Arts Dialogue: Rachel Smith and Trine Wade Engage in Discussion on Creative Endeavors
In the world of contemporary art, Trine Wade, a student pursuing a Creative Arts degree, is making a name for herself with her unique process-led practice that centres around an exploration of embodied experience and 'being-in-place'.
Trine's creative practice encompasses a range of interdisciplinary methods, including photography, printmaking, collage, sculpture, text, installation, and video. Her work is auto-ethnographic in nature, using a phenomenological methodology to respond materially to thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
The Creative Arts degree, particularly one designed with an interdisciplinary approach, has provided Trine with access to diverse techniques, media, and theoretical frameworks that encourage embodied, sensory engagement with place. This environment empowers students like Trine to experiment with how physical spaces and virtual environments intertwine, creating embodied knowledge through making and technological interaction.
Trine's most recent project, as part of Units 3.2 and 3.3, was a symbolic bringing of her grandad home to a coastal town in Norway through site-specific art installations. The project explored themes of displacement, belonging, forgiveness, and intergenerational trauma.
Trine's confidence in working across a range of creative methods and disciplines has grown over time, with several years of practice inspiring her to continuously experiment and develop her skills. However, working in isolation has been a challenge for Trine during her degree.
Despite this, Trine has found invaluable encouragement, support, and suggestions from her online student community. She advises current and potential students to make the coursework and assignments work for their individual needs and to reflect on why the guidelines provided in assignments don't feel quite right, and develop their own methods to achieve the desired outcome.
Trine's degree has reached an audience beyond the Open College of the Arts (OCA). Her work has been recognised for its innovative approach and deep exploration of embodied experience and place. The Creative Arts tutors at OCA have been very supportive, encouraging Trine to 'push the boundaries' and explore a wide range of creative methodologies.
As Trine continues to develop her skills and artistic practice, she looks towards the future with hope and aspirations, applying for a practice-based PhD to continue her development as an artist and researcher. Trine encourages students to participate in online student community group sessions for support and encouragement. She acknowledges that there are compromises when it comes to proficiency in different methods, but chooses them because they help communicate and visualize her ideas effectively.
In the end, Trine's satisfaction with a project comes from the emotional connection she feels while working on it, knowing that she is doing it for herself and the way she wants to. The Creative Arts degree has provided Trine with the tools and freedom to express herself in a way that resonates deeply with her audience, making for a powerful and impactful body of work.
The Creative Arts degree, with its interdisciplinary approach, has been instrumental in Trine's education-and-self-development, equipping her with diverse techniques and theoretical frameworks for her unique process-led practice. Trine's ongoing participation in the online student community offers essential encouragement and insights, guiding her as she explores her artistic and research interests, aiming towards a practice-based PhD.
