Necklace by Miriam Jones
From Manchester to Milan for graduates
3 April 2013
Pair set to exhibit at Design Week
TWO Manchester School of Art graduates will have the chance to showcase their designs at Milan Design Week, next week.
Laura-Jane Atkinson and Miriam Jones are two of just 11 students chosen by design website Arts Thread and exhibition organisers Designersblock to take part in their show at the Magazzini venue, in Milan.
Laura-Jane, who graduated with a BA (Hons) in Embroidery, will be exhibiting an installation of her investigations into the links between maths and embroidery.
Her installation, “Hybrid Embellishment”, consists of a series of layered textile embellished wooden offcuts that can be viewed as an installation or seen as “wooden samplers” for interior design.
Fantastic opportunity
Speaking to Artsthread, Laura-Jane said: “As I begin to focus on the application of my work to flooring and furniture, Milan will be a fantastic occasion to gain expertise in developing a sustainable trade.
“I hope to bring back to Manchester a wealth of knowledge, inspiration, eagerness and opportunities.”
Miriam Jones is a former winner of the Success magazine prize, awarded by the MMU alumni team.
The BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design graduate, who is now set to start studying towards an MA in Design, found the inspiration for the collection following a conversation with a porter on Mount Kilimanjaro about her family’s herd of cattle at home in Wales.
Cultural differences
Miriam said: “We were discussing farming, and discovered cultural differences, especially in the way we valued cattle. He thought I was rich with 20 cows, and I thought that was absurd, as in Wales it’s the quality of cattle not the quantity that gives you wealth, whereas Africans value the quantity of cattle they have, as it means a greater chance of survival.
“I found it hard to forget the conversation, so I researched owning cattle and the impact it has on people’s status and wealth within society.”
Her striking metal collars use patterns created by her family’s cows’ noses – each of which is individual, like a fingerprint.
The exhibition will take place on April 9.
