12 Dec 2019

We know all about the sleepless nights, stress and endless procrastination that happens when you have a folio to submit. So we teamed up with the legends over at LCI Melbourne to give kudos to some of you lil creatives who have been working hard to get your folios together.

A little while ago we ran a competition asking for you guys to submit your folios and we had some solid prizes up for grabs:

  • A $12,500 scholarship to LCI Melbourne
  • 10 hours of one-on-one mentoring with a creative legend from LCI Melbourne
  • $250 cash to help you kick start your next creative project
  • A guided tour of LCI Melbourne
  • A feature on ours & LCI Melbourne’s site (plus the @year13 Insta) so everyone can see your hard work

We got hundreds of entries and we know how much blood, sweat and tears went into getting your folios done and dusted. We’re bloody proud of each and every one of ya.

So, without any further ado, our winners for 2019 are:

1. Olivia Cornwell (Studio Arts)

For her Studio Arts folio, Olivia explored the topic of distorted memories. She decided to focus on the memory of alcoholism through her childhood, and how it has impacted her and changed who she is. This is symbolised through the wine bottles present within this 1.8m high installation. Olivia also produced a series of five black and white self-portraits which employed scrunching to represent the sadness and emotional scarring caused to her in her past.

The whole process was a challenge for Olivia as it brought up old memories that she hadn’t thought about for a long time and the wine bottles suspended from the top of the structure and placed around its base symbolize how Olivia feels about these dark memories are constantly hanging over her, surrounding her. There is an A0 matte black and white self-portrait below the hanging bottles with ink dripped onto it, which represents how her memory of the wine bottles has affected her.

2. Charlie O’Brien (Studio Arts)

The theme behind Charlie’s artwork is ‘out of place’. This idea stems from how certain social situations can affect someone and explores the abnormal conditioning and surreal feeling that comes with being an exchange student.

Charlie produced two surrealist oil paintings: the first one on a 55x55cm MDF board, and the second on a 20x55cm board. Both share similar aesthetics; they have the same subject matter (one of his mates dressed in an all-white worker’s suit) and the same dark surroundings. The subject is holding a large metal sphere which reflects him and his surroundings.

In order to paint the face and sphere in as much detail and clarity as possible, both paintings were done over the course of four months, consisting of multiple layers.

Before painting, Charlie sketched a number of ideas and concepts he wanted to explore, then captured his reference material on a beach with his subject matter. Using Photoshop, he rendered several different concepts before undergoing the painting process.

Being out of place can at times feel unnatural and surreal, which is why Charlie chose to render his artwork in the same style.

Charlie gained a grasp on how it feels to be out of place as he grew up, went through high school, and undertook a foreign exchange program. From those personal experiences, he remembers feeling the intense need to fit in and hide who he truly was - no matter the harsh negative effects it was having on him. He wanted to emphasise the importance of being yourself and the liberating ripple effect it can have on your life.

3. Ellie Gerhardy (Visual Art – Design)

Ellie’s folio piece was a collection of clothing made entirely of recycled CDs which she cured, cut, drilled and laser cut to create rainbow, light-reflecting garments; including a shift dress and 4m wide cape. She was inspired by her favourite designer, Paco Rabanne, who creates gorgeous chain mail and iridescent garments.

The dress is a small 60’s slip-dress shape, and is composed of hundreds of silver circles, laser cut from the shiny and reflective backs of CDs. Along with this collection is an enormous cape which drapes onto the ground, a chain mail hat, and a handbag. The cape is made of over 700 pieces of CDs in the shape of fish scales, and approximately 1300 jump rings.

Overall, the collection took hundreds of hours. To give you a better idea, the cape alone took Ellie over 70 hours to put together. This was because she wanted to create an intricate design that was both modern and never-before seen.

At the start, Ellie’s creation was a way of voicing her concern of fast fashion and the environmental issues that will face us in the future; which is why she used an upcycled material. However, it transformed over eight months of work into a platform for her to voice her feelings about modern day society and how she feels as a young woman growing up in the 21st century.

By the end, Ellie knew this collection was made to make women feel empowered and strong. She hopes her art translates this feeling successfully.

Reckon you’re the creative type? Wanna turn it into a career?

LCI Melbourne don’t just give out amazing prizes to creative legends – they also offer a Bachelor of Design Arts that’ll let you flex your creative muscles no matter what you’re keen on. With majors in Communication Design, Fashion & Costume Design, Filmmaking & Photography, Graphic & Digital Design, Interior Design and Visual Arts, you’ll be able to kick start your creative career. 

LCI Melbourne also helps with industry connections and on-the-job work placements so you’ll get all the theory knowledge as well as the practical skills you’ll need for when you graduate.

Suss out more info and register your interest over here.