Art to Art at South Bank

World renowned local artist Julie Freeman exhibits her work at Cranfield Technology CentreWorld renowned local artist Julie Freeman is to launch an exhibition at Bedford College's South Bank Arts Centre that will see visiting artists bringing art to art students and local people.

The exhibition begins on 8 January 2010 and will be open to the public until 22 January. Admission is free. Two exhibitions follow hot on the heels of Julie's work and run until 12 March (see list below).

Julie began life in Dunstable where she attended Dunstable College for two years studying Graphic Design. She gained a BSc at Plymouth University and ran a media design company 'Studio Fish' in London where she worked with the Hayward Gallery, the BBC and the Science Museum.

Julie is Artist in Residence at the Microsystems & Nanotechnology Centre, Cranfield University (picturted above), and Associate Researcher at Goldsmiths Digital Studio. She holds an MA in Digital Art from the Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts, Middlesex University, and is a NESTA fellow and Wellcome Trust arts awardee. Her work has been exhibited across the UK, including at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Science Museum, and internationally in Brazil, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Russia, and the USA.

The exhibition “In Particular” features 16 graphic artworks and 16 texts that draw inspiration from nanotechnology. Julie collaborated with Professor Jeremy Ramsden to understand the science behind the stories.

Talking about “In Particular”, Julie says:

“I've always been seduced by technology - how it can be used to interact and communicate with the natural world, enabling appreciation of the obscured or concealed, and how it can exhibit truth or lies with equal gravitas, sometimes purposefully misinterpreting reality. I am interested in the translation of hidden biological systems through abstraction or metaphor, as graphic, sound, animation or object. My work is rarely predictable, I often feel I construct open frameworks which allow the free flow of content into them.”

Sue Blackman, Director of Centre for the Arts, added:

“I am delighted to welcome visiting artists to our gallery space in the South Bank Arts Centre.

“This is a living contemporary art space for the community where they will see a wide range of art including photography, film, animation, graphic design, fashion and textiles. The visiting artists will also offer workshops and lectures to our students. We want to reach out to our local community and encourage people to come along and see for themselves the talent that is at the heart of Bedford.

“The South Bank Arts Centre is a community space for the artistic talent of local people. This is the place where people can access or create art, with a buzz of creativity all year round. We have recording studios, theatre and art studios and a variety of space that the local community can hire.  

“I am keen to encourage local contemporary artists, including ex-students, to use the centre as a launch pad for their talent and careers and a platform to exhibit their work.”

Find out more about Art, Design and Media at Bedford College.

Exhibition dates:

  • 8-22 January: Julie Freeman
  • 1-12 February: Students - graphics posters
  • 22 February-12 March: Rosalind Davis (mixed media painter and graduate of RCA fusing embroidery, print and paint to create complex and dystopian landscapes)