Last week we popped in to The Old Truman Brewery for the opening of Free Range Shows photography week 2 and to choose the recipient of our third Nottingham Trent University bursary award…
For many years, we have supported final year photography BA students at Nottingham Trent University with three bursary awards; two of £500 worth of our production services to aid in the production of their degree show (read more on our recipients of these awards here) and a third of £1000 for the production of an exhibition one year later in Nottingham in conjunction with Nottingham Trent University and Lakeside Arts. This is part of our dedication to the next generation of creative practitioners which also includes tours, talks, lectures, portfolio reviews, and student discounts.
Tom Illsley was awarded our third bursary award for his series ‘Meridian’ and will be exhibited at Lakeside Arts Centre in 2016 with the support of NTU photography tutors, Nottingham Lakeside Arts Centre and £1000 of our production services towards his exhibition.
The series ‘Meridian’ is an exploration of central geographical locations in Great Britain formed of landscapes identified through the mathematical equation of centrography, divided into quarters and explored clockwise. Of his series, Tom comments I record different information whilst I am acting as a flâneur in the environment, magnetised to the features of the landscape. Information such as longitude and latitude, and compass bearings is important to me and In documenting this information I not only present objective imagery but also unique data to support my work. In creating this work I am recording areas of land often overlooked or seen simply as fields and green land, but in creating imagery I am relating each center point to one another, despite the fact that they are miles apart.’
The bursary award will enable Tom to further develop his practice and to exhibit a body of work of his choosing. Tom adds I’m looking forward to working within a professional environment and creating a body of work that is an extension of what I have already created. I intend to continue with the Meridian project but I hope to expand this to explore the centre of England, Scotland and Wales. I’m looking forward to working with Mark Foxwell [of Genesis Imaging] and also Max Kandhola [of Nottingham Trent University] to see how with their support and ideas, alongside my own, everything comes together to create a great exhibition.’
Meridian was presented in a group exhibition at Cobden Chambers, Nottingham in 2015 as a part of Fifth Wall Photo Festival and was exhibited further at the 2015 Free Range shows at The Old Truman Brewery in London.