CREATIVE students have been expressing their inner most thoughts in art and fashion at the their college’s first public exhibition to be staged since the pandemic.
Darlington College art and design students took over display space at Blackwell Grange Hotel in a showcase that marked the culmination of years of work.
The exposition, featuring hundreds of pieces by Level 1 to 3 students, attracted scores of friends, family and hotel guests.
For Aaron Dolan-Saleh it was an opportunity to showcase his classical pencil work featuring the beauty of biology and nature.
“Art is about adorning the environment not grabbing attention,” said the 18-year-old, of Ferry Hill, who hopes to study architecture at Newcastle University.
“I have always loved nature and buildings and yet we surround ourselves with modern ones that don’t suit the human condition. They are dull, desolate and lack lustre. We are all individuals yet many buildings are stale and stagnant. They lack that human element which I hope to change.
“Build it well, built it once. If you look at the traditional buildings of Oxford or Cambridge they have never been knocked down. We need to bring that beauty and character back. I believe the environment around us makes us the people we are. Build beautiful buildings and you will get beautiful people.”
Boris Meyer expressed himself through fashion by repurposing fabric in the style of the traditional Slovak dolls, Motanka.
“The idea was to complete a project that didn’t take inspiration from other artists but instead from the things around you,” said the 18-year-old, of Darlington, who is hoping to study fashion design at Northumbria University.
“I love literature, especially Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, so I was interested in blending insects with fashion, hence the prolonged sleeves, like the legs on ants and wasps, which challenge the normal silhouette.”
Curriculum lead for art and design Abby Potter had high praise for the students’ work, which ranged from oils and photography to textiles and digital animation.
“The quality of work was so high this year that it gave us the confidence to reinstate the exhibition,” she said. “It’s great for the students to be able to celebrate their hard work with a proper public exhibition.”
For more information on opportunities at Darlington College visit www.darlington.ac.uk.