Whilst the annual Foundation Art and Design Diploma exhibition wont now open this March we can still catch up with student Joanna Spilman to find out more about her work, experience of the course and plans for the future.
What inspired you to sign up to the City Lit Foundation art and design diploma?
I wanted to do a pretty broad foundation course that allowed me to explore lots of different art practices and get a qualification – so I would have something to show for the year! Because I like so many different types of art, this course appealed, as you end up with a diploma, alongside getting to try 7 different specialisms, before specialising in two.
What was your background prior to signing up to your course at City Lit
Having been a project and programme manager for almost 15 years in pretty much every sector, I basically had a sort of mid-life crisis and realised I simply couldn’t face it any longer, so handed in my notice one lunchtime with no plan at all! I just had the realisation that no matter what area I was working in, if I was in an office and not ‘making,’ I was miserable! Unfortunately, they made me work my two months’ notice, but I was able to use that time to work out that I had to do something creative, so straight away began investigating art courses and kept coming back to City Lit’s Foundation.
Have you always had a passion for art and design, or is it something that has developed more recently?
It sounds so ridiculous to say, but it’s honestly true – my biggest regret in life is not choosing Art as one of my GCSEs! At university I found myself doing evening classes in ceramics - so I at least had an outlet, but then I kind of quashed my arty side, (apart from the occasional home décor or craft project) and focussed on my career and other interests like scuba diving. Then 4 years ago I started a job that, as one of the benefits, gave us each a budget for trying something new that couldn’t be work-related. I started off small and did a weekend silver clay jewellery course, which I loved, and then plucked up the courage to do try sculpture and signed up to an evening class and just finally realised how much I had missed ‘making.’ I then started doing more and more short courses in everything from drawing to felting and mosaicking.
Can you tell us a little more about your final project and the influences behind it?
My final project draws from my love of scuba diving and how much plastic is now in the ocean. I am combining my two specialisms – ceramics and print making – to make a sculptural piece of a sort of ceramic ship wrecked female figure on the bottom of the ocean who, despite being broken, is flourishing with life thriving on her and all around her – with ceramic corals and abstract forms, underneath a big blanket, or wave, of reclaimed plastic bags printed with drawings I did of marine animals. Damien Hirst’s beautiful sculptures from his Treasures of the Wreck of the Unbelievable are a big influence - although I only discovered them a few weeks in to my project, as well as the underwater sculpture parks in Mexico (although sadly I haven’t dived them) and Juliette Clovis’ weird head sculptures and Diane Lublinski’s stunning underwater ceramics.
How has the course transformed your approach to your work? Has it helped you with mapping out your future goals in any way?
One of the reasons for doing the course was to work out what I want to specialise in and what I might like to do next…and whilst I know ceramics needs to feature in my future, I think it is fair to say that doing this Foundation has instead opened up the range of possibilities for what I might like to do next! It has taught me though to view my work more objectively and that I need to stop procrastinating and just get on with making, as well as most of all that I definitely do not want to go back to working in an office!
What’s the dynamic like on the course?
Because there are only 22 of us, we have become quite close. Everyone is really supportive of each other and I have made some really good hopefully life-long friends. We are all constantly learning, as well as learning a lot from each other.
What’s the best thing about studying at City Lit?
The tutors. They really are experts in their field and are so helpful and caring, always pushing us to get the most out of our work and offering research suggestions and different artists to consider. Also, the variety of people doing the course – everyone has a different life story and a different reason for doing the Foundation.
Finally, we should ask... have you got any exciting plans going forward?
This is the big question! I knew going in to the Foundation, that I didn’t want to do another degree, (mostly because I couldn’t face another student loan!) But now it’s got to the end of the course, I really wish I did have 3 years ahead of me to explore and learn. Instead I am going to do some shorter advanced workshops and applied art courses with a view to probably doing a longer specialised ceramics course if time and money will allow.
@Joanna_Spilman_Art
