Vertical Gallery Commission and Exhibition - Oasis
Exhibition at the Manchester School of Art - Lowry Building (was Benzie)
Boundary Street West, Manchester M15 6BR Gallery space open to the public
June - December 2024
The Vertical Gallery is situated at the entrance to the school of Art’s Benzie building and is a vast space comprising of wood, metal, glass and concrete, with large walls, platforms and intricate walkways.
Each year we invite our students to make proposals for the Vertical Gallery as part of the Degree Show.
The philosophy of this exhibition is simply to enable students to propose, pitch and create work in a competitive commission process. As well as writing the proposal, students will also deliver a presentation to a panel to pitch working ideas. Beyond this, if successful, the students receive financial support to create ambitious commissions in the context of this year’s theme – ‘How do we make a fairer society through design?’
Vertical Gallery Commissions 2024 | Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2024 (mmu.ac.uk)
OASIS
As a textile artist and designer, I use exuberant colour within hand and digital embroidery processes. My MA Textiles practice has led me on a journey to push embroideries boundaries and create a 3D soft sculpture plant-scapes of fantastical foliage. Bridging art, craft and design my work acts as a form of healing and growth informed by my previous career as a Nurse. I create colourful, stylized botanical textile foliage installations providing a restorative and FUN-ctional use for both the designer and viewer, enabling the work to thrive where real plants can’t.
Inspired by the work of Kaffe Fassett, my growing houseplant collection and using a material led design process, I digitize my hand painted designs on the Ethos Software and then have the digital embroidery machine stitch my design at 1000 stitches a minute. I then manipulate the fabric designs and my embroideries into plantscapes which is on display at on the second floor of the Benzie Vertical Gallery.
Research conducted during my Colour, Material & Finish module into chromatherapy principles and psychological and physiological influences of colour led me to find a link to my current works and my previous profession as a Nurse. As a designer processing grief, I want to create a fun yet restorative piece for the viewer to immerse themselves in. My signature colour palette has been created through intertwining creativity and mindfulness and this work is an example how we can sustain a positive state of wellbeing through biophilic inspired design using vibrant, abstracted and stylised foliage indoors.
Hannah Paren | Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2024 (mmu.ac.uk)