Oliver Vanderpoorten
optima
Pictured a selection of the pottery produced by current student Milia K.K. Hau (MPhil World History 2017) displayed at the Fitz Fine Arts Exhibition on 22–25 June 2018 in the Old SCR. The exhibition, which also included paintings, photography, drawings, and collage by current students, was organised by Oliver Vanderpoorten (MRes Sensor Technologies and Applications 2015), President of the Fitzwilliam Fine Arts Society.
COLLAGE: more than just cutting-and-pasting Established in 2016 by a group of third-year undergraduates, the College’s Collage Society continues to grow
“The best thing about it is the serendipity; you never really know what you’re going to come across that will inspire you”
More than a century has passed since Cubism founders Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque began experimenting with mixed media, giving rise to the ‘collage’ artistic concept we are all familiar with today.
magazines, all of which are provided by the Society at their meetings, and a little bit of imagination!
Collage does, however, throw up some unique challenges that one might not encounter in other creative pursuits. “It Derived from the French verb ‘coller’ can be frustrating when you’re looking for meaning ‘to paste’, collage is much more a specific image to finish off a piece and can’t find it in the material available, or you than just cutting-and-pasting. “I find it to be a very therapeutic pastime,” says struggle to find the perfect background Melissa Dicks (Anglo-Saxon, Norse and for your collage,” shares Melissa, whose favourite magazine to use when collaging Celtic 2015), Secretary of the Fitzwilliam College Collage Society (FCCS), which was is New Scientist. She and other Society members also find great inspiration in old set up over two years ago. “Collage Society copies of National Geographic, Time and art meetings are always really relaxed: we put on some music and chat a bit, but mostly catalogues, as they have both good images everyone’s ‘in the zone’ and focused on their and interesting fonts. “The best thing about it for me is the serendipity; you never really art,” she adds. Last year during exam term the FCCS organised a joint event with the know what you’re going to come across University’s Mindfulness Society to give that will inspire you until you flick through students a calming and creative break from some old magazines and have a go”. revision, which proved to be very popular. Scissors and glue, anyone? Studies have indeed shown that collage as part of art therapy may, for example, aid in You can find out more about the Collage the process of reminiscence in individuals Society on their Facebook page: with dementia1 or reduce the rate of school @fitzcollegecollagesoc absenteeism in children with mental health 1 Woolhiser Stallings, J.S. 2010. Collage as a problems2. In addition to its potential therapeutic benefits, collage is a very accessible medium that everyone can enjoy. It doesn’t require any specialist equipment nor technical ability or training; all that is required is a pair of scissors, glue,
therapeutic modality for reminiscence in patients with dementia. Art Therapy 27(3): 136–140. DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2010.10129667 Takata, Y. 2008. Support by a nurse teacher in a school infirmary using collage therapy. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 56(4): 371–379. DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1819.2002.01025.x
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