A group of students abandoned traditional materials to create their latest works of art, opting for a ground-breaking product which is easier to use and mould into the designs they were looking for.
The outside-the-box thinking resulted in some eye-catching and innovative creations which could change the way students view and tackle projects in the future.
Students at Bedford College were taken with the flexibility of Jesmonite in their work, being able to easily work and craft the material into anything they wanted.
It came about when Faye Chandler, course manager for HE 3D Design, discovered Jesmonite at New Designers, a national event championing and celebrating design.
It prompted a call to Jesmonite’s headquarters in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, and the collaboration led to a new direction for the students.
“After discovering the work of Katie Gilles at New Designers and being amazed at the diversity of Jesmonite, I contacted the company and they kindly offered to set up a workshop for the students,” said Faye.
“This was so successful that I decided to approach the company about a live project. I was aware by this time that the company works closely with students and graduates, supporting the creative use of their product.
“We set a brief for the students to independently and creatively explore the characteristics and surface qualities of Jesmonite referencing what they had learnt in their workshop.
“This allowed the students to really experiment and explore diverse outcomes and the potential of this fantastic material. The students really enjoyed the project, saying in feedback it was their favourite material to work with, and we hope to run it again next year.
“Jesmonite is so totally different to anything we have worked with, it’s so flexible, safe to handle and can be crafted and blended into anything and any colour you can imagine. It’s really opened our eyes to some amazing possibilities.”
Tim Sharman, Jesmonite sales director, said: “We were delighted to be of service to Bedford College. We have an ongoing policy of helping schools and colleges whenever we can and are finding more are coming to us asking about using Jesmonite in a whole host of projects.
“It is so easy to use, light and a safe alternative for a great many projects, such as building schemes and art and crafts. It has the unique capability of being able to mimic anything and its versatility makes it an ideal option for projects such as this.
“The Bedford College students have come up with some innovative creations and I was particularly taken with the light switches and clock. It just show the intricate detail that can be obtained using Jesmonite.”