Students bring empty shop to life through art

Art students at South Essex College are transforming an empty shop in Southend’s Royals Shopping Centre into an ever changing exhibition space.

The students are occupying the space, simply named ‘The Shop’, over the next five weeks with each week culminating with a fresh exhibition.

The first week saw the first group of the College’s BA (Hons) Fine Art degree students kick start the show with their work, which was based on objects each of them had brought in.

They all swapped items and had to come up with creations inspired by these objects. The week also saw the students take part in workshops with local artists.

Tutors and students are working alongside artists Emma Edmondson, Lu Williams and Shaun Badham.

One of the purposes of the project is for the students to work collaboratively and to engage with an unfamiliar space. All the work is made in the one week using only the few materials provided and each group will have a slightly different starting point.

BA (Hons) Fine Art Course Leader, Matthew Chambers, said it was a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their work.

He said: “This project is an innovative way to make use of a unit that would otherwise be unoccupied and also gives our students the chance to get involved with a real life exhibition.

“The first week has been a huge success and I cannot wait to see what the next few weeks bring. I’d encourage people to come down and have a look for themselves.”

The Shop is located in the Royals Shopping Centre next to the Card Factory near the Heygate Avenue entrance.

Exhibitions, which are free and open to the public, will take place on the following dates:

Year 1 (group 1) Friday 8 March 2-5pm & Sat 9 March 11am-2pm
Year 1 (group 2) Friday 15 March 2-5pm & Sat 16 March 11am-2pm
Year 2 (group 1) Friday 22 March 2-5pm & Sat 23 March 11am-2pm
Year 2 (group 2) Friday 29 March 2-5pm & Sat 30 March 11am-2pm

For more information about art courses at the College, visit www.southessex.ac.uk

Check out our Facebook gallery here to see images from the exhibitions