NCL+ and NSRlive bring you 'INVADE MY PRIVACY', an exhibition which was held in London but featured artists from Newcastle University!

The first artist we interviewed was Rory Biddulph, a second year student at Newcastle University
-This was his first sculpture
-Influenced by natural nastiness of some people
-The idea is based on an phenomenon called 'Uncanny Valley', which is where the more humanoid/human acting a thing, the more we sympathise with it, until a certain point where we become repulsed by it; in this context an innocent child, but with deformities
-Whilst his sculpture is meant to be serious, Rory wanted it to have a comic effect also.

The second was the driving force behind the exhibition- Nathalie Levi
-The exhibition was originally just for her work, but she requested other peoples' be in it also; so she set the loose theme of 'Privacy', upon which the others' work was based, and of course- the title of the exhibition itself. She asked for people to submit work and chose the pieces herself.
-Her own piece shows the way that people can watch so much tv it becomes more interesting and significant than them!
-The anthropomorphic rocking chair also refers to how furniture in the home is usually the place we spend most our time, and how by putting hands on the 'arms' of the chair, we can acknowledge, even compare ourselves to it.

Cecilia (more information coming soon)
-Cecilia left the Royal College of Arts in July this year
-She has centred her work around her interest in 'pyschogeography' and the discovery of around 68,000 wartime bunkers on the North Norfolk coastline. She was intruiged by the way the bunkers were built in a 'climate of fear'.-Cecilia's work is strongly based on the way that nature has reclaimed the bunkers, by combining wire frame shapes with natural materials such as strands of grass (Virilio/Fucco SP!!!!)-The artistry of the bunkers is emphasised by the fact that during World War One, artists such were called in to 'design' and camouflage them, by painting grass/pillars etc. on the top. 
-As well as sculptures and digitally manipulated pictures of the sculptures, Cecilia also utilised the art of etching and print to show the contrast of the subject matter

21/1107 - Current Affairs Show preview

As of 11am today, NSR is up and broadcasting! This means that from 5pm-7pm this evening, The Current Affairs Show will be airing for the very first time! Hooray, and cake and stuff.

We are all pretty excited about going live, but this also means that we're after your news more than ever. Get involved by e-mailing NSR.news@ncl.ac.uk.

Kathleen Moore and myself will be discusing the Week in Politics (that Alistair Darling, eh? Still, he's ever so slightly more good-looking than Gordon Brown, so we'll let him off) and previewing the 'Invade My Privacy' exhibition which I mentioned last week. In addition, we have a guest on the show - Melody Lyndon-Stanford, who is promoting a safety campaign to students called 'Know Before You Go'. This is very important if you're planning on going skiing over the Christmas holidays which, although it may sound random, is actually something that loads of Newcastle students partake in, so I'd fully recommend tuning in if you want to hear how to stay safe around the slopes. 

Kate

11/11/07 - Remembrance Sunday and some exciting news for the more cultured among you!

First of all, I would like to mention that the Remembrance Sunday service was held outside the Civic Centre today to honour the war dead. I have been observing the hundreds of students on campus over this last week or so, and there seems to be an almost complete lack of red poppies attached to our grubby outer garments. On the other hand, I have seen many older people in and around Newcastle who are sporting the poppy. I understand that students are strapped for cash, but to make a 20p donation is not going to break the bank. Besides, it is not the poppy itself that matters, it is the respect that war veterans in this country should command of us that matters. Wearing a poppy is a mark of that respect.

On a much lighter note, Newcastle University Art students are looking forward to heading down to London on the 24th of November in order to showcase some of their artwork at the University Women's Club, Mayfair. The exhibition is entitled 'Invade My Privacy' and, if the press release photograph is anything to go by, it looks very interesting indeed! No doubt here has been a crazy amount of work put into this, and you can count on NSR to be there, eagerly checking out how our artists are faring in the national spotlight!

The project has been backed by the ncl+ foundation, which is located in the Armstrong Building. Ncl+ provide funding for many useful projects undertaken by Newcastle students. In their own words, funding is provided if students apply to the foundation with ideas 'to develop and deliver 'one-off', student-led, extra-curricular projects that have a community, social or cultural benefit.'

There is no doubt that ncl+ is an extremely valuable resource for students to develop their personal skills in addition to gaining a degree - something that will be able to set them apart from other candidates when applying for jobs (those things wot you must do when you graduate and have to face the real world, kids!).
For all you budding entrepreneurs out there, check out the Enterprise Challenge 2008, a competition with potential cash prizes to be won if you can develop a solid business plan from an original idea. The link is here .

I am hoping to get some past receivers of funding and winners of the Enterprise Challenge to come in and have a chat. There will be a full report from the 'Invade My Privacy' exhibition on The Current Affairs Show on Wednesday, 28th November - hopefully with a few vox-pops from the artists involved!

Kate Edwards (News Editor)