More than 900 family members, friends, arts professionals and invited guests attended Wiltshire College & University Centre‘s annual end of term show preview at its Trowbridge campus, celebrating the creativity and achievements of students across a wide range of subjects.
Hundreds of exhibits in art, design, media, games, film, photography and fashion filled the campus as students showcased the culmination of two years of study. The exhibition remains open to the public this week before similar displays open at the college’s Chippenham and Salisbury campuses.
This year’s event also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Foundation Art and Design course.
Owain Milford, Head of Faculty for Creative Arts, Media and Performance at Wiltshire College & University Centre, said, “It’s a great milestone for us and when you think of all the people who have studied with us and gone on to do great things, it’s something to celebrate.
“It was a good evening and it was really good to see the parents there. We had some great feedback about the value of the courses and how we run things, so that was really positive.”
The preview attracted guests from Wiltshire Council, Trowbridge Town Council, universities and organisations from across the arts sector, alongside many former students who returned to see the exhibition.
Owain said, “It was lovely that so many of our contacts from the art world came to see it and we also had a lot of former students coming back. I kept seeing our lecturers catching up with them so that was really nice.”
Visitors queued throughout the evening to explore the exhibitions, with the Foundation Art and Design display proving especially popular.
Among those exhibiting was Oliver Worsley, 19, from Frome, who created a multimedia project exploring the theme of decomposition through animation.
“It took about eight weeks of research and development to make the animation expressing how everything goes in a cycle, but then it’s disrupted by plastic and other materials,” he said.
“It’s been exciting to be part of the exhibition, I can’t really put it into words.”
Oliver will continue his studies in illustration and visual media at the University of the Arts London.
The fashion exhibition also attracted large crowds, including displays created in partnership with Dorothy House Hospice.
Siobhan Conway, from Market Lavington, showcased a multimedia project combining fashion, writing and animation to tell the story of four angels on a quest.
“This was about eight hours’ work a day for three months solid,” she said. “This is the culmination of my four years here and I’ve loved having it on show.”
She will study creative writing and screenwriting at the University of Worcester.
Games development student Alfie Bullock, 19, from Melksham, presented his final project, Arcane Domain, set on a magical island inspired by Stonehenge.
“I’ve really enjoyed the course and learnt so much,” he said. “I want to be an indie game developer developing my own games and every little trick and all of the effects I’ve used I’ve learned in this classroom.”
Alfie will continue studying games development at Bath Spa University.
Owain thanked staff and volunteers for helping deliver another successful exhibition.
“It’s an incredibly busy time for everyone, both students and within our department, because we’ve got final assessments, study trips and the shows going on all at the same time, but it is exciting and everyone enjoys it. I’m delighted that all the hard work put in by everyone has paid off.”
The Trowbridge exhibition is open until Thursday, when end of term shows open at the college’s Chippenham and Salisbury campuses. Visitors do not need to book in advance but should register at reception on arrival.
For more information about courses at Wiltshire College & University Centre, visit www.wiltshire.ac.uk.
