Preparations are getting underway for this year’s Festival of Thrift and it looks like it’s going to be out of this world!
Creative students at Stockton Riverside College Group have been letting their imaginations run wild as they get ready to showcase their skills as part of the UK’s national celebration of sustainable living.
Partnering up with the award-winning festival for the second year, the college’s makeup for Production Arts team were so inspired by this year’s themes of clean air and the moon landing, they decided to launch the partnership with their own head turning exhibit.
Unearthly visitor
Passers-by at Stockton’s Infinity Bridge this week might have been surprised to spot this unearthly visitor.
“Clean air and the moon landing are two of the themes behind this year’s Festival of Thrift. While it might seem an unusual mix from a creative point of view there is so much you can do,” said Ethan Woodward who studied Makeup for Production Arts at the college.
Maximum impact
Now helping to teach the course while also studying Teaching and Education, the 21-year-old from Darlington used a combination of makeup and special effects to transform pal, Sinead Conway.
He said: “To create maximum impact I decided to combine the two, using an alien being to represent space and the breathing mask for a nod to air pollution.” Then a quick jaunt to the Infinity Bridge soon got heads turning.
Having been among the students to help take part behind the scenes at The Festival of Thrift’s Oxglam fashion show and a thrifty reshoot of AtonementRedux last year, Ethan said: “It was a great opportunity for the students and a chance to get some work experience outside of the college.”
Looking forward to another incredible event this year, the production arts team will be joined at the festival by staff and students from across the College Group which incorporates Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, Bede Sixth Form, NETA Training and The Skills Academy.
College-run activities at the event will include arts and crafts, hair and makeup from the hairdressing and production arts teams, practical workshops from the college’s construction and NETA departments, an aviation demo and all the action from the two day event will be captured on camera by the college’s student enterprise UFilms.
Enthusiasm and talent
Festival of Thrift director Stella Hall is delighted that the Stockton Riverside College group is supporting the Festival again. “It’s wonderful to welcome the College Group back again. The active involvement of the staff and students is so important for the event and their enthusiasm and many talents really help to add to the experience for visitors.
“We’re really proud that the festival’s partners are far more than just logos and the extensive activities being planned for the festival weekend by staff and students at the Stockton Riverside College Group is certainly proof of that.”
The Festival of Thrift, the UK’s national celebration of sustainable living, will take place in Kirkleatham, Redcar, on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September. To find out more about the event visit: www.festivalofthrift.co.uk/
