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'AT PLAY' - Supporting the arts at HELIX

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HELIX Case Studies
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Naomi Marchbank is a fourth year student studying BA Fine Art and History at the University of Leeds. Naomi has just returned from her Erasmus exchange at the Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem (Hungarian University of Fine Arts). 

Naomi has been making use of the laser cutting facilities at HELIX to create an art installation. Her piece ‘AT PLAY’ is an in interactive art installation which consists of a game which cannot be won. The aim of the game is essentially for players to create their own art with rules that change at each sitting. 

Commenting on her art installation, Naomi said:  

‘’AT PLAY explores the relationships between individuals and structure, mathematical perfection, and human imperfection. Restriction and immensity – whilst creating a dataset of compositions which can be investigated and manipulated in future projects.’’ 

Naomi stands to the left of the laser cutter

Location: HELIX laser cutting room 

Aims: Naomi aimed to utilise modern technologies within HELIX to create an interactive art installation. 

Output: Naomi’s artwork: "AT PLAY," an interactive game encouraging players to create their own art within changing rules, exploring the interplay between restriction and immensity. 

Impact: Working at HELIX positively impacted Naomi's creative process, providing a supportive environment for experimentation and access to tools like laser cutting. The staff and technicians at HELIX played a crucial role in making the project straightforward and relaxing for her. 

Why did you choose HELIX for your project? 

‘I have been keen to learn how to use laser cutting and 3D printing tools for a while now and finding out about HELIX gave me a great opportunity to finally explore these tools. As an artist, I believe it is important for me to adjust to using modern technologies in my practice. Even though, in the School of Fine Art we do not have direct access to the type of equipment HELIX has to offer.’’ 

How did working in HELIX help you to achieve your aims? 

‘’I had a great time working in the  laser cutting room preparing for this installation. The staff and technicians are super helpful and provided me with assistance whenever I needed it. Overall, using HELIX made creating my artwork very straightforward and relaxing as I was able to listen to my music whilst laser cutting my work.’’ 

Do you have any advice to share from your HELIX experience?  

‘’If there are any new processes or technologies that you want to try out, don’t be afraid to just give it a go. There is no need to feel lost around unfamiliar technologies, no matter how daunting it may seem. There are lots of great staff and technicians readily available to teach you about such tools and technologies.’’