On Skin Beyond

This March Avenue Gallery is hosting ‘On Skin Beyond’, an exhibition showcasing the work of Students from The University of Northampton, the Fashion department. The exhibition is free to view by all members of the public from Monday 7^th March 2011 too Friday 18^th March 2011 open from 9am – 4pm.

‘On Skin Beyond’ presents research and samples from Surface Design, Fashion Marketing, Fashion, Footwear, Accessories and Printed Textiles for Fashion students, mainly focusing on leather. Each year the university receives £25,000 in sponsorship for leather across all of the fashion courses. Leather is a heritage in Northampton and therefore the university has good links.

The mannequins located in the centre of the gallery, show off the work of alumni students. The outfits are all different from each other, from the intricate detail too the immaculate stitching. The brightly coloured dress is similar to the design of dresses from the 1940’s bringing in style from the past. The first male mannequin on the left had been photographed by Rankin, a famous photographer and has previously been displayed at Fashion Graduate Week as part of the student’s advertisement. Two of the outfits have also been shortlisted into the top 10 students across the whole country in Graduate Fashion Week last year and are well known throughout the industry.

A graduate from The University of Northampton, Philipa Tatt, secured a footwear work placement in China straight after graduation. Her work that has been highlighted throughout the exhibition is the matching tassel shoe and bag set. The deep purple colour of the suede creates texture and a sense of classiness to the set, for the sophisticated woman. 

Another award winning design is of this innovative wooden shoe, which took over a week to make. After graduation she worked as a shoemaker in River Island, London, and now works in Goldline, Northampton, where it all began for her.

Professor Basil Cadency from the Royal College of Arts will be leading a 2day workshop on 10^th and 11^th March. The workshop is sheepskin based, working on surface design and creating new imaginative work. Alongside Professor Basil, worship from company of Couriers are coming up from London on 15^th March touring the gallery to see what they are funding.

The atmosphere of ‘On Skin Beyond’ could have been a little more welcoming, the room was airy and bright but not much else was going on. The work showcased was of a high quality, which I would recommend others to view. The students were obviously passionate about their work, making the best of the materials they had.

New Year - Get Fit!

Being a student and trying to keep fit is not easy. Chucking a pizza in the oven or calling the local kebab shop can sometimes seem the easiest option when you have been in lectures all day and just cant be bothered to cook! It may be the easiest but it certainly is not the healthiest, and three years of living away from home and staying a university with a bad diet will take its toll.

I have always tried to eat healthily, being conscious of what I cook, I didn't want to use uni as the excuse as to why I may put on weight. My first year living in halls it was all about going out with friends, getting drunk, definitely not exercising.

Now in my second year and more aware of how important exercise is to keep fit, I have joined the gym. I thought new year, new me! Its all well eating healthy but without working out it can seem a bit pointless. For only £20 a month I couldn't say no; student off-peak membership works perfectly for me because it means a cheaper fee and allows me access to the gym at quieter times.

This is by far one of best new year resolutions I have thought of, and a resolution that I will stick to! Music blasting in my ear, an energetic atmosphere really gets me in the mood for a good work out, and I feel great afterwards, the sluggish feeling I had last year is no longer there.

He's finally gone!

Sunday night saw the last of Wagner on the X-Factor, he was finally voted off! The competition is getting so intense that there was no room for the likes of Wagner, and there were stronger contestants than him. 
Five acts got through down to the general public voting, which left three contestants: Katie, Mary and Wagner. Katie got the least votes and was therefore out of the competition immediately, which meant it was between Mary and Wagner to get the judges votes. My favourite out of the two was obviously Mary.

Both contestants prepared themselves to sing in front of the live audience and the judges, praying to be kept in. The tension was building, I was shouting at the television screen begging for Wagner to go. Louis was the first judge to vote he said Wagner followed by every other judge agreeing. Wagner was out!

The real talent is now left in the X Factor and I believe the competition has properly started. Two weeks left every contestant has to prove they are good enough to stay in. Who will win? You decide.

Vote Wagner out

I still cant understand why the public keep voting to keep Wagner in the competition. I think it is all a fix and the X-Factor need to sort it out.

He cannot sing and is a boring 'entertainer' he should have been voted out in the first round. He makes me cringe the minute he steps onto the stage. Poor Trayc got voted off X-Factor last night which was decided by the judges. She is one of the stronger competitors and did not deserve to go, it was not her first time in the bottom two, a situation Wagner has never been in. I wish I could understand what goes through the public's head when they vote for him?

Every Sunday I become more and more angry when Dermott announces Wagner has made me through once again. There are even Facebook groups insisting on keeping Wagner in, why?? I feel like writing in and complaining to X-Factor, but that may be a silly idea!

My fingers are crossed that when the votes are revealed on Sunday that Wagner is in the bottom two and the judges will send him home. The impression Simon gives off is that he thinks Wagner is a joke, so lets hope he is gone and we never have to hear him sing again!

Lion King.

Tuesday night I went to visit my dad in London, he took me to the theatre to see Lion King as a treat.

On the train down I was so excited as I had heard how amazing the performance was, and now I have seen it I totally agree! Not only was it funny I also shed a tear.

The opening scene was just the same as the film, all the animals surrounded around pride rock welcoming Simba singing 'circle of life'. It was just a great opening, got the whole crowd involved, joining in an bringing happiness to the audience.

My favourite scene would have to be when Moufasa and Simba share a moment together, realising how strong their relationship as father and son is, play fighting and looking up to the stars. The scene gave a moral meaning to the audience, suggesting how parents care so much for their off spring and what may seem out of order at the time will benefit them in the long run.

Another scene that made an impact on me, and I will admit I cried at was the death of Moufasa. The actors were brilliant at the part they played, and you could really feel the emotion coming from them. Young Simba showed so much love for his father, feeling guilty believing he has killed him. The atmosphere changed for the rest of the scene, with the audience feeling involved and understanding how he must have felt loosing his father.

And of course a scene within the play/film that everyone remembers and loves is the introduction to Timone and Pumba, two hilarious characters that were just as amazing in theatre. The costumes and voices were spot on, if you closed your eyes it was like watching the film. They used the same jokes but had added their own to differentiate between both theatre and the film.

Overall it was one of the best shows I have seen on the West End, especially being a huge Disney fan. I would advise anyone to watch this, any age, with family or alone, it is one to enjoy. It creates Disney magic in a whole new way.

Student parking, fair or not?

Parking on campus has changed a lot this year, causing an out roar, especially for students. The university have not only clamped down on who is allowed to park, they are also charging per day.

Being classed as a student living off campus I first had to apply for a parking permit online to see if I was eligible to park. Although, before I could even submit my application it was vital I gave my postcode in case I lived to close, which I do agree with because people that are within close walking distance should not take up a parking bay when they are needed by others.

Once my application had been accepted, I purchased my barrier card and drove to my first lecture of the year expecting to find a parking space, but at 9 O'clock in the morning I had to drive around for 15 minutes, turning up late for my lecture. Obviously I explained to my lecturer the situation but it angered me that the University are saying yes to parking permits to more people than parking spaces. I now have to leave half an hour before my lecture just to get a space when I only live at ten minute drive from campus.

When I received the email about my application it explained how as of January they will be charging 1 pound for a whole day. Now this price does not seem a lot, but when you weigh up how much we pay to attend university in the first place it does seem unfair. As I mentioned this will start up in January, therefore I will wait until then and see how organised it is as to whether I carry on parking on campus. Hopefully once the pay and display goes into action  not as many students will park because they will not want to pay. Another issue I have with the pay and display situation is that staff do not have to pay, and can park free for the whole day. After a conversation with my lecturer she explained how it has never been mentioned to staff that they have to pay. Now how is this fair? Why should us as students be treated differently to staff when it comes to parking. I mean at least staff are getting paid for their job, most students do not even have part time jobs, so once again students are having to rely on their parents.