Chelsea College Degree Show

I went to the opening of this year's degree show at Chelsea College. Here are a few of my favourite artists/works:

Natalie Bays recreated a lettings agency - 'Hello Homes' - in the college. This existed both as an actual office space and as a performance in which she was the agent. The premise was that parts of the college site, in its prime central London location, could be let. This would raise money to deal with the cuts made to art funding. I like the piece as a proposition for alternative uses of educational spaces, although the use of a typical estate agency is probably not geared towards that conclusion. Similar in some ways to my recent project with Archipelago collective in which we created a 'consulate' for the Cornerhouse.

http://www.becomingasomeone.blogspot.com/




James White. Two cars chained together, remotely operated to pull against each other in a tug of war. I think there is theory behind it, but I just like the spectacle and simplicity of it.

http://www.jamespaulwhite.co.uk/

Kelly Jackson. Her text works are pretty bleak, to say the least. I don't think I share the kind of world view that would probably lie behind these (e.g 'life is meaningless'). But if you can't suggest any substantial truth or meaning to life, which I would attempt via Christianity, then I respect the intellectual integrity that accepts the implications of that.



http://www.kellyjacksonart.co.uk/

Izabel Engelbrecht presented some formally concerned pieces. A heavy looking cylinder of unknown material and a zig-zag piece of aluminium appear industrial in origin. They are actually painstaking constructed; the cylinder has been formed from waste fibres from a workshop in a process which involved the artist crushing the material with her feet. The aluminium has been poured into a hand built mould. There is therefore a strong personal connection between work and artist which I didn't immediately detect. This links this work to Engelbrechts other, unpresented, work which involves her own image (see below).



http://izabelengelbrecht.com/