Sage words of wisdom given by some of the University of Salford’s most high profile alumni, including Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, to students have been brought to life in a series of artworks.
You get out what you put in is an exclusive commission by Manchester-born designer Liam Hopkins, based on inspirational quotes from some of the university’s most famous alumni, including Christopher Eccleston and Jason Manford.
Liam said: “This was a great project to bring some inspirational quotes to life and with a little meaning and story behind them.”
INSPIRATIONAL: Liam Hopkins’ art commission
The series of hand-crafted, interactive artworks will take centre stage in Create Salford’s mysterious five-by-five metre perspex box, the Create Cube, which has popped up in the middle of MediaCity UK’s Piazza.
Sarie Mairs-Slee, Create Salford 2014 festival director, said: “We have some incredibly inspirational alumni and we’re delighted that they could collaborate with Liam to produce these artworks.
“We’re hugely looking forward to unveiling them on Thursday and, following their time in the Create Cube, they will be on show at various locations around the MediaCityUK campus and will then form part of our permanent art collection.”
Liam, a former student of Manchester Met, has his own studio Lazerian where he develops and creates experimental designs and has had some of his pieces appear on Channel 4’s Grand Designs and in Vogue magazine.
COLLABORATION: Celebrity words of wisdom
He told MM: “The whole idea of the piece was about inspiring the new up-and-coming students and giving them a bit of advice.
“I wanted to make them quite fun as your time at university should be as much about having a fun time as well as creating one of your stepping stones into your career life.”
His favourite quotes from the piece include ‘work to a different beat’ and ‘you make your own luck’.
If he were to give his own piece of advice to students he said it would be ‘you have got to play by the rules before you can recreate them’.
TECHNICOLOUR INSPIRATION: One of the pieces at MediaCityUK
Create Salford is a three-day festival, this year hosted by Salford graduate Jo Good of BBC Radio 6, to showcase the University’s media and arts students’ best work in music, theatre, poetry, dance, fashion, and journalism.
The event, the first of its kind in the north, is a vital new addition to the North West creative calendar and is jam-packed with performances and interactive workshops for all the family.
Liam’s piece was unveiled yesterday in Create Cube in the centre of MediaCityUK Piazza.
The Create Salford festival runs from June 12 to June 14 and is free to look around.
Pictures courtesy of Chris Bisson, with thanks
