Large-scale embroidery by Emma Seymour
A fine art exhibition by seven University of Portsmouth students opens tonight at the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth, a 15th Century building rarely open to the public.
The exhibition ‘Panoptic’ will address issues such as health, education, religion, obsession, society and the ethics of power in dynastic families including the Royals.
One of the participating artists is Emma Seymour who is currently completing her Masters in Fine Art.
She said: “We are incredibly excited about the exhibition. The Round Tower is a fantastic building to showcase our work and as the pieces are so varied we hope to attract a wide audience.
“My work has always been about collecting, documenting and storytelling. I am fascinated by the subtle signifiers in visual storytelling and the emotive responses produced by certain fabrics, text and imagery.
“The installation I have created is a piece of hand-stitched work, which was time consuming and painstaking to produce – I felt I was going to be stitching until my fingers bled! The underlying concept is about obsession and compulsion, which is hopefully conveyed through the intense embroidery.”
The exhibition is so-called to allude to philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon, a circular structure echoed in the architecture of the Round Tower.
Ken Devine, Principal Lecturer from the School of Art, Design and Media, said: “Here we are presented with an array of observations and enquiries which delve into subject matter that range from the deeply personal and intimate to the macro political. In an age when personal lives as well as major political events are both as likely to be at the forefront of public debate, the title and the work embodied within it resonates in this remarkably contemporary context”.
The other artists participating are Megan Day, Des Kilfeather, Anthony Ndikanwu, Helen Pescott, Emily Percival and Kye Wilson.
The exhibition is at the Round Tower, in Broad Street. It runs from 10am to 2pm daily from September 10 to 19, and has a special preview tonight from 7pm until 10pm. Admission is free.
It is sponsored by the University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth City Council, Aspex Gallery and ES Lighting Hire.
