Selby College student produces Abbey Illuminations film for District Council

Selby College Higher Education student Georgia Fernandez worked on an exciting project for Selby District Council last month.

A few weeks before the Selby 950 ‘Pilgrim’ event, Nayan Kulkarni, the artist responsible for Selby Abbey's illuminations installation in November, came in to speak to the Art & Design department’s Year 1 and Year 2 Higher Education and Level 3 Art & Design students about his project which celebrated the 950th anniversary of the Abbey's foundation. He explained his research process and also showed the students his prototype and the resulting presentation he did for the council.

Nayan, whose interest lies in the transformation of public spaces, was also responsible for the idea behind the giant industrial rotor Blade that Hull’s Queen Victoria Square played host to as City of Culture in 2017.

After this initial talk, Selby College’s Art & Design Lecturer Elaine Whitehead was then approached by Event Manager Hazel Colquhoun with a film commission for a student.

Georgia, 19, leapt at the chance to get some industry work experience and was lucky enough to speak to Nayan about his interactive art display and the research and design process and be fully immersed in the process.

Now in the second year of her Art & Design HND (Arts Practice), Georgia hopes to specialise in Commercial Fine Art and Photography after she completes her course. Prior to progressing to her Higher Education course she studied Level 3 Media Production at Selby College after leaving school.

The former Selby High School student, who attended the opening night on the Friday evening and the final Sunday enjoyed speaking to the public in the audience and seeing the different reactions from the local community and those that had travelled from further afield.

Georgia has been supported throughout the project by fellow Year 2 Art & Design HND student Beth Davenport, also 19. The former Snaith School student studied A Levels at Selby College prior to her Higher Education course and is aiming for a career in Graphic Design after completing her studies.

The District Council’s brief was for a 19-minute film of the full projection as well as a separate edited piece with documentary shots of the crowd enjoying the projection, alongside interviews with the Reverend Canon John Weetman of Selby Abbey and the artist.

Speaking of the filming experience Georgia said: “The council and everyone involved in the project were so supportive – Nayan was really friendly and even said how he was impressed with the way we were working with sound! It was interesting to find out about how he recorded sound which looks really complex but was actually simple.”

She added: “It was a great opportunity to network which will hopefully help me in the future. I can’t wait to show the end result of my film!”

You can watch Georgia's film here on the Selby 950 Facebook page>