University of Leeds BA Fine Art Degree Show 'Sitting with it' set to open this week

Sixty-two students have created pieces for Sitting with it, the degree show marking the final chapter of their studies at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies which opens on June 10.

The exhibition, collaboratively curated by a team of students, asks people to take stock of their life decisions and consider our working and domestic environments in the wake of a bewildering few years.

"I wanted to create a piece that would make audiences feel belittled by technology and make them feel almost indoctrinated, brainwashed - questioning themselves and why they do the things they do," she said.

"It's going to be a piece which makes audiences really feel like they don't know if they're being understood on a human level, or if it's just artificial intelligence that's pretending to know them, pretending to get in their head."

Though she has nurtured a fascination with technology from a young age, the impact of coronavirus pandemic drastically influenced Knight's practice.

"I’m actually a painter at heart, but I think studying during a time of COVID was a huge factor, because I was working from home on screens all the time," said Knight, a former finalist of the Signature Art Prize.

"It started off with my paintings being digitally scanned, and then it evolved into animation, then making AI figures, then it became interacting with these figures."

Though COVID posed challenges to Knight's studies, she is pleased with how her time at the University of Leeds has turned out.

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise - if this piece works out well, it might just be like, ‘You know what? That sums up how uni has felt…. just working from a screen.’

"It's been fun."

Sitting with it will be open to the public daily at the University of Leeds' School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies from 10am until 5pm between June 10 and 25.

You can find out more by clicking here to visit the exhibition's website.