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Scotland's Best Design Exhibition
Verdict: Disappointing amateur advertising
With such a promising name, arriving at Scotland’s Best Design Exhibition is a let-down, consisting as it does of five pieces of undisguised advertising for Belhaven Best, tucked away in the corner of the Assembly Hall bar.
The exhibition consists of design finalists in a competition run by Belhaven Best at Edinburgh College of Art. Students were set the task of illustrating 'how Belhaven Best could be the toast of Edinburgh Fringe 2007'.
One student took this literally, Phillip Headley a student of MDes Glass, created two Perspex drinking vessels. Each is over-large at around 15cm square and consists of two-tone, purple inners and cloudy engraved Perspex outer. With small circular openings at the top of the vessel for drinking/filling, Phillip Headley's designs are far from practical - but are the most imaginative of the collection and the least twee. The judges must have agreed, as he has been awarded a runner-up prize in the competition.
The first prize went to Erika Stevens. Her entry is an approximately 60cm x 90cm collage of classically Scottish sights, symbols and photographs over which stretch the slogan 'Belhaven Best' in large white letters. Vivid with greens and blues, Erika Stevens's work is well-composed but is little more than a huge tourist's postcard. The judges of Belhaven Brewery have selected the most simple entry as the winner, celebrating the clichés of tartan kilts and red phone boxes.
Pete Williams's entry to the competition is a towering approximately 1.5m x 2m canvas doused with sea-resembling blue paint. Suggestive of foaming surf around a central vortex, the only thing impressive about Pete Williams's work is its size. The painting demonstrates no skill, and is an uninteresting interpretation of the assignment.
As a side-event in a busy bar, the exhibition pieces are not even welcome decoration - their composition is so amateur, and the advertising for Belhaven Best so deliberate and unashamed.
Credits: Designers of exhibited work include (alpha order) - Phillip Headley. Erika Stevens. Pete Williams. Company - Belhaven Brewery. www.assemblyfestival.com
END
(c) Sara Pascoe 2007
reviewed Sunday 26 August 2007 / Assembly Hall
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008