The First Cut Competition

Manchester Art Gallery launched a competition for pupils and students from key stage 2 to undergraduate level to offer them an opportunity to create their own artwork inspired by The First Cut from readily available paper materials. There were over three hundred entries and the successful winning entries and runners up are on display in the gallery from Thursday 29 November 2012 -27 January 2013. These artworks will then join the collection of competition sponsor, DAC Beachcroft LLP and will be displayed in their offices at Spinningfields, Manchester.

Director of Manchester City Galleries Dr. Maria Balshaw, DAC Beachcroft Associate Harold Loeffler, Co-founder and Creative Director of Roger la Borde Jenni Barnett and artist Nicola Dale were on the judging panel. The successful entries from each age category, 7-11, 12-17 and 18 and over, have their work displayed at the gallery, including a winning undergraduate student who will have their work realised as a greetings card by stationer Roger La Borde.

Click here for more information about each object

Our personal favourite however, was created by Alina Ignatjeva who was the winner of the 12-17 age group catagory.

I like the work of Mia Pearlman and Andrew Singleton because both artists work with the idea of natural forms and the weather. I think that inspiration for every artist could be described as acting like a tornado within nature. The tornado whirls around and clears away everything in its path taking with it clutter, houses, cars and the everyday. In my work I want to visualise the emotions that passionate people feel; the energy that is hard to verbalise but is like a whirlwind in the depth of your soul. I used an everyday shoe, a papier-mâché stiletto form, and transferred the elements of the tornado onto it by marbling, scoring, folding and layering.

Alina Ignatjeva
(Whirlwind of Your Soul)
17 years old  

The Manchester College