The Lord Mayor of London, William Russell, formally opened a theatrical window display created by UAL students in the City of London’s Leadenhall Market yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 23rd June.
The Graduate Showcase forms part of the students’ final year degree programme and provides a high-profile and easily accessible platform to showcase students’ skills and expertise, as COVID restrictions have limited the ability for the students to hold public exhibitions at UAL over the last two years.
The Leadenhall Market window display will run until August and is part of an innovative partnership between businesses and the renowned Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts; University of the Arts London (UAL) which will see this year’s Graduate Showcase ‘take over’ a number of retail units and other key locations across central London. More than 100 students from the BA Costume for Theatre and Screen, BA Production Arts for Screen and BA Theatre Design courses will have their final degree pieces exhibited in 30 sites across the City of London and also in the Northbank (mainly in sites along the Strand).
Work on display includes full costumes for productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Wicked and Woman in Black, realistic and intricate animal models, set design maquettes and boards detailing the creative process, all highlighting the creative talents of the students. The third year students exhibiting are: Tillie Wang, BA Costume for theatre and screen, Jasper Hao, BA Theatre design, Anna Gorman, BA Theatre design, Rhianna Molina, BA Theatre design, Lauren Nash, BA Theatre Design, Katie Whatman, BA Costume Interpretation, Lauren Savill, BA Costume interpretation and Celeste Townsend, BA Theatre design.
A spokesperson for Leadenhall Market said: “We’re keen to support the next generation of creative talent and give students a high profile space to show their wonderful designs. The stunning Victorian architecture of Leadenhall Market makes the perfect backdrop for this theatrical window display which visitors can see when they come to shop, eat and explore.”
Graduate Showcase activates retail and office windows across central London, providing an attractive welcome for visitors and workers as they start to return to the capital. In addition to the retail unit at Leadenhall Market, other sites include Paternoster Square, the Strand Palace Hotel and Coutts Bank which has opened up some of its public areas to showcase work.
The project has been developed by the Cheapside Business Alliance, the EC Partnership and the Northbank BID – business collectives working to enhance their local areas and drive local economic growth.
