Student Conversation - Aoife Slevin

"First Year really opens your mind to new work and how you actually make great work."

Aoife on her experience to date

NCAD has definitely lived up to my expectations, if not surpassed them. I didn’t think it would be as hectic and wide ranged as it is, but here you’re constantly going and constantly doing things and getting involved with people in the College that aren’t even in our year. You just become so social and the more you get to know people, the more you develop yourself and your work. It’s really versatile, I didn’t think that I would be able to do as much as I have, or learn as much as I have. I came in not being able to do a lot of sculptural stuff and now I’m dead set on doing Sculpture next year. First Year really opens your mind to new work and how you actually make great work.

On her current project

We are working with the city now. I am looking at how a city lives and breathes and is an organic thing. What we do to and in it, is what makes it. If you go to any other city it’s going to be a completely different sensation because different people make that place what it is. So I am looking at the biology, microbiology and patterns in the city.  I was walking down Grafton Street and thinking wouldn’t it be interesting if I had to walk a certain way to get around people, especially when it’s really hectic. But also, what if other people on the street had to walk the same pattern as me how is that going to look and how is it going to feel? Or sound? It could be an interesting performance.

On research

At NCAD you have to be constantly going and producing stuff. Initially it was about learning methods of primary, secondary and contextual research and how to incorporate this into our own ideas. Now it’s about doing, making and developing ideas. You constantly edit down and then try to find ideas you can really stick to and push further. It’s just constant observation really.

On first year

At the start you are all really timid and you don’t really want to question people much but the more you talk with other people the more you learn and get input. It’s not just about looking, it’s about discussing things and finding the best way to do them.