Art, Design and Media Practice Level 4 students have been exhibiting their work in a mid-year show themed “Perspective”.
Students were introduced to the theme at the start of the term and encouraged to respond in ways that related to them. The final collection was exhibited between 16 - 17 December 2025, bringing together ideas about communication, identity, culture, and how we make sense of the world around us.
One standout series came from Eleanor Davis, a hearing-impaired student who presented three boxes containing moulded hands shaped into British Sign Language (BSL) signs. One box shows the first sign Eleanor learned as a child. The other two spell “sun” and “butterfly”. The work invites viewers to think about the quiet effort of being understood in a world built around spoken words. Eleanor’s hands become both language and sculpture. They show how perspective shifts when communication is visual, embodied, and too often overlooked.
“Butterfly” in BSL by Eleanor Davis
Marisa Twyning took a different approach. She explored how humans imagine and “spot” the paranormal, superimposing alien forms onto photographs taken around the College. By placing the unfamiliar into everyday campus scenes, Marisa plays with the tension between “normal life” and fantasy. Her work also nods to a neurodiverse way of looking: it asks what we notice, what we filter out, and how different minds can read the same space in completely different ways.
The theme of perspective also ran through responses to conflict. Emily Lewis focused on political protest, using collage and mixed media to challenge what is seen, ignored, or repeated in public debate. Noah Ashley created lifelike models of war memorials, contrasting the symbolism and stories told through Soviet and Western perspectives, and asking audiences to consider how culture shapes remembrance.
Noah Ashley presents his work to Principal Lee Probert and Deputy Principal Lee Jamieson
Victoria Burden, Course Leader for Art, Design and Media Practice, said:
“This exhibition gives students a real platform. They can meet invited visitors, explain the thinking behind their work, and add context that you cannot always see at first glance. It also helps them practise presenting themselves professionally and selling themselves as artists.”
The exhibition reflects Newbury College’s ‘careers, not courses’ ethos. Students are supported to build portfolios, talk confidently about their creative decisions, and prepare for progression into higher study, freelance practice, or the wider creative industries.
To find out more about the one-year, full-time Art, Design and Media Practice Level 4 Foundation Diploma, including entry requirements and progression routes, visit: newbury-college.ac.uk/art