Shining A Light

9 Jul-24 Sep 2022

Overview

As part of Grundy's Education and Engagement programme, Grundy Art Gallery has recently worked in partnership with the V&A Museums Design Lab Nation project, which aims to inspire the next generation of professional designers, makers and innovators and equip young people with 21st century skills necessary for workplaces of the future. For this project, Grundy Art Gallery commissioned artist and designer, Aliyah Hussain, to work with children from local secondary schools; Aspire Academy and Highfield Leadership Academy to create a design for a large format neon lighting display that would communicate a message of active and positive change that would ‘shine a light’ on Blackpool.

Exploring Blackpool’s design heritage linked to 'light', the children experimented with drawing, collage and printmaking to create their designs and undertook research trips to the V&A in London and the Lightworks in Blackpool, where the Blackpool Illuminations are made and stored.  This exhibition is a result of the work produced as part of the Design Lab Nation project, which has been developed into a digital collage alongside some of Aliyah Hussain’s own artwork.