My name is Corrine Cooper and I’m a fine art student studying at The University of Lincoln. My website is http://corrinacooperart.carbonmade.com/ and I also keep a blog: http://corrinacooper.wordpress.com/I have been lucky enough to attend the bimonthly event run by ‘Beacon Art Project.’ It's an inspiring experience hosted by directors Nicola Streeten and John Plowman, exploring contemporary visual art through evening events.
As the night began to unfold and our usual introductions, that are always quite humorous, were over, we had the pleasure to begin our evening with a talk from
A Nottingham based artist, Godley looks at many historical subjects, for instance his own heritage, the idea of memory, the cultural memory of the time, migration and thus his own identity. He captured us with his detailed memoir of his past, having his family migrate from Germany during the war, thus basing the work he showed us on this great influence. Exploring his past led him to conspiracy stories about UFOs. Godley’s work had in some cases subtle hints of humor, vibrant colour and an illustrative vibe and therefore surprised us all when a vast amount of his work was created with his iPhone or iPad. Godley’s engagement with the audience was thought provoking, fun and gave us an extraordinary feeling of excitement for the rest of the evening.
After a short interlude, filled with a choice of drinks or a beautiful homemade soup, was over, we eagerly sat down to listen to the following artist
As an emerging artist, Bartlett’s talent is exceeding and for many of the students that had came to the evening, we were greatly influenced by his journey so far. Bartlett’s work has the impression of a system, seemingly geometric and structured, that takes traditional styles and tries to exploit them to push the boundaries and almost break the void, a revolt it may seem. His talk, as previously mentioned, was a huge help to the students at the evening and I would say helped us see the journey we could take in a couple of year's time.
Exhilarated by the last two talks, the final talk was from
Tom Cretney and Nick Simpson, curators of the Monks Gallery. I recognised them instantly as they were previous graduates from The University of Lincoln. As emerging artists as well they had a passion to help create a more extensive art scene in Lincoln, and inspiringly turned their own house into the gallery, having 6 shows in 6 months. They invited artists to the shows and for next to nothing completed their exhibitions with elevating success. On top of creating such an influential project Tom and Nick talked about their own work: ‘A Protest in Silence.’ In their work could be seen a revolt against the bureaucracy of the art world, a statement to the world showing they had a point to make. The work they had created brought a smile to everyones faces and the talk brought a brilliant end to the night.
As this was concluding meeting I was sad to leave, even considering hiding or staying in protest as the wait until March is somewhat excruciating. Yet alas the night was over. I would recommend the event to everyone as it is an experience, a chance to learn and explore the world of art in an innovative manner and the wait to March begins...
Corrine Cooper
Fine Art
The University of Lincoln
