#WeAreOCA’s South East Regional Group

October saw the inaugural meeting of the South East Regional Group (‘SERG’ for short), which covers Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent.  Students from all pathways and all levels within these areas are very welcome to join.

The aim of the first meeting was to discuss the groups regional engagement, to understand the desire for group sessions in the future, and what these sessions might look like.

The first hour of the meeting was dedicated to introductions, students getting to know each other, and deciding the next steps for the group.  It was agreed that SERG would meet monthly via Zoom, whilst physical meet-ups were restricted.

In the second hour 3 very interesting and different presentations were given by students Hugh Hadfield (Illustration Level 2), Chas Bedford (Photography Level 2) and Beverley Williams (Textiles Level 3).

To start Hugh posed the question “How do I take more creative risks and build this into my practice?” and showed a selection of his visual approaches.  The group then discussed experimentation and how this might be worked into one’s practice.  You can find Hugh’s Blog HERE. 

Chas showed us his re-work for Assignment two of Landscape, Place and Environment; a photobook called Len’s Journey, which follows the River Len from its source to its junction with the River Medway.  You can find Chas’s Blog HERE. 

Beverley’s video presented a selection of her work, which included an amazing chair embellished with all types of needlework techniques, a 60’s jigsaw design dress and her project “Messages and meanings”, based on her late father-in-law’s RAF service during WW2.  You can find more of Bev’s work on her Facebook page Bev Williams Textile Artist 

Below are some comments from students who attended:

“I found it exciting and stimulating to hear from students studying illustration, creative writing, creative arts, textiles and, like me photography.”

“This is the first time I have met students from other disciplines and the interaction was useful.”

“You get so much more out of cross-discipline discussions.  Everyone brings something different to the table.”

If you are a student in the South East Region and would like to join us, our next meeting will be via Zoom on Monday 14 December 7:00pm to 9:00pm.  

A link to all future meetings will be published on OCA Discuss South East and the OCA SE Support group on Facebook.  

Should you have any questions or would like to submit work for discussion and/or feedback please contact Liz Smith, liz515728@oca.ac.uk.