The Deconstruction of Fairy Tales through Architecture

About

Final year BA (Hons) Illustration student, Bhavisha Vadgama, has been selected for the Guildhall Graduate Award, a new initiative by Portsmouth Guildhall Cultural Trust in partnership with the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries.

Bhavisha’s prize is to have her own exhibition, starting Wednesday 8th July, within Portsmouth Guildhall’s Freda Swain Lounge continuing until the end of October 2015. The exhibition will give her an opportunity to showcase her work to a broad public audience in the City of Portsmouth, developing her professional practice.

The work on showcase is her final major project called ‘The Deconstruction of Fairy Tales through Architecture’ and has been shown at the CCI Faculty Graduate Show and at New Designers Part 2 at the Business Design Centre in London.

The Deconstruction of Fairy Tales through Architecture

Bhavisha describes her work “Amongst many of the customs, elements, and traditions that link back to Folklore, the act of storytelling has been the most popular and still remains active in today’s modern society. Fairy tales have been expressed throughout all cultures and religions. The interpretation of such stories, and the importance they obtain, is spread across a vast spectrum, where it is believed that some were told for entertainment, whereas others were for raising awareness and caution.

When we think of fairy tales, our immediate preconceptions force us to think of princes, princesses, castles, palaces, love, and wealth. But one of the key foundations to any fairy tale narrative is its architecture. It is not just the physical aesthetic of how the structure looks that is important, it is inside these structures, where key events took place and iconic quotes were spoken.

Throughout my research, I explored architecture in broad depth from the history to its exterior aesthetic, the interiors, materials and methods of construct, detailed blue prints and most importantly the significant events that have taken place. My initial responses were more closely related to decorative art and printmaking, but as I developed my research further I found that my final outcome has taken a very contemporary route.

I began creating a range of artwork, which was spread across printmaking and digital illustrations. Alongside this body of work, I also combined these elements to create an artist book. This allowed me to retell a classic story through a complex composition and contemporary approach to the narrative. I felt that an artist book was the best approach to invite an audience into an experience of interactivity and curiosity.”

Curators
Ann Barnes, Portsmouth Cultural Trust
Denise Callender, Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries

The work shown is available for sale. Please ask at the Guildhall Box Office.