Final year BA Fine Art student, Will Hardy, talks about utilising sound in an art context and the kinetic ice sculpture he created for this year’s BA Fine Art Degree Show, Can you let us in? 

Showcasing the work of 49 graduating artists from the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, Can you let us in? is a call out to the broader art world for help to bridge the gap to professional practice. 

Will Hardy is a sound sculptor from Manchester, currently graduating from the BA Fine Art degree at the University of Leeds. Will’s kinetic ice sculpture – ‘If you are alive then you will make a sound’ – takes centre stage in the school’s Project Space, one of the many exhibition spaces that make up this year’s degree show. Will said: 

“For many of us, sound has shaped how we perceive our understanding of the world around us. In my practice, I delve into questioning how this view is presented in an art context. To do so, I navigate sound through the theme of ‘translation’ and make work I define under ‘sound-sculpture’.

“Often large scale and placed into installation settings, these minimalist sculptures are integrated with sound reactive sensors and technology.

“Through my work, I aim to question the role of the audience in gallery spaces. My work often provides the audience with an opportunity to activate and enhance their experience to different levels, depending on the extent to which they wish to act upon the work.

“I want to leave the audience knowing something more about themselves.  A work that I particularly think achieved this is a piece I exhibited last year titled “You’ve got to draw the line somewhere” which was a sound-reactive drawing machine. I had the pleasure of watching people shout and talk at the piece and watch their own audio engagement become visual. Seeing people step outside of their comfort zone in the gallery or being open to engaging differently is something I always love to see.

“How to/not to deal with Change” was the first sound-reactive light sculpture I made involving three programmed pyramids. I created the work in my first year as a way of translating my experience of leaving my childhood home of 18 years to live in Leeds and the East Ridings, during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“The sound-reactive sculpture came alongside an eight-minute soundtrack, which I composed to translate the experience of moving from the city to the countryside. This became my submission to a wider group project and online exhibition called ‘No7 artists house’ where we created work responding to environments that we had inhabited during lockdown. For the main documentation of this project, I took the sculpture to the top of Trundlegate Hill in the East Riding near my then-new ‘home’.

“Since this work, I have collaborated and worked on large-scale sound reactive light sculptures with music producers and events companies, notably BRAIN DANCE at Eiger Studios.

“Utilising sound as the catalyst for light reactivity has been incredibly useful in bringing my sculptural work to a different audience outside of the gallery. I think it has been essential to experiment with how these interactive sound translations have alternative responses in different institutions, both music and art. Leeds music and arts culture has been incredibly useful to me in navigating these sound experiments.

“What has become evident in the weeks preparing for our degree show is how we all create art as expressions of ourselves as well as how these expressions are worth holding onto and putting out to a public audience.

“At the outset of this process, we collectively decided on the title Can you let us in? as a point of questioning ourselves, the art world and what is next for us all. However, I think the confidence and undeterred passion that we all exemplify in this show provides an answer to that question and justifies why we should all be let in. Our art speaks for us, engages others and enables all access to expressions of ourselves in our world.

“For my submission for the degree show, I chose to create an interactive sound installation which translates suspended ice into analogue synth music via its melting from the warmth of the room. 

“The projected sound itself becomes an acknowledgement of the audience’s engagement with our exhibition and portrays my investigation into collective consequences.

“By creating work that responds to engagement, I hope to make the audience more aware of their impact on life. Now more than ever, we rely on technology to validate our positioning and relationships and my sculpture practice mimics this with the extension of sound.” 

MORE INFORMATION

Will Hardy’s work can be seen at the Can you let us in? exhibition until 18 June.  The exhibition is free and open to the public, daily from 10am to 5pm. 

Find out about Will Hardy and his art practice here on the Can you let us in? website or at: willhardystudio.com 

More information about the 49 artists taking part in this year’s BA Fine Art Degree Show at the University of Leeds. 

IMAGES

(1) Will Hardy installing ‘IF YOU ARE ALIVE THEN YOU WILL MAKE A SOUND’ in Project Space for the BA Fine Art Degree Show  — Can you let us in?  — June 2023. Photographic documentation by Jules Lister.

(2) Will Hardy, “YOU’VE GOT TO DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE”, Sound Reactive drawing machine, (Photographic Documentation) from Group Show REC. at Assembly House Leeds, March 2022.

(3) Will Hardy, “HOW TO/NOT TO DEAL WITH CHANGE”, Sound Reactive Light Sculpture (Triptych), (Photographic Documentation). Site: Trundle Gate Hill Yorkshire, April 2021.

(4) Will Hardy, “NEURONES” Sound Reactive Light Sculptures x 9 (1m x 1m x 2cm), Metal Plates, Filtered Acrylic sheet, ws2812b LEDs, Assorted Electrical components) Exhibition view at Eiger Studios, Leeds, Commissioned and Funded by Brain Dance, September 2022.

(5) Will Hardy, “SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME”, December 2022. Sound Sculpture. Accompanied by video projection in Project Space, School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies.

(6) Will Hardy, ‘IF YOU ARE ALIVE THEN YOU WILL MAKE A SOUND’. Suspended Cast Ice, 35cm x 32cm x 45cm. Sculpture Installation, Project Space, Can you let us in? BA Fine Art Degree Show, June 2023. Photographic documentation by Jules Lister.

(7) Will Hardy, ‘IF YOU ARE ALIVE THEN YOU WILL MAKE A SOUND’. Concrete Cast Basin, 160cm x 160cm x 16.5cm Analogue synth sound module/ electromagnetic galvanometer, 40cm x 40cm x 40cm Suspended Cast Ice, 35cm x 32cm x 45cm. Sculpture Installation, Project Space, Can you let us in? BA Fine Art Degree Show, June 2023. Photographic documentation by Jules Lister.

Graduating artist Malako, (Katriya), Christina Webster talks about creating Dancers in the Studio for this year’s BA Fine Art Degree Show, Can you let us in?

Malako (Katriya) Webster is in the final year of the BA Fine Art degree at the University of Leeds. Her work centralises around performance based art and videography, coming from her years of growing up as both a dancer and artist.

“As an artist and trained dancer, it was inevitable for my two worlds to collide.

“For the past two years, I have excitedly explored the forms of the classically trained dancer whilst working this into my practice. My current years of work drew me to capturing these beautiful moments of movements in the practice of dance and art as a collective – emphasising and highlighting the beauty and strength of the dancer through the use of space and videography.

“Taking my own years of technical practice in movement, I was curious as to how this would partner with my practice in the fine arts.

“In dance, my interest lies in the technique from the extension of the leg travelling through a beautifully curved foot or to the bow of their back in a strong arabesque.

“On the other hand, my interest in art has often drawn me to the exploration of space and combining movement into my work.

“Working towards the final year degree show of Can you let us in?, I created my own space in the studio. A space where art and dance can meet; playing on themes of theatre, audience and abstract art.

“For the exhibition, I created a circular installation where a series of my performances were screened on a number of television monitors. A curtain suspended from the ceiling circulates around these performances, creating a separate space for where dance meets the art studio.

“Each television monitor displays a unique performance that highlights different characteristics of the dancer’s body when put into an art studio.

“To bring this to life, a live performance of a classical dancer also takes place in this created space in which the dancer explores with their body this unique environment. Over the course of the show I have had the pleasure of having several live performance with sound accompaniment, involving my incredible co-dancer Jess Cherrie who also shares a love of art and dance.

“Through performance, I have been able to display the beauty of dance in the art space through directing and choreographing set prompts. This has ranged from interacting with standard art materials like acrylic paint for acrylic paint for Adiago, 2023 to dancing between two confined boards and a sink for Confined Space, 2023.

“Throughout my projects, I have enjoyed working across a wide variety of materials, from videography and film to acrylic and oil painting. I have also enjoyed working with wood to create installations and working with developing film in the darkroom of our basement.

“I had such pleasure working in the committee team ito create the degree show, working specifically in our marketing team on communications and advertising the exhibition. It was a fun yet chaotic job and I thoroughly enjoyed putting together the show. It was such a wonderful team to be working with.

“I take pride in our special postcards displayed outside each studio in the exhibition that represent each of our 49 artists of Can you let us in? We decided as a group to have postcards instead of the standard catalogue – although this took many hours to put together, it was definitely worth it.

“Another favourite part for me was posting on our social media highlights. It was such a fun way to bring us all together and capture key memorable behind the scene moments of the show.”

More information

Malako (Katriya) Webster’s work can be seen at the Can you let us in? exhibition until 18 June. The exhibition is free and open daily from 10am to 5pm.

A performance of Malako (Katriya) Webster’s Dancers in the Studio (duration: 15 minutes) will take place at 4pm on Thursday 15 June. With live movement and dance by Jessica Cherrie, directed by Malako Webster. Find out more on the Can you let us in? website

Find out about Malako (Katriya) Webster’s art practice on the Can you let us in? website.

Images

(1) Malako (Katriya) Webster’s installation Dancers in the Studio, 2023 at the Can you let us in? BA Fine Art Degree Show. Photo credit: Jules Lister.

(2) Dancers n the Studio performance with sound accompaniment, 15 minutes in duration. With live movement and dance by Jessica Cherrie. Photo credit: Jules Lister.

(3) Adiago, 2023 playing on a television monitor within Malako (Katriya) Webster’s installation Dancers in the Studio, 2023 at the Can you let us in? BA Fine Art Degree Show. Photo credit: Jules Lister.

(4) Malako (Katriya) Webster, Confined Space, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.

(5) Fondu, 2022, one of the performances playing on on a television monitor within Malako (Katriya) Webster’s installation Dancers in the Studio, 2023 at the Can you let us in? BA Fine Art Degree Show. Image courtesy of the artist.

Talented emerging artists who have persevered through the turbulent years of Covid are bursting onto the art scene with a plea to “let us in”, as the Lord Mayor of Leeds opened their degree show this week.

The university exhibition, which is free and open to the public until June 18, is a chance for the 49 students to showcase the work they have produced over the final year of their BA Fine Art degree.

Curated and staged by the students themselves – unusual for university degree shows – the title of the show ‘Can you let us in?’ asks the art world to help the up-and-coming creators bridge the gap from university study to life as professional artists.

It is also a playful reference to a regular message that appeared in the students’ group chat whenever someone had forgotten their access card for the shared studio space.

BA Fine Art student Molly Newham, part of the show’s organising committee, said:

“I can honestly say that ‘Can you let us in?’ is the final year Fine Art students at their best.

“This show represents a perseverance and resilience fostered over the last three years. From physically being locked out of our building and holed up in halls in our first few years due to pandemic lockdowns to slowly and steadily reclaiming the studios as our own. 

“’Can you let us in?’ is a loud knock on the doors of the wider art world. The show acts as an amplifier, with us as the next generation of creative workers shouting ‘are you listening, this is important!’.”

The exhibition encompasses painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, sound and moving image installations, using materials that range from oil paint to a kinetic ice sculpture.

It was formally opened by Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Al Garthwaite at a private viewing on Wednesday, June 7, accompanied by her Lord Mayor’s Consort Catherine Mitchell who is herself a fine art graduate from the university.

Cllr Garthwaite said: “I am completely blown away by the excellence of the concepts, the imagination, the use of the media that have gone into making these art works. There is such a variety as well – from the paintings to the ice sculpture to the amazing ceramic forms, and the Amazon boxes which have been transformed to show the interior of student houses of Hyde Park.

“It genuinely gives me the most enormous pleasure to be able to formally open this show.”

BA Fine Art student Izzy Spriggs, the show’s director, said organising the show was “challenging yet hugely rewarding”. She thanked the technicians who gave their time to help and taught the students’ valuable skills they will use in their future careers. 

Lecturer Dr Julia McKinlay, who led the module for the degree show, praised the students for their resilience through a disrupted three years at university.

She said: “It has been a pleasure to work with this cohort of fine art students in their final year of undergraduate study. They have had an unprecedented university experience with dormitory lockdowns and a year working in isolation at the start of their degree.

“Despite this, they have thrown themselves into developing their studio practices and have produced their best work for this year’s degree show. There is a huge range of fantastic work to see ranging from printmaking to audio visual installations.”

She went on to explain that while many universities see degree shows curated by academic staff, the Leeds students run the entire endeavour themselves even managing the budget and arranging marketing campaigns.

“This is a huge collective endeavour but also an opportunity to learn what it takes and gain the skills to put on a public exhibition of this scale. All the while, producing their own work as artists in the exhibition,” Dr McKinlay added.

“They have risen to this challenge brilliantly and produced a wonderful exhibition full of exciting and challenging work.”

The students were also congratulated on their “complex and astute” work by Dr Joanne Crawford, Head of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies. Dr Crawford said the show was a chance to reflect on the impact national and global events have had on our lives.

“This has been acutely evident in the arts sector where the gap between aspiration and reality becomes one increasingly difficult to cross, especially for the generation represented by the 49 final year artists asking ‘Can you let us in?’

“It is sometimes difficult not to be pessimistic in such changeable and often volatile times, but the hope, enthusiasm and sheer determination of this extremely talented group is reassuring. Through their artistic endeavours they are all are looking the future straight in the eye and demanding a say in how their world will be shaped and experienced.

“The range of art on display in this exhibition shows a complex and astute questioning of the status quo in the hope for something different. What impresses me the most though is that in doing this they demonstrate a real kindness; a call for collective action and real connectivity.”

This article originally featured on the University of Leeds homepage.

IMAGES

Credit: university of Leeds / Mark Bickerdike.

Image captions (from top):

(1) BA Fine Art students Izzy Spriggs and Ella Murphy, Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Al Garthwaite and Lord Mayor’s consort Catherine Mitchell, with What the Cluck? 2023 by Frankie Lewis at the Can you let us in? BA Fine Art Degree Show, University of Leeds.

(2) Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Al Garthwaite with Uncanny Nature 2023 by Alice Chan. In the background are works by Charlotte Youles, Emma O’Rourke, Dalia Hodari and Pip Tuffin.

(3) Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Al Garthwaite and BA Fine Art student Izzy Spriggs discussing Molly Huxley’s Symposium of Broken Chairs, 2023.

Showcasing the work of 49 final year students from the University of Leeds, this year’s independently curated BA Fine Art Degree Show will be opened by the Lord Mayor of Leeds at an evening preview event this week.

The title of the show — Can you let us in? — is a call out to the broader art world for help to bridge the gap to professional practise.

This play on words was inspired by a regular message sent into the students’ studio group chat whenever someone had forgotten their access card.

Work on display in the exhibition encompasses painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, sound and moving image installations, using materials that range from traditional media such as oil paint to kinetic ice sculpture.

A Private View will take place from 6pm on the evening of Wednesday 7 June, when the degree show will be formally opened by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Al Garthwaite,. Cllr Garthwaite has been an elected Councillor for Headingley, Hyde Park and Woodhouse since 2016 and received an Honorary Degree from the University of Leeds in 2007. As well as striving for the increased wellbeing of her ward and its residents, she focuses on environment, climate change, arts and culture, community safety, planning, licensing, and working for an end to violence against women and girls.

The preview event will also include speeches, performance and an opportunity for guests to talk to the artists about their work.

The exhibition then opens to the public on Thursday 8 June and runs to Sunday 18 June.

Can you let us in? has been organised, curated, managed and marketed by the graduating artists, all final year fine art students in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies.

BA Fine Art student Imo Dunkley, who led the marketing team for the degree show, said:

“Our collective experience of a turbulent time – both inside and outside the university – has amplified questions about the role of artists in society. When other crises appear to be increasingly urgent, it becomes more pertinent that we make a clear stand for arts and culture to be recognised for their importance.

“As artists, many of us have responded to this uncertainty through the exploration of themes such as domesticity, social sustainability, migration, identity, femininity and techno-capitalism. Whether it has made us celebrate the mundane of everyday life or explore our complicated relationship with nature, we have found comfort and purpose in art making.”

BA Fine Art student Molly Newham, finance lead and part of the social media team for the degree show, said:

“I can honestly say that Can you let us in? is the final year fine art students at their best.

“This show represents a perseverance and resilience fostered over the last three years. From physically being locked out of our building and holed up in halls in our first few years due to pandemic lockdowns, to slowly and steadily reclaiming the studios as our own.

“Can you let us in? is a loud knock on the doors of the wider art world. The show acts as an amplifier as we, the next generation of creative workers, shout ‘are you listening, this is important!’.

“I’ve enjoyed seeing collective themes emerge in the show: issues such as the climate crisis, LGBTQ+ rights, working-class culture and mental health experiences are poignantly expressed and demonstrate the collective power of the emerging artists’ voices.

“Though the exhibition installation period has been intense and hard work, it has been immensely rewarding to see the show take form. The long nights in the studios, final discussions with our tutors and many hugs and supportive words of friendship have resulted in a show that I am immensely proud of and can’t wait to share with the public.”

BA Fine Art student Izzy Spriggs is the show’s director and co-curator with Abby Glynn. Izzy said:

“Can you let us in? is message we see at least once a day on our year-wide group chat. This exhibition reflects our experience of the inconsistent last three years; coming back into the studio after lockdown was an adjustment from working individually at home to the community of the studio.

“There has been a resistance to reflect on the turbulence of the past few years, so this has led to a range of work that focuses on domesticity and comfort, the environment and sustainability, identity and appreciation of process. 

“The organisation of the show has been challenging yet hugely rewarding. The combination of problem solving, and then the fulfilment of placing work in an appropriate exhibition space, has taught us so much. Curating spaces which are full of art works that complement each other — whilst also taking into consideration what each individual artist had in mind for their work – has been our main priority and not easy. 

“Putting together this show wouldn’t have been achievable without the assistance of the technicians, who have not only committed so much of their time towards making the show possible but have been fundamental in teaching us useful technical skills and techniques which will shape and improve our careers in the future. 

“Although light-hearted, the title of the show does reflect a call out to the art world, as many of us graduate with the intent to carry on our practices.”

BA Fine Art student and sound sculptor Will Hardy said:

“What has become evident in the recent weeks preparing for our show is how we all create art as expressions of ourselves as well as how these expressions are worth holding onto and putting out to a public audience.

“For my submission, I chose to create an interactive sound installation which translates suspended ice into analogue synth music via its melting from the warmth of the room. The

projected sound itself becomes an acknowledgment of the audience’s engagement with our art and portrays my investigation into collective consequences. By creating work that responds to engagement, I hope to make the audience more aware of their impact on life.

“At the outset of this process, we collectively decided on the title Can you let us in? as a point of questioning ourselves, the art world and what is next for us all. However, I think the confidence and undeterred passion that we all exemplify in this show provides an answer to that question and justifies why we should all be let in. Our art speaks for us, engages others and enables all access to expressions of ourselves in our world.”

Dr Julia McKinlay, Lecturer in Fine Art and module leader for the degree show, said:

“It has been a pleasure to work with this cohort of fine art students in their final year of undergraduate study. They have had an unprecedented university experience with dormitory lockdowns and a year working in isolation at the start of their degree.

“Despite this, they have thrown themselves into developing their studio practices and have produced their best work for this year’s degree show. There is a huge range of fantastic work to see ranging from printmaking to audio visual installations.

“In many universities, degree shows are curated by the academic staff. However, we do things a little differently at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies: Can You Let Us In? has been wholly organised by the students themselves. They have curated each room, built and painted the exhibition spaces, designed marketing campaigns, and even managed the budget.

“This is a huge collective endeavour but also an opportunity to learn what it takes and gain the skills to put on a public exhibition of this scale. All the while, producing their own work as artists in the exhibition. They have risen to this challenge brilliantly and produced a wonderful exhibition full of exciting and challenging work.”

Dr Joanne Crawford, Head of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, said:

“As we approach the eagerly anticipated final degree show of 2023, it gives us all time to reflect on the last year and the ways in our lives have been impacted by both national and global events.

“This has been acutely evident in the arts sector where the gap between aspiration and reality becomes one increasingly difficult to cross, especially for the generation represented by the 49 final year artists asking ‘can you let us in?’.

“It is sometimes difficult not to be pessimistic in such changeable and often volatile times, but the hope, enthusiasm and sheer determination of this extremely talented group is reassuring. Through their artistic endeavours they are all are looking the future straight in the eye and demanding a say in how their world will be shaped and experienced.

“The range of art on display in this exhibition shows a complex and astute questioning of the status quo in the hope for something different. What impresses me the most though is that in doing this they demonstrate a real kindness; a call for collective action and real connectivity.”

In the words of the 49 graduating artists:

“Searching for connection in a world of change, you are invited to come and see our work, through which we aim to make a little sense of the rapid changes around us.

“We would like our BA Fine Art Degree Show – Can you let us in? – to signal a beginning rather than an ending; a bold step forward into the unknown.”

IMAGES

Tianna McIntosh, Can you let us in? designs

Malako (Katriya) Webster, Dancers in the Studio, 2023

Imo Dunkley, Untitled, 2023

Molly Newham, Erosion Term III; Slump, 2022

Izzy Spriggs, Untitled, 2023

Will Hardy, If you are alive then you will make a sound, Project Space, June 2023

Abby Glynn, Untitled, 2023

Showcasing the work of 49 final year BA Fine Art students at the University of Leeds, our independently curated show encompasses painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, sound and moving image installations, using materials that range from traditional media such as oil paint to kinetic ice sculpture.

A play on words inspired by a regular message sent into our studio group chat whenever someone had forgotten their access card, Can you let us in? is our call out to the broader art world to help us to bridge the gap to professional practise.

Our collective experience of a turbulent time – both inside and outside the university – has amplified questions about the role of artists in society. When other crises appear to be increasingly urgent, it becomes more pertinent that we make a clear stand for arts and culture to be recognised for their importance.

As artists, many of us have responded to this uncertainty through the exploration of themes such as domesticity, social sustainability, migration, identity, femininity and techno-capitalism. Whether it has made us celebrate the mundane of everyday life or explore our complicated relationship with nature, we have found comfort and purpose in art making.

Searching for connection in a world of change, you are invited to come and see our work, through which we aim to make a little sense of the rapid changes around us. We would like our BA Fine Art Degree Show – Can you let us in? – to signal a beginning rather than an ending; a bold step forward into the unknown.