This year, the wonderful Mart
Gallery and Studios in Lower Rathmines play host to graduates who have come
through the level 6 Higher National Diploma programme at St Kevin’s College. The work exhibited by our students this year,
again reflects the broad demographics of the college itself and the diversity,
energy and uniqueness that the college provides. Students have presented individual images and subject driven projects that represent a broad range of approaches, styles and strengths – from commercial portraiture, landscape and fashion imagery, to long term projects that deal with aspects of the social and personal world.
DIMITRI AVKHADEEV - ‘The
Lonely Station’
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At the start of each college
year, students propose an idea, or a concept, which will be developed
photographically throughout the year. The development of project-based and
concept-based photography is crucial in students’ development and understanding
of photography at this early stage of their careers. There is a necessity,
within this process, of visual connection to a subject or theme. Students find
their own topic, their own vision and to try to translate these effectively. My
role has been to help students find their subject, their vision and translate
it effectively. Together we explore traditional and contemporary approaches to given
themes and subject matter and, further, find an aesthetic and conceptual
solution to the individual’s own work. The process is supported on an on-going
basis by a series of workshops and further refined through a succession of critical reviews,
with the involvement of all tutors and peers. At these critical reviews we have
established a close creative synergy between tutors and students which is part
of the success of our course and the triumph of this year’s graduate
exhibition. The exhibition is testament to the students themselves, to the investment they have made in their own work throughout the year and the efforts they have made to produce what is yet another very special exhibition for all of us connected to St Kevin’s College.
Martin Cregg
2nd Year Tutor
May 2015