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A closer look at the Postgraduate Fine Art Show 2022 with MA Curating and Collections

Against a plain white wall the following text is written: ‘Who Has Seen the Wind? By Christina Rossetti. Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you: But when the leaves hand trembling The wind is passing through. Who has seen the wind? Neither you or I: But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by.’ In the foreground white columns are positioned with different pieces if pottery on top.

Written byGeorgina Lampen
Published date 28 September 2022

Each year students from MA Curating and Collections at Chelsea College of Arts curate an exhibition which focuses on objects from the Camberwell Inner London Educational Authority (ILEA) Collection, a historic collection first assembled in 1951. The original purpose of the collection was to teach children the principles of what was deemed good design through the study of objects and materials.

A narrow corridor with black handrails either side. The corridor leads to a white wall with the words ‘Who Has Seen the Wind?’ On the left picture frames are hung on the wall. — **Exhibition image of Who Has Seen the Wind? In Chelsea Space 2022**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Ma Curating and Collections

As part of this year’s Postgraduate Fine Art Show which took place from 5-9 July 2022, students on the course were split into 2 groups and collaborated on curating either an online or on-site exhibition.

The on-site exhibition took place at Chelsea Space and was entitled ‘Who Has Seen the Wind: Women and Ceramics’. It featured a range of 20th century potters, ceramists, and designers from the ILEA Collection. The exhibition presented a dialogue with contemporary artists to explore the intersectionality of race, ethnicity and sexuality within feminism.

A website screenshot with the words ‘playtime.commodity’ in red and blue lettering centred on a white background. Underneath a box, with the words ‘Start Your Journey’ is positioned in a yellow box with a black boarder. — **Website landing page ‘playtime.commodity’ by MA Curating and Collections 2022**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Ma Curating and Collections

The online exhibition entitled ‘playtime.commodity’ used an e-commerce platform to present toys from the ILEA Collection and contemporary artworks in a comparative context. It opened the opportunity to explore the influence of toys from the ILEA Collection on British society after the World Wars, through representations of consumerism and gendered stereotypes.

A person kneeling, holds a camera and is taking a photograph of 2 ceramic pots which are positioned in a small white booth on top of a table. — **Students from MA Curating and Collections preparing for the exhibition and taking photographs of items within the collection.**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Heather Lynch

Within the Chelsea Space 5 students are gathered in a circle looking at their phones. A yellow ladder is positioned against a white wall, with a Henry Hoover is next to it. — **MA Curating and Collection students in Chelsea Space setting up ‘Who Has Seen the Wind’**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Heather Lynch

A poster which says ‘Who Has Seen the Wind? Women and Ceramics. Ceramic Workshop: Women in Soil. 2pm, 9th July 2022. Meeting point: Chelsea Space.’ This text is overlayed on lines of watercolours which flow through the poster in colours of nude and turquoise. — **Poster of the Ceramic Workshop: Women in the Soil as part of the Who Has Seen the Wind? Exhibition by MA Curating and Collections 2022**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: MA Curating and Collections

A side view of an exhibition, 8 white podiums each with a ceramic piece positioned on top surround a smaller but wider podium with 4 ceramic pieces positioned together. Next to the smaller podium a large ceramic vase is positioned. They are all sat on a white stage in front of a white wall, where the words of a poem are written in black lettering. The poem says: ‘Who Has Seen the Wind ? By Christina Rossetti. Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you: But when the leaves hand trembling The wind is passing through. Who has seen the wind? Neither you or I: But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by.’ — **Final exhibition image Who Has Seen the Wind? Women and Ceramics 2022**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: MA Curating and Collections

A ceramic vase positioned on a white podium. The vase is white and glazed with blue which flows from the top of the vase down to the base. — **Featured in Who Has Seen the Wind? ceramic piece by contemporary artist Rose Schmits**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Kristy Noble

4 white frames are hung on a wall, each have a black and white newspaper cutting, positioned inside. 2 cuttings are entitled ‘Pottery by Hand and Machine, the other 2 are entitled ‘Individual Ceramics by Artist Craftsmen’. The images on the newspaper cuttings show lots of different pottery and ceramics and vary between the cuttings. — **Exhibition items from Who Has Seen the Wind? By MA Curating and Collections**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Kristy Noble

A webpage, in the top left corner the words playtime.commodity in blue and red lettering is positioned next to 5 different coloured boxes each with a different phrase. From left to right they say: ‘About’, ‘Instructions’ ‘Reading Room’, ‘Cinema Room’, ‘Object Catalogue’. Below the title ‘Object Catalogue’ in black lettering can be seen followed by 6 images of toys from the ILEA Collection. They each have a red button positioned below which says, ‘Add to cart’. — **playtime.commodity online object catalogue with items from the ILEA Collection.**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: MA Curating and Collections

8 miniature cloth dolls are laying down and lined up in 2 rows of 4. Top row, from left to right: a doll in a green knee length dress with blonde hair, a doll in a beige suit and short brown hair, a doll in chequered trousers, black jacket and white shirt with white hair, a doll with a long dark blue dress with grey hair and glasses. Bottom row, from left to right, these dolls are smaller as they are children: a doll with brown shorts, knee length socks, green jumper and brown hair, a doll with orange shorts, brown t shirt and blonde hair, a baby doll in a pink dress, a doll in a cheque blue and white dress with brown hair in pig tails. — **Cloth dolls (c. 1951-1976) as part of The ILEA Collection**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Ben Mullins

Japanese wooden figure with a triangular head and painted detailing. The figure is dressed for snow, in a hooded coat. The figure has a blue neck ribbon. The wood has been cut and carved, exposing the transverse, radial and tangential growth. A gold manufacturing label with Japanese characters is on the reverse. — **Wooden Figure (c. 1951-1975) as part of The ILEA Collection**
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: Ben Mullins

Poster advertising a talk as part of playtime.commodity
MA Curating and Collections, Chelsea College of Arts, UAL | Photograph: MA Curating and Collections

Find out more about MA Curating and Collections
Check out playtime.commodity
Read about the ILEA Collection

A closer look at the Postgraduate Fine Art Show 2022 with MA Curating and Collections

Chelsea College of Arts

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