BA Fine Art trip to Madrid, 2010

In February 2010 a new destination was chosen for the Fine Art field trip. A mixture of Year 2 and 3 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Master of Fine Art and MA Printmaking students travelled with Benet Spencer to Madrid, staying centrally just off Plaza del Sol.

Viewing artworks first hand is seen as fundamental to an artist's development, and Madrid's unsurpassed collection of both modern and historical art made this trip a unique experience.

Solo exhibitions by contemporary artists included Miquel Barcelo and Hannah Collins at Caixa Forum, and Thomas Schütte at the Reina Sofia. The famous collections of the Prado, Reina Sofia and the Baron Thyssen museum cover a wide range of art from the 14th Century to the present day, providing a unique study opportunity, while seeing Picasso's 'Guernica' often proves to be a seminal experience in itself. Alongside this, highlights in the Prado included Goya's Black Paintings, Hieronymus Bosch's 'Garden of Earthly Delights' and Velazquez's 'Las Maninas'.

Other great artists on view ranged from El Greco, Breugel and Titian in the Prado, and Salvador Dali, Hans Haacke, Gerhard Richter and Marcel Broodthaers in the Reina Sofia.

 

BA Fine Art trip to Berlin, 2009

This was the first international trip for Fine Art students, the objective being to extend the student's understanding of Fine Art practice within an international context through first hand experience of Berlin's lively art scene. 24 Year 2 BA (Hons) students, accompanied by tutors Benet Spencer and Douglas Jeal, stayed at the Hotel Transit Loft in East Berlin, making daily excursions to the impressive collection of galleries and museums. The city itself, having been extensively regenerated over the last 20 years, was a fantastic place to visit as well as a unique study opportunity for Fine Art students.

The busy schedule included visits to contemporary exhibitions including Peter Doig at Contemporary Fine Arts, Jörg Herold at Galerie Eigen + Art, Simon Starling at the Temporäre Kunsthalle, and Jesus Rafael Soto at Galerie Max Hetzler. Major museums visited included Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum, Bauhaus Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Pergamon Museum, Berggruen Museum, the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, and the Berlin Picture Gallery.

 

BA Fine Art trips to the Frieze Art Fair, London, October 2008 and 2009

Fine Art students from Cambridge School of Art also visited the Frieze Art Fair, Regents Park, London in both 2008 and 2009. These trips allowed students to experience the best international contemporary art, and gain valuable insight into the breadth and scope of the contemporary art world. More than 150 galleries were present each year, along with a range of sculptural commissions within Regents Park itself.

Students were required to keep a log or journal of the day, and to research a number of artists or artworks of particular interest. Further study activities resulting from the trips took place during the first semester in classes for Contextual Studies and core modules. Coming early in the year this trip represents an excellent introduction for Year 1 BA (Hons) Fine Art students, who are in only their third week at Anglia Ruskin University.

BA Fine Art trip to Tate Triennial, March 2009

Year 1 BA Fine Art students visited 'Altermodern', the Tate Triennial exhibition at Tate Britain, in March 2009 as part of their Experimental Practice module. This opportunity allowed them first hand experience of a wide range of international contemporary art in the Tate's largest triennial exhibition to date. 'Altermodern' curator Nicolas Bourriaud is considered one of the key figures in international contemporary art, and his book 'Relational Aesthetics' is an important reference point for those studying Experimental Practice.

As well as associated lecturers and seminars, students produced their own artwork in response to the 'Relational Aesthetics' working brief, which included the placing of sculpture and found objects in unusual locations around Cambridge, as well as performance and video installation.

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