to sea.

The Studio Space of the Week is in! This week introducing Chai Won Kim, a BA Fine Art student from Korea.

To see work from Chai Won, go check out her blog: http://decembernabi.blogspot.co.uk/

‘Untitled’ Plaster, Wood by Maarten van den Bos

Chelsea College of Art and Design would like to express its deep gratitude to the Stanley Picker Trust for continuing its Postgraduate Bursaries support for the 2011-2012 academic year, providing a grant of £6,500. The bursaries have provided valuable assistance for last year’s two recipients, Maarten van den Bos and Katriona Beales, enabling them to focus on their work without financial distraction or fear of increasing debt.

Maarten van den Bos says he would not have been able to pay his tuition fee and start the MA Fine Art course at Chelsea without the financial support of the Stanley Picker Trust Bursary. His work, encompasses painting and sculpture, and focuses on expressive manipulation of the human form. This has flourished during the year and made a strong impression at the MA Show. He now has a studio at Wimbledon Art Studios, where he is taking part in an Open Studios event on 22-25 November.   Martin commented:

The course has given me a broad perspective on the possible directions in which my work can develop and a greater awareness of the size and diversity of the art world.

Katriona Beales is a mature student who would not have been able to pursue her postgraduate studies without the assistance of the Stanley Picker Trust Bursary. Her work explores the physical, aesthetic and mental experience of using computers, telecommunications devices, and the internet. She has taken full advantage of the opportunities of the course to extend her networks with art institutions in the UK and abroad, and has been successful in applying for awards which will support her work into the future. Katriona said:

The MA Fine Art course at Chelsea has opened up many opportunities to me and I would not have been in a position to undertake it without the generous support of the Stanley Picker Trust.

Eleanor Bradford is the newly selected Stanley Picker Trust Bursary recipient for the academic year 2012-2013. Eleanor showed real promise and ability and the bursary will provide her with much-needed financial assistance to develop her work. She has progressed from Chelsea’s Postgraduate Diploma, where her video and performance-based work has impressed her tutors. The bursary support has made a real difference in making it possible for her to continue her studies.

Eleanor commented:

I have been able to cut down my hours at work so I can fully focus on my studies and invest money into better equipment, a video camera to document my work more effectively. The award has also given me confidence to keep going and improving my development.

Over five years the Stanley Picker Trust Bursaries have helped 11 students to overcome financial disadvantage and pursue their artistic careers.

Read more about this bursary.