3 April 2009

V&A award winners celebrate success

Photo opportunity: 4pm, Thursay, April 2nd, 2009 at Tay Bridge pedestrian path (Dundee side). V&A competition-winning students will meet to celebrate their success overlooking the proposed site of V&A Dundee

Jewellery designed by a University of Dundee student will go on sale internationally after she won a competition to create jewellery for a collection inspired by the world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum.

Sarah Spalding was the overall winner in the Costume Jewellery category of this year’s Ancestors/V&A Student Jewellery Design Competition

The final year Jewellery and Metalwork Design student’s lattice necklace and earring set was inspired influenced by the South Asian collections and colours in the V&A’s Nehru Gallery. Her winning design will form part of the Ancestors’ INSPIRED! collection, which will be sold via department stores, mail order outlets and shopping channels across the world.

Other students from the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University, also experienced success in the competition.

Third year students Elizabeth Humble and Nicola Wylie were highly commended for their designs while Laura Christie, a final year student who recently won a major prize at the prestigious Goldsmiths Craftmanship and Design Awards, was shortlisted for her Trellis Collection.

Sarah, from Broughty Ferry, will travel down to London on Friday to receive her prize, and expressed her delight at achieving the success.

She said, 'It’s great to have received this recognition and it will be a fantastic experience to go down to London and receive the award. Hopefully this will help create more opportunities for everyone who was recognised.'

The University of Dundee has been a driving force in the 'V&A Dundee - Making It Happen’ project which aims to attract the Victoria & Albert Museum to establish a presence in the city.

Jewellery and Metalwork Design Programme Director Sandra Wilson, who will accompany Sarah down to London, said, 'This success confirms our place as one of the top rated institutions for studying Jewellery & Metal design in the UK.'

'Hopefully the campaign to bring the V&A to Dundee will prove successful and we will have the opportunity to work ever closer with them.'

Ancestors, a company working in the heritage industry, and the V&A devised the student competition as a way of providing the next generation of designers with genuine commercial experience.

Both organisations work closely with universities, and the annual competition asks students to create fine and costume jewellery designs inspired by the V&A and its collections.

Royalties from sales of the products are covenanted to the V&A, allowing the Museum to continue its work for the benefit of future generations. Founded in 1852, the V&A is one of the most inspiring resources for designers and manufacturers anywhere in the world.

Sarah, Elizabeth, Nicola and Laura will be meeting on Thursday to mark their success near the site earmarked for the V&A Dundee building as part of the Waterfront regeneration project.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk