Big pressure as Chichester students offer their skills in fine art degree show

Third-year fine art students Evan Mumby and Emily Bacon conclude their studies at the University of Chichester with their degree show.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Exciting times,

00:07it is nearly time for the final year degree show at the University of Chichester for the fine art

00:14students. Now lovely to speak to two of the third year students at Chichester, Emily and Evan. Now

00:19Evan, you took a bit of a punt on Chichester, you came down here not having seen the place,

00:26just had a hunch that you were going to like it and it's going to be right for you.

00:30And that's how it's proved, isn't it? How has it worked out? I mean, the having access to studios,

00:40but also the support from the tutors and the technicians has made it just so much easier.

00:45I know if I went to somewhere that was much bigger, and had the much more pupils, I wouldn't have that

00:51one-to-one contact. And as a sculptor, I need technicians a lot of the time if I'm doing

00:58technical work in studio, so I don't think I would choose anywhere else. It was a good punt.

01:03Absolutely. And Emily, you've had a good time here too?

01:09Yeah, it's been brilliant. I love knowing everyone and having such a small,

01:14close-knit group of tutors and students. It's amazing.

01:17Emily, do you feel you're a very different artist now to the artist who first set foot in Chichester?

01:24A hundred percent. I definitely feel that coming here with no teaching throughout basically the

01:31whole of my A-level, I suddenly had tutors going, you can paint abstract, it's not lesser art to do

01:39something that doesn't look real. And I'm painting crazy massive canvases full of random shapes and

01:47marks now, and it's amazing. I love it.

01:49It sounds like it's been really liberating for you then as an experience.

01:54Yeah, it really has.

01:55Absolutely. Eleven, has your practice changed a great deal in the time you've been theatre?

02:00A massive deal. I never was really aware of the sustainability around art and materials that you choose,

02:08and now I'm very, I'm very mindful of what I'm using and making sure that most of it's secondhand,

02:15but also I'd never thought I'd be doing textile sculpture like I am now and just kind of finding

02:22things and making things from it. Yeah, and I'm just really interested in the tactility of sculpture

02:28and kind of making it interactive in a way that everyone can kind of take away something from it.

02:34That sounds super exciting. And Evan, for the moment, your plan is simply to stay in

02:38Chichester, to continue to be part of the arts community here.

02:42Yeah, exactly.

02:44Whereas Emily, you are off for teacher training. Big, bold, exciting.

02:49Primary art teaching.

02:51Yeah, wow. And what makes you want to teach then?

02:54I just, I love being passionate about subjects and being able to be passionate and encourage

03:05everyone else to be passionate about similar things with art. I love going, guys, let's try this.

03:11And, you know, hopefully that enthusiasm rubs off and I just love to learn and I love to teach people

03:19how to learn and what just about the world. It's incredible.

03:24Fantastic. And it all started in Chichester. Well, lovely to speak to you both.

03:28Huge good wishes for the final degree show and also for the future.

03:33Thank you very much for your time and lovely to meet you. Thank you.