MSA Statement

Out of all the universities I visited, Manchester was the one I like most. I would love to study in the centre of Manchester, a vibrant, lively city with an eclectic range of architectural styles – from the London Road Fire Station to the Urbis building. I appreciate how the School of Architecture has strong links with so many other university departments and is based in the School of Arts building, as I would value the cross-fertilisation of ideas and the chance to explore the synergies between art and architectural study. The quality and range of work in the exhibition at the open day also convinced me that Manchester would be an amazing place to study. I’m told the School encourages exploration of your own specific interests in architecture which is particularly exciting.

Eduardo Souto de Moura’s House of Stories in Cascais, Portugal, is definitely one of my favourite buildings. The vibrant red of the concrete, contrasted with the natural green surroundings, immediately draws you in. The lack of windows or ornamental intricacy makes the building’s pyramidal towers striking – and so adopting traditional Portuguese forms (namely, the conical chimneys of the Sintra Palace) and placing them in a modern, innovative context. The dramatic rigidity of the building’s outline is juxtaposed with the curvature of the surrounding trees, and as the sun sets, the red of the concrete becomes increasingly brilliant, broken up by arching shadows of trees. The interiors of the towers have a single skylight each – this natural light, streaming from above and illuminating the tapering white walls, creates an almost ethereal space.

The ‘Blavatnik School of Government’ building, designed by Herzog and de Mueron, is a recent addition to Oxford. The circular glass building creates a surprisingly dramatic contrast with the smaller, more traditional buildings surrounding it on the street. Despite this contrast, subtle aspects of the Blavatnik link it to the surrounding architectural character of Oxford. For example, the layering of different shapes, stacked on top of each other, echoes the circular shapes of buildings like the Radcliffe Camera and the Sheldonian Theatre. Likewise, the facade of vertical panelled-glass recalls the proportions of the Radcliffe Camera, whilst the sandstone edging subtly links the Blavatnik with the traditional architecture of the city.

I would love to view the Villa Savoye, by le Corbusier; his architectural philosophy of ‘machine for living’ and form following function are so influential that I'd love to see first-hand the physical manifestation of his ideas. I particularly like modernist architecture and the Villa Savoye is an iconic archetype of the modernist movement. The way in which architecture and design was broken down into a rational and regulated practice is something that I find fascinating.

Carmo Church, Lisbon

A4 sketch in pen and ink of the Carmo Convent in Lisbon. The church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1755 and remains in the same condition. The church has no roof, which allows shadows of the arches to be seen. 

Form and Structure

A4 Images. These pieces explore form, shadow and line to create structures that seem to be almost floating. I first used card to create the geometric abstract sculptures, then photographed the card sculptures and drew on top of the images. I used simple lines and shapes to break down the sculptures into their integral parts.

Equilibrium

Steel and spray paint, 13x12x11 inches. In this piece, I wanted to create a sense of the opposing forces of balance and instability, so I attached delicate geometric shapes together to produce an abstract sculpture that hangs in equilibrium. It balances on the edge of a surface and looks as though it could fall at any moment.

Self Reflection

Acrylic on canvas, 12x12 inches. A self-portrait (part of a series of four paintings) exploring the female gaze in art, reverting artistic norms of the male gaze and the female body, thus creating a sense that it is actually the viewer who is being looked at rather than the artistic subject.

Black and White Photographs/Model - Remembering the Past

The top two photographs are of my mother exploring her attic and looking through her past memorabilia. I used a high contrast, monochrome format in order to focus on the ideas of light and darkness, thus portraying the feeling of searching through past memories - shining a light on the obscurity of the past.

I then decided to consider how these images could be exhibited and shown to other people. I've always felt that the way art is exhibited and organised in a space is central to the effectiveness of artistic expression. Because the past is something that often feels distant and obfuscated by the passing of time, I created a gallery experience (bottom photo) that insinuated the ideas of darkness and shadow. I built a micro-model of a room, hung up mini images of the photos I took in the attic, and then shone light on certain parts to demonstrate this idea of distant memory.

Life Drawing

Pencil life drawing, 9x10 inches

Charcoal life drawing, 12x6 inches