COLLABORATION SUCCESS
Working collaboratively is a great way of sharing ideas and knowledge across a wide range of subjects. It is also a great chance to meet people, network and enhance your transferable skills. Have a look below to see some fantastic collaboration successes from students and recent graduates of Derby University.
'OPPOSITES ALONE TOGETHER'
MARLEY BUTLER
Music/ Performance/ Dance/ Art Therapy/ DEDA
Marley Butler (BA (Hons) Cultural Studies with Music Production) presented his latest series of albums titled 'Opposites' and 'Together Alone' along with contemporary dance, art and performance.
‘Opposites’ explored Marley’s own life experiences particularly between 'love and hate' by attempting to highlight and untangle the complex relationships that they share.
‘Together Alone’ was an exploration into how music can communicate so much more than words. “I really do believe that music gives us gifts…moments that are completely ineffable" (Marley Butler 2010)
This multi-disciplined event really enhanced the audience’s experience of the music and added a third dimension to the work, highlighting further strands to the stories unfolding in Marley’s music. All parties evolved were able to exchange ideas, form relations and develop this performance though regular meetings. “In rehearsals I was constantly amazed at how they picked up on things that I had previously thought and not mentioned and they also made me learn new things” (Marley Butler 2010)
For this project he teamed up with: Chaos Dance Company and Pena Arts which included students from the performing arts and creative expressive therapies courses at the university to create this fantastic collaborative event.
"I wanted create a night with different kind of experience, many left saying they had never been to such a night, there is great scope for artists from different mediums to work together whether it be a full collaboration or in this case...'here is the paint, draw me a picture, I trust that your painting will be beautiful and that it will teach me more about the paint I gave you, and realise that the painting is much bigger than us'.The night was the best of my life and I’m exited for future collaborative projects." (Marley Butler 2010)
A clip of his event, music and further information can be found here:
'APARTMENT 11 & [F]LIGHT'
OLGA MESMER
Fine Art/ Film/ Sound/ Direction
Olga Mesmer (BA (Hons) Fine Art) specialises in film and animation. She recently became part of the Anglo Klaxon, an indepentdent film company made up of a team of former media/ film students.
They have produced over 15 projects so far and including a 21 minute long film short called “Apartment 11” which was produced over a period of 7 months. Find out more on their website:
Olga's most recent experimental film '[f]light' was shown at the Flair Degree Show 2010 at the University of Derby. For this film she collaborated with Phil Arnold (film) Oliver Harwood (edit) and Mike Lawton (sound).
[f]light image still (2010)
Olga said:
"I am very grateful to these guys as I would not be able to accomplish the work to the same standard if it wasn't for their help and skills."
"I think collaboration between students and professionals is very important. Some artists tend to abandon some great and potentially very successful ideas just because they don't know how to do what they want to do...Collaboration can help to help bring to life all of those wonderful ideas, as well as give both artists a better awareness of working with other medias and in many cases even sparking new ideas and projects"
Bulletin - Mixed Media Working
By Gavin J R
Performance/ art/ design/ photography/ sculpture/ film/ management
As a Fine Art student at Derby University I have worked across many different media – performance, film, sculpture, design to name a selection. It was vital that I worked collaboratively to make a success of my final year work.
I gained many extra skills within each media throughout my degree, and gained a lot of industry knowledge and contacts along the way. Creative partnerships came from wide spectrum of the arts from simple things like working with my ‘creative’ mates through to liaising with local authorities to get permissions for my live performances.
Further information on my artistic practice can be found at:
FASHION AND PHOTOGRAPHY
EWAN MATHERS
Art direction/ commercial photography/ fashion/ beauty
Ewan Mathers (commercial photography) knows a great deal about the importance of collaboration when capturing his digital images. He has worked with a range of clients/helpers from fashion students to make-up artists.
In a recent body of work Ewan worked with a number of other students including Holly Booth and Lisa Kemp. Derby University has been pairing up fashion and photography for years and it’s always been a great success for both sides of the collaboration with enhanced portfolios.
Ewan Mathers photographs the details that we otherwise might miss. People, places and things all submit to his ability to capture the essence of the subject. Adept in a wide range of situations, from studio to location, Ewan always finds a new angle and a new way of seeing that has won him praise as well as awards.
He is discrete, incisive, sympathetic, bold and creative; dedicated to bringing you the highest quality images every time. Ewan recently graduated with a first class BA honours degree in commercial photography from the University of Derby and was accepted as an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photographers.
Ewan has his own studio in Banks’ Mill in the centre of Derby from where he continues to photograph and print his images.