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Amy Bradley

TBC

Amy Bradley is a third year Art and Design student. Her untitled project is inspired by her passion for life and nature.

Art and Design - BA (Hons)

Give us a brief overview of your project

My project is heavily inspired by nature and the concept of 'living and not just 'existing'. I aim to explore the symbiotic connections we as humans share with the natural world and how these can be celebrated in order to create a future for the planet and for ourselves. I aspire to show the beauty of these spiritual and biological similarities and how by caring for the natural world, it'll in turn, care for us.

Why did you choose this concept?

From a young age, I have always used art as a form of escapism and healing. When my Dad passed away, art and spending a lot of my time outside in the country helped me with grief and understanding my feelings and emotions. The thought of exploring how nature heals us through art and the connections we share was something that really appealed to me, and after exploring Attention Restoration Theory through ephemeral art for my dissertation, my interest in the topic continued to grow.

What processes have you been using?

I use a range of processes in my work as I love to try new things, but my work is mainly textile based and I enjoy using eco-friendly and thrifted materials when it comes to fabrics and different media.

What do you hope to achieve with your project?

Throughout my project, I hope to achieve a sense of inspiration and evoke a feeling of healing. The way in which simply being immersed in nature relaxes our mind and body is incredible and I hope that by helping people learn about the healing properties of nature, as well as what we can give to the planet and what the planet gives us in return, will help people to want to look after and cherish what the earth has to offer us.

How has your course helped you to prepare for working on your project?

On my first day of university I was told: "The only rule is work". Before I started studying at BCU, I was quite the perfectionist and was scared to make mistakes within my work. However, my course has helped me want to experiment more, as how do you learn if you don't have the odd mistake to help you?

This has allowed me to develop a very 'research through practice' based process, and I have also continued to be encouraged to work with topics that I am passionate about and have been allowed to almost create my own brief for my work. This freedom has allowed me to grow and develop my practice into something I can proud of and call mine.