20,000 beads form one of 245 exhibits at 2014 Degree Show
Published On Wed 14 May 2014 by Grant Hill
For the past eight months, Jay Frazer’s life has been dominated by beads.
In that time, she has painstakingly handmade close on 20,000 clay beads for the visually striking piece that will go on display at this year’s Degree Show at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD).
Jay is just one of 245 graduands exhibiting at the DJCAD Degree Show, the first of the flagship exhibitions held by Scotland’s four main art and design colleges to take place in 2014. The traditional Preview Evening for the students, their families and invited guests takes place on Friday, 16th May, with the city’s largest annual exhibition of art and design opening to the public the next day and remaining open until Sunday, 25th May.
Students from all 11 undergraduate programmes will exhibit the fruits of their labours across the two buildings and fourteen floors that comprise DJCAD, with every spare space exhibiting art and design. The show attracts thousands of visitors each year and is seen as a springboard for some of Scotland’s most exciting emerging artists.
DJCAD has a reputation as one of the leading art schools in the UK and many of its students go on to be world-renowned artists. Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz and nominees David Mach, Louise Wilson and Luke Fowler are all DJCAD alumni, as are photographer Albert Watson, fashion designer Hayley Scanlan, film director David Mackenzie, video games pioneer Aaron Garbut and the late painter Alberto Morrocco.
Suspended from the ceiling in her exhibition space, Jay’s beads appear to cascade down from the roof like a waterfall and splash across the floor, illuminated by carefully considered lighting intended to create an interactive, meditative experience showcasing natural materials. It is accompanied by a sound piece made in collaboration with sound engineer Lewis Macdonald. The pair travelled Scotland recording natural sounds for the soundscape.
Jay (21), originally from Edinburgh, said, “These works are not static but fluid. The viewer is enabled to interpret the installation from many different angles, inviting different individual perspectives.
“I have been influenced by nature in my work, and I wanted to make something that creates a zen-like experience for the viewer. I wanted to capture the idea of nature hanging over us, and also to use natural materials, which is why I chose to work with clay beads. In modern society we are becoming almost dehumanised, that we forget to consider and allow time for ourselves and are always on the move.
“The work was arduous but I think the process of creation is repetitive and slow, allowing for meditation through making.”
The DJCAD Degree Show is one of the highlights of the city’s cultural calendar, attracting some 10,000 visitors each year and generating in excess of £1million for the local economy in the process.
It is part of the Ignite Dundee festival, which runs from 16-31 May and showcases the very best of Dundee’s creative talent.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, 17th May until Sunday, May 25th. Admission is free and the exhibition is open from 10am until 8pm (Monday – Friday) and 10am to 4pm (Saturday – Sunday).
More details can be found at www.dundee.ac.uk/degreeshow.
Ignite Dundee is a partnership between Abertay University; Dundee Contemporary Arts; Dundee – One City, Many Discoveries; Dundee Rep Theatre; Leisure & Culture Dundee; University of Dundee and V&A Dundee.