Our final exhibition was quite a stressful time. We were all preparing to split up and move on to different parts of the university, and after spending so much time together, it felt surprisingly traumatic. None of us really knew what would happen next, or how often we would see each other again. We had spent the year forging friendships and bonds through anger, frustration, exhaustion and, above all, a lot of laughter. Suddenly, that familiar everyday life was coming to an end.
Our work had come from a place of blood, sweat and tears, and somehow, despite all the stress, it had been a magical year. It was the year that finally made me understand the idea that school can be the happiest time of your life. What people don’t always say is that it is only the happiest time if you are with the right people. I was incredibly lucky to find my “right group of people”.
My final exhibit was the culmination of eight months of learning, experimenting and, occasionally, wondering what on earth I was doing. It took several days to install because I had chosen something quite complicated. The intention was to encourage people to walk between the lengths of fabric, becoming immersed in the installation rather than simply standing outside it and looking in.
If I were reinstalling it now, I would probably change the atmosphere considerably. I would introduce lighting in changing shades of blues and greens, perhaps with a diffuser carrying the scent of sea spray and seaweed. I can see much more clearly now how those additional elements could have strengthened the experience and made the installation feel even more immersive.
But when I first saw it finished, those things didn’t matter quite so much. I felt proud. Proud of the work I had created, proud of how far I had come, but most of all, proud of the people I had shared the journey with. Every one of us had struggled, learned, experimented, failed, started again and somehow made it to the end. We had watched each other grow, encouraged each other when things went wrong, celebrated the successes and, more often than not, got through the difficult days with laughter. What we had produced was not just a collection of individual pieces of art; it was the result of eight months of shared experiences, frustration, friendship and determination.
So when I look back at that final exhibition, I don’t just see my own work. I see all of us, and I feel incredibly proud to have been part of that particular group of people.
Extended BA Class of 2026
Cheryl Nelson “Wind over Wave” 2025
Artist Statement
I was mesmerised by the colours of St Ives, a burst of tropical brilliance on a cold winters day.
The wind bit through me, but the jewel-like tones shimmering in the sun ignited something within, warming my winter frozen soul.
As I stood facing the waves and shifting clouds, I felt the stress I carried melt away.
This moment of transformation is at the heart of my work, I strive to capture the emotional power of light, colour and landscape and how it soothes, uplifts and reconnects us to ourselves.
Cheryl Nelson Costumes 