Feral: Transformation

On 3rd July the graft to transform The Old Truman Brewery into our end of year show 'Feral' began. The largest exhibition space in the Free Range event, T1 - as pictured - was vast, empty, and full of promise, set to become the home of the work of AUCB fine art, illustration and photography graduates for the next week.





A strong sense of community was felt from the moment we arrived, with the vast yet mutually beneficial task of constructing the greatest show we could requiring people to work together and share the load. From unloading all the artwork from the vans - most precious, heavy, or both - and carrying it up two flights of stairs, to assembling the boards, painting, installing the work, and cleaning up, the days leading up to the show were back breaking, amplified by the heat of the room.

The resultant design was free-flowing and open and made the most of the brewery's expanse without filling it, aiming to cement itself in people's memory by reflecting the blue sky coming from above in the colour of the constructed walls.  The curation process was fairly organic, with work blending between disciplines and themes to lead the visitor around the space but leave them room to explore. With plants, broken glass, costumes and furry bits, it was easy to create a surprise around every corner due to the diversity and wildness of this year's output.

It was unmistakable that the drive for all was to create an exhibition arena that showcased the hard work we had already put in throughout the year to the best possible degree, and I think what we created together in this space was a testament to both our personal efforts to create thought-provoking boundary-pushing work, and the efforts of those who unconditionally helped us along the way.

All photographs in this post are by Laurie Ramsell.