Degree Show 2024: Meet the Graduates - Simona Bosco Schiavone

Introduce yourself and your work. What ideas and themes are important to you?

I am an Italian Architect and I worked in Italy and in London. Geometry has always fascinated me. It's a depiction of mathematical principle and therefore is a universal language "per se". Sometimes verbal language could create separation and misunderstanding but Visual symbols are inclusive and versatile communication between different cultures.

What materials do you use? Why have you chosen to work with these materials?

As an Architect, I found it interesting how some materials could change the appearance of an object ( or an image). different materials behave distinctively to the light. I considered the Light as the original substance of the Visible World, symbolised by the Monad. As a result, I used semitransparent and corporeal paintings ( as inks and gouache) applied on both translucent and opaque matrix materials such as vellum and indigo waste paper. I wanted to experiment with different materials to obtain original effects.

What drew you to the School, and what do you want to remember about these last two years?

I attended an Open Programme course with David Cranswick, an oil painting course on the Flemish Technique. Thanks to this course, I discovered the School. I remember being amazed by the Alumni works displayed on the stairwell. There were ceramics, stained glass, icons, Persian miniatures, and several geometry drawings. Because of that astonishment, I attended some open programme courses to build a solid Portfolio. The First year of the MA has been intense; the work was hectic but exciting. We were a small group, helping each other and support together. I will always remember my classmates as close sisters.

Professionally, what are your hopes and goals?

I hope to continue to work following the principles learned at the School. I am a little bit anxious to finish this path. The School has been an important chapter in my life, and I am concerned about facing the "after," but at the same time, I know that I can rely on my close friends