Tania Yukanova: Ordinary Despair
Tania’s work is a series of illustrations on a set of domestic ceramic objects, which reflect the artist’s personal struggles with mental health. The ceramic is both strong and fragile at the same time while the illustrations in the artist’s signature style tell her story.
Maryam Khaleghiyazdi: Speaking Quilt
This project uses quilting and embroidery to tell the stories of 100 immigrants at a journalism festival in New York. The final quilt is interactive, so that audio of each person’s voice is activated when touched. The fabric offers layers of texture and a sense that memory is held in the fabrics.
Oychir: Willow Pattern Triptych (Alice in Canton Land)
Oychir’s willow pattern plates are a contemporary take on a traditional design, combined with the Western fairytale Alice in Wonderland. The pieces use a newer, less toxic glaze, bringing together these two familiar cultural entities into one work.
Miriam Pritchard: Story Tiles
Miriam’s illustrations on bathroom tiles show the hidden stories and characters of people in Loughborough. The scale and placement of the illustrations create an environment for exploring the people and places that make up the area.
Gail Armstrong: The Maid
Gail was commissioned by Harper Collins to create a series of all-white illustrations for ‘The Maid’, a mystery story set in a hotel. The dark green background used throughout gives a visual consistency and enhances the contrast with the cut paper imagery.
Meichen Lu: Opus Magnum for a Girl
Meichen’s project is a contemporary installation telling a story of a young girl dealing with menstruation for the first time. Using a range of materials and formats for presentation, this multifaceted work focuses on narrative from a range of perspectives.
Sunnu Rebecca Choi: Heal (Break Up Recovery Aid)
This work was created by Sunnu, following a break up. It includes zines, stickers, pencils and cards to aid others going through a similar trauma. The bright, sunny colours offer a feeling of hope and encouragement.
Gail Armstrong: United Nations World Toilet Day stamps
Using a precise paper-cutting technique, Gail has created a series of illustrations that highlight universal access to sanitation. The bright colours and layering leaven the serious topic, while being eye-catching to work at a small scale.
Ruonan Zhang : Your World
Ruonan’s board game challenges cognitive bias in the workplace. It uses a mix of 2D and 3D illustration to create a playful way to engage with this difficult topic.
Jiayang Chen: Box World
This project is a series of illustrations forming a storyboard narrative, presented in a series of boxes which become a metaphor for the feeling of being ‘boxed in’.