Student Residency - Meet the Winners

Student Residency – Meet the Winners 

Our recent student residency opportunity saw applications from a fantastic range of creatives. To support as many of these creative start-ups as possible on their new journey, Banks Mill has decided to pair up many of the successful applicants into shared studios.  

By sharing space with other creatives, Banks Mill hopes that these student and graduate residents, through networking and collaboration in a shared creative space, will be able to forge their paths and grow their businesses together. All whilst taking full advantage of the supportive and engaging community environment that Banks Mill offers. 

So, let's meet our winners!  

In Studio 3.4 

Louise Harris & Carla Knight (Heart & Soul Events Co.)  

Heart and Soul Events Co. will be a Derby-based Event Planning and Design business. Starting up there will be 2 main branches of the business *Wedding and Event Decor and Design & *Creative Social* Pop-up Events. Heart and Soul Events Co. aims to offer sustainable and creative event decor and design solutions for weddings and events. Decor will either be designed and created by us, sourced from other local creative businesses, or purchased pre-loved. Our pop-up events will be designed with a focus on social well-being, providing a laid-back environment for people to get together and socialise, whilst participating in creative activities that are proven to be beneficial for overall well-being. 

https://www.instagram.com/lou_heartandsouleventsco/  

[email protected] 

with Photographer, Toni Anderson 

I am a photographer who challenges and speaks the unspoken. My work has created many debates and misunderstandings, it challenges my viewers to really find the meaning in my work, that is what makes me stand out. I like to challenge stigmas and encourage people to really think about what is not always spoken. With this opportunity of the student residency at Banks Mill Studios, I will now have a chance to fulfil my original goal after finishing my MA and can start to establish my own business. 

https://www.instagram.com/tonilouisephotography/  

https://tonianderson2000.wixsite.com/tonilouisephotograph  

In Studio 3.7  

BA(Hons)2023 Animation Graduate, Albert Marston 

I plan to create a solo animation business where I can continue to expand my work and connect with more clients and creators. I would like to continue pursuing my current commission and freelance work, but I am also keen to explore other sides of this business. By branching out to bigger scale projects and having the opportunity to work for myself or with others that could potentially be used in exhibitions and film festivals. I have recently completed a commissioned project and I am currently working on another.  The opportunity to have a space in Banks Mill will greatly and positively impact my path towards my career goals and help me to connect and meet with other creators and businesses inside and outside of the residency. 

https://www.instagram.com/albert_arthur_animations/  

https://www.youtube.com/@albertarthuranimations-pl9zb  

Alongside Recent BA(Hons) Animation Students Samantha Glover & Isobel Dullage 

Samantha and Isobel are passionate about starting their own animation company. They are interested in developing their careers by working on commercial animations while also creating their own personal projects. Their interests lie in producing educational content and community linked projects such as working with local museums and heritage sites. Their aim is to increase community engagement with museums, heritage sites, and artefacts by making them more accessible to people of various ages and backgrounds. Using animation, they aim to engage visitors' imaginations, offer them a fresh perspective and help them to understand more of the significance of what they are seeing.  

View their work here;  

Samantha - https://www.instagram.com/gloverarts/  

https://samanthaglover2002.wixsite.com/gloverartss 

Isobel - https://www.instagram.com/automatoon_/  

And finally, in studio 4.7  
 

Recent BA(hons) Fine Art graduate, Bethany Charlton 

Bethany said this opportunity will allow her to continue developing her professional practice. Her work is primarily large-scale, so having a space at Banks Mill will reduce the pressure to find a space in her home to create the work and provide her with a dedicated, uninterrupted environment to focus on her art, experiment with new techniques, and produce a substantial body of work. As a student, having access to a studio space without the financial burden will also allow her to invest more in materials and further studies, as Bethany will be continuing onto the MA Arts program in September, 2024.  

https://www.instagram.com/bethanycharlton.art/  

https://www.bethanycharlton.co.uk/  

also in 4.7 will be current MA Arts student, Venus Behjati  

Venus likes to depict the world as she sees it in her mind and is also concerned with current social and political conflicts. Using different mediums to create her work, Venus makes her choices based on how certain materials make her feel in relation to the subject. She is currently working on a new body of work consisting of a series of surrealist landscape paintings. Venus is looking forward to the structure and discipline of working in a professional studio and hopes that Banks Mill will help her to establish a consistent work routine, ultimately leading to greater creative output and professional success.  

https://www.instagram.com/venus.behjati/