An art student who went Dutch to work with a renowned film-maker is home in Shropshire for a series of inspiring craft workshops.
Philippa ‘Pip’ Tudor is back in her native Shrewsbury having completed a degree in Fine Art at Central St. Martins’ college of Art and Design, London.
She spent much of her final year in Rotterdam on an Erasmus exchange placement before flying back to England to find she has been nominated for the college’s prestigious Nova Award.
The 23-year-old will have to wait until September to find out whether she’s beaten off competition from 13 of the top young creatives in the country to pick up the trophy, which celebrates the cream of Central St Martins’ talent.
And what talent, CSM’s alumni include some of the greatest names in British art and design, including artist Lucien Freud, designers Jeff Banks and Stella McCartney, film director Mike Leigh and sculptor Anthony Gormley.
But until then Pip will be busy hosting “fun and innovative” workshops at Shrewsbury’s Darwin Centre and Claremont Bank, with her friend and ‘Collective Light Culture’ colleague Emma Castle.
The pair work with a wide range of mediums including digital and analogue filmmaking, photography and sculpture.
She said: “We aim to promote different methods of thinking about our surroundings, the sustainable use of materials and the ideas that art does not have to be a watercolour landscape or a still life piece of fruit, it can be whatever you want it to be.”
The workshops are aimed at those aged 15-plus and children aged eight to 14, and Emma and Pip will use unusual materials and bizarre crafts to bring art to life for those visiting them throughout the week beginning Monday, August 12, and running until Sunday, August 18.
Pip said: “Throughout the week we’ll hold workshops for kids and sessions aimed at adults who want to do something a little different with their time.
“We’ll be using odd materials and bringing them to life. This is what Emma and I do best and we’re looking forward to sharing that.”
The 8-14 age group will enjoy shadow play, experimental drawing, pinhole photography and moving images.
“We will make characters from found materials to make a short shadow puppet play which will be filmed and exhibited,” said Pip.
“We will make our own cameras and find out how we can use the environment to make images.
“And as a group, we will create enormous sculptures made of absolutely anything.”
Kevin Lockwood, Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said: “Pip is one of our most talented and innovative young artists and I’m sure her workshops will be a lot of fun.
“Shrewsbury is a real hotbed of art and creativity and we’re delighted to be able to reflect that here at the shopping centres.”
Pip is also happy to find a new and unusual place for her work and she added: “This is a new opportunity for both of us, and something that has been in the planning for a while.
“It’s about working within the local community, spreading the word of craft-based art practice to an audience who may not have had these opportunities before locally.
“We are still preparing for the workshops, but hope it will be a great success and something we can continue in the future.”
Among the mediums the 15-plus sessions will include are portraiture, castings and a ‘photo walk’.
The workshops will culminate in an exhibition on August 18.
Pip is excited at the prospect, and equally thrilled at her nomination for the Nova Award.
She was chosen for a final year project which saw her create a camera from scratch and work with 35mm and 16mm analogue film, as she did during her six-month placement in the Netherlands.
There she worked at Filmwerkplaatz with the Dutch film-maker Esther Urlus alongside events organised with Paolo Devanzo and Lisa Marr of the Echo Park Film Centre, LA.
Together with Emma, Pip has big plans for the future, including an art café and introducing further “unique, interesting and fun” exhibitions to neighbouring communities.
“I wouldn’t say I have a big plan, I’m going to see how I get on at the Nova Awards and enjoy the summer first,” said Pip.
“Fingers crossed I do well, but I was more than happy to be on the shortlist and recognised for my work.
“Somewhere in the future I would love to open up a café or arts space where workshops and exhibitions can take place, possibly in Shrewsbury. We’ll see what happens but for now I’m happy sharing my love of art with a wider audience at these workshops.”
For more information or to book a place on one of Collective Light Culture’s Summer 2013 workshops, email collectivelightuk@gmail.com.
