LONDON, ENGLAND.- The work of more than 150 graduates from the University of East London (UEL) School of Architecture and the Visual Arts, including many Newham and Tower Hamlets residents, goes on show at UEL’s Docklands Campus from Friday 2 June until Monday 5 June.

The Visual Arts Degree Show - first in a series of UEL summer showcase events - will be opened by world-famous sculptor Richard Wilson, RA, a visiting professor of Fine Art at UEL. It includes work by graduating students in Batchelor of Arts (BA) honours degree programmes including Fine Art, Graphic Design, Fashion, Textiles, Photography, Graphic Fine Art, and Digital Arts.

Local residents exhibiting at the Visual Arts Degree Show include: Ann Haycock, currently living at UEL’s Docklands Campus, is set to embark on an MA at Falmouth University after completing her BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at UEL. Ann will be exhibiting two installations at the Visual Arts showcase: a kitchen cabinet crammed full of crockery glued together with egg white and sugar, and a piece involving two dead trees that she rescued from being sawn in half.

Ann, who also showed her ‘Lifelong Knitting’ piece at the recent Mayfest exhibition at Docklands, said: “I’ve loved the degree; I really enjoy the subject and my confidence in my artistic practice has grown dramatically. The support given to me by my tutors and the friends I’ve made on the course have been as amazing as the surprising strength of egg white and sugar.”

Sada Hussain (25), of Plaistow, is currently considering a career in teaching after completing his BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at UEL. Sada, who previously studied at Newham Sixth Form and East Ham colleges, said: “The three years at UEL have gone extremely quickly, but I’ve had plenty of time and opportunity to develop skills and discover my real passions and interests.

“I really enjoy my work, and I’ve been happy to learn how a Fine Art degree can prepare you for a surprisingly wide range of career possibilities. I’m normally a painter, but for this exhibition I’ve been experimenting with different media to create final pieces which are both sculptures and images.”

Bryony Gillard (22), of Bow, will be exhibiting two large playful installations, entitled “Swings” and “See-four”. Bryony, currently completing her BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art, explained: “I’m very interested in social interaction, embarrassing social situations and the idea of a playground for adults.

“I create structures on which participants must interact with each other in fairly intimate situations. We’ve been given a great deal of independence and freedom to explore our creativity during the degree, and there’s been a very good group dynamic and plenty of opportunities to show and exhibit work.” Stuart Robinson (21), of Stratford, is planning to set up an art studio with friends after completing his BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at UEL. His work for the Visual Arts showcase involves large, brightly coloured towers, one of which – emerging out of a suitcase – is aptly entitled “Worst case scenario.”

Stuart said: “The course has been really good; it’s a very creative environment and we’ve been given plenty of freedom to pursue our own personal interests and develop our practice. I’ve been particularly interested in the idea of using spaces and contrasting colours to create a piece of work, but these more recent pieces are designed to be more specific to themselves than to any particular place. I also like to inject a bit of playfulness and absurdity into my work.”

Katherine Stokes (21), of Bethnal Green, is planning to continue developing her work after completing her BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at UEL. Katherine, who has produced a series of large, strikingly coloured paintings for the showcase exhibition, said: “The course has been good because of all the freedom we’ve been given and the help that the tutors have given me in understanding my work.

“The main thing I’m interested in is colour and how different colours relate to each other; the balance between abstraction and realism which I create in my paintings definitely helps to make viewers more aware of the colours and paints involved.”

UEL’s School of Architecture and the Visual Arts, opened in 2004 by Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, offers dedicated, purpose-built studios and workshops, together with impressive exhibition space, providing an ideal venue for regular Fashion, Fine Art, Architecture and Design shows. Upcoming showcase events at UEL this summer include the Architecture Year End Show, Fine Art Professional Doctorate shows, and MA Fine Art and MA Digital Arts & Visual Communication shows.

The Visual Arts Degree Show is open to the public from Friday 2nd June, Mon – Fri 10 – 6, Sat & Sun 10 – 4. For full details or further information about or UEL’s School of Architecture and the Visual Arts, call 020 8223 3333 or visit www.uel.ac.uk or www.uelfineart.com.