On January 30 at 7pm, the Photography and Video society collaborated with the Art Club to hold their first exhibition. It was held near the library entrance and will be on display until the end of March. There are a variety of works on show, featuring a wide range of different mediums and perspectives that showcase a multitude of diversity between the clubs.
I was lucky to attend the beautiful event, but it was not without issues. According to members of both societies, the Stirling Student Union had allegedly not correctly booked the triangle space within the Atrium for the event, so things were moved around last minute.
However, they made it work, which was still a smash hit, especially for the artists and the members who attended.
When I spoke to both presidents of the two clubs and societies, you could tell how much hard work and effort made this event special. The Art Club president, Rachel Boulton, said: “We’ve had exhibitions in the past, which have always been really small because the union weren’t always super keen on the idea.”
However, the University granted a fund for this event, which helped get the pieces printed. This is an excellent way that the University has been able to represent and showcase more of the arts, especially since so many students were engaging with the pieces and seemed enthralled by the works on display.
The Art Club decided to collab with the Photography and Videography Society because they are a brand-new society focusing on photography and videography as an art. The exhibition itself showed an array of diversity regarding media and pieces.
When interviewing one of the members, they said: “There wasn’t any particular theme for submissions and it’s basically that any member of the society was able to submit.
“It is what you consider a good picture. It’s very different because you can see the diversity in it. I really like the fact that it didn’t have any theme because it gave space for everyone to put their own thing in it.”
This was great to see, and I think many people enjoyed the exhibition’s variety since many things were showcased. Since this collab also contained the photography and video society, the art club described this as being more significant than exhibitions that they had done in the past.
As shown by the students, this is a fabulous opportunity, and another member described the event as an excellent turnout for everyone.
“I’m very excited about it because there has been such a good turn out like it’s just brilliant. It’s something we’ve all wanted to do for a while.”
The photography and videography society president, Rory Donaldson, also said: “It was a lot of planning, but I’m really satisfied with how all the works come together and I think everyone is really proud as artists and photographers.
“We were just encouraging people to stick in and make pieces that they’re interested in. It was a really excellent collaboration because we’re both on the same page in terms of societies even though we do different things.
“I’m really pleased that as a new society, I think we have done really really well to have done something like this and have this many people show up it’s a real boost. Especially because I often feel that art isn’t quite as represented in the University as much as I’d like.”
As much as It was an incredible spectacle of what these clubs can do, it made me yearn for more pieces and for the University to show off more events like this for the students. I can only hope for more in the future and more support for the arts.
Featured Image Credit: Demilee Shand
