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Matilda graduated in 2017, here she talks about her biggest achievements on the course and her final project turned exhibition 'Twasever-Stow.
What would you say was your biggest personal achievement as a student on the course?
My biggest achievement was that I managed to turn a research based concept into an actual exhibition which ran for a week in May 2017. It came out of our final major project in which we had to spend four months on a research based concept which could be based on absolutely anything to do with London. It could be in any form, for example, a magazine, a play, a documentary, book, etc. There was no requirement for the project to ever actually become a reality, but when presenting the concept to tutors, we must have covered absolutely every aspect of research, including how it would be funded, advertised, sold, produced, who our audience would be and why etc. I turned my final project into an exhibition called ‘Twasever-Stow in a pop-up space in Walthamstow, North East London.
Tell us more about the project
The exhibition was about how local shops and businesses have changed over the years, with a focus on Walthamstow Market, the High Street and the north end of Hoe Street. I have lived in Walthamstow all my life and I love it there, so I wanted to celebrate the area through this exhibition. It’s an area that is full of interesting shops and trades, and it has been fascinating to see how it has changed over the years. I also really enjoyed speaking to so many residents from different generations as part of my research.
How did you manage to realise your concept?
When I began contacting the local council to see if they would ever hypothetically fund something like this, or give me the space to set it up, I didn't actually intend to go through with it all at the end. However, after doing all the planning, extensive amounts of research, contacting local artists, designing advertising leaflets, running a social media campaign, etc. the council said they would really like me to actually curate the exhibition. It seemed crazy to refuse their offer after all the hard work I had already put into it.
Although there were a lot of other independent people and groups who got involved and helped to make it happen, it was all for my final university project so everything was my responsibility, from the press releases to health and safety checks, access etc. It was incredibly hard work but so worth it! I managed to get some funding from the local council for the exhibition but if I’d had more time I would have applied for larger amounts of funding from other organisations, so that I could have done more with the exhibition.
View the video above for a glimpse into Matilda's project and exhibition.
Audio track as being taken from 'A Portrait of Walthamstow Market Documentary' Stinton Film, 2007.
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