In with the New
Victoria Sandison
9th June 2008
Barnet College’s department of Art, Design, Media and Performing Arts has relaunched itself as North London Arts (NLA) at Free Range this June with a dazzling display of students’ work. Hybridlab went along to find out more Under the title ‘Brand Me’, the event showcased a wide and eclectic range of pieces including installation displays of graphics, multimedia, art, design and fashion. Not forgetting the performing arts department – hard to forget, in fact, given their live performance piece: students with light bulbs on their heads and feather boas round their necks charging through the crowd, molesting tailor’s dummies adorned with graduating students’ work and declaring in loud voices how wonderful it all was. Observers appeared justifiably confused at first, but alarm gave way to appreciation as the realisation dawned that this was a rehearsed study playing on the dramatic styles of art criticism and drawing attention to conventional forms of behaviour.
Malcolm Barrett, lecturer at Barnet College and organiser of the Free Range event, spoke with pride of the performing arts department’s achievements. “I knew that they were going to perform tonight for health and safety reasons! But most people didn’t know - that’s a good formula for impact.” Whilst extremely pleased with the results of all the NLA students’ work, when pushed Malcolm picks out the fashion department as “very strong as well.”
Gabriella Gambetta was one such fashion student displaying her dramatic, gothic-influenced work in North London Arts’ in-house show at Free Range. “It’s been a thrilling project,” she enthuses. “And it’s given me valuable practical practice in putting a show together.”
It is a sentiment shared by her foundation course peer at Barnet, Mitul Meghani, who uses the college’s cutting edge technology to create, expand and manipulate his original hand-drawn images in new and exciting ways. “I really feel Barnet have helped me to get in-depth experience of all the software packages used in design. I feel fully prepared to go into industry or onto further education in the field,” he explained.
Taking advantage of Europe’s largest and most prestigious student design fair has provided the perfect platform for the relaunch as North London Arts, then? “Yes I think it (has),” concludes Malcolm Barrett. “Many of the students have not been in this situation of exhibiting before. So to have the experience of marketing themselves here is actually very important.”
With the creative and practical support of NLA behind them, these students are definitely ones to watch out for in future.
Victoria Sandison
