Unitec's Grad Show a fitting celebration of graduates & work

22 November 2011

Unitec's Grad Show a fitting celebration of graduates and their work

Unitec is counting down to one of our biggest celebrations of the year - an extravaganza befitting of our talented graduates and their wonderful work.

Grad Show opens on Thursday 1 December with an evening launch party at the Mt Albert campus.

With inspirational and diverse exhibitions from a range of study disciplines, department prizegivings to honour exceptional student work, industry events and special guest speakers, the event looks set to demonstrate, once again, why Grad Show is such a popular Unitec tradition.

"We're proud of our graduates and their work, and Grad Show is our chance to showcase their progress and acknowledge their achievements," says Faculty of Creative Industries and Business executive dean Leon Fourie.

"The event has always hit the mark with friends, family, industry, and the general public, and in testament to that, I'm pleased to announce that this year, colleagues from the Faculty of Technology and Built Environment have decided to join the celebrations."

Students from costume design and short film, interior design, graphic design, landscape architecture, painting, photography, and many more disciplines, have been working hard all semester to get their best work ready in time for the show.

Among the exhibitors to look out for this year are product design student Amie Holman, who has designed an ingenious mobile application to enhance the supermarket user experience; furniture designer Carey Milicich, who has collaborated with Finewood Furniture to develop a market-ready, innovative and stylish piece of commercial furniture; and a group of architecture students who will show off the house they designed and built this year, before it is transported from campus to its rural site, in Waimauku.

Master of Design students Rachel Bell, a jeweller who creates pieces from found materials, and Gillian Deery, a jeweller who works with sterling silver, will have pride of place for their work at Snowhite Gallery, in Building 1.

Another highlight is furniture design student Norman Lin's 'The Lax Chair', a striking, wave-like piece of furniture that recently won the emerging section of the first ever Formica Formations competition.

The business departments - Computing, Management and Marketing and Accounting and Finance - are looking forward to their industry event on Wednesday. Their special guest speaker is Mitch Olson, entrepreneur and co-founder of SmallWorlds, New Zealand's largest social gaming company. The Communication Studies department will host their guest speaker, Alison Mau, and other invited guests, at their prizegiving the following evening.

Performing and Screen Arts will hold an alumni event for past staff and students on Friday 2 December.

The year three acting students have already marked their graduation with Grad Plays - a quad bill of plays held from November 11-19, whilst the dance graduates will perform at the Unitec Dance Showcase 2011, from 1-4 December, at the Ray Freedman Arts Centre in Epsom.

"Some of the work produced this year has been truly exceptional, and I'm very heartened by the number of projects that have involved industry awards, collaborations and endorsements. It is a very impressive body of work, and I encourage the local community to spend the evening with us and see it for themselves."

Grad Show opens on Thursday 1 December at 5.30pm. Guests should come to Building 1, via Entry 2, Carrington Rd, Mt Albert. The exhibition element of the event will remain open for public viewing on Friday and Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.

ENDS

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