Each year ncas awards a cash prize of £500 to the artist judged to have produced the best work in the degree show. This year the panel of trustees judging the works on our short list were unanimous in choosing the vast ceramic assemblage by Tina Hannay, called et ceter01100001. Her hundreds of porcelain light switches, some on and some off, cover a whole wall, the whole work gently mottled by subtle colour variations in the different firings. Congratulations to a very worthy winner.
The binary code embodied in the on/off switches contains a hidden message (allegedly reflecting family member's attitudes to leaving house lights on or off!). We were very pleased to learn that Tina also gained a first class degree and that her work also won the vice chancellor's commendation.
Tina is a mature student who did her Foundation course in Art & Design at Central St Martins in 1992-1993, before returning to do her degree in Fine Art at NUA. Her cheque for £500 was presented to her by ncas chair, Brenda Ferris together with the vice-chancellor, John Last.