Member Article

Hammerson Partners with LCA for photography competition

Hammerson, the developer behind the £150m Victoria Gate scheme, together with Leeds College of Art, has launched a creative student photography competition to visually document the Victoria Gate development up to its opening date in 2016.

Working alongside Leeds City Council, Hammerson invited Leeds College of Art to host a competition to find three students to photograph Victoria Gate through the various stages of its construction. The work will consist of videos and photography and different styles of concepts, such as creative or documentary, were encouraged.

As well as capturing the key construction milestones, the competition brief asked students to incorporate evidence of the impact that the development has on the day-to-day lives of the local community and the changes it brings to the city landscape so that it could be used as an archive resource for historians and stakeholders in the future.

Five groups, some individuals, some several students, presented their concepts and ideas ‘Dragons Den’ style to a judging panel consisting of:

Katie Pattison, UK B2B Marketing Manager, Hammerson plc Cllr. Neil Walshaw Support Executive Member, Digital and Creative Technology, Culture and Skills, Leeds City Council Louise Miller, Partnerships and Professional Engagement Manager, Leeds College of Art Sharon Heleine, Assistant Manager Partnerships and Professional Engagement Manager, Leeds College of Art Phill Smith, Senior Designer, Turn Key Agency (Hammerson’s integrated marketing agency)

The panel of judges chose two winners from the five entries, awarding them both with a cash prize as well as the opportunity of a design internship at Turn Key.

James Hepburn, Hammerson’s Development Manager, said: “Our ongoing work with Leeds City Council to support the local community throughout the development of Victoria Gate naturally extends to the student community in Leeds. The Victoria Gate will be a visual milestone for the city and we felt it was important to document the changing local area to share with the community in the lead up to the centre’s opening next year, as well as to create some beautiful archive footage.

“We are looking forward to seeing how the two groups choose to showcase the site’s development, and are thrilled to be able to offer the students an opportunity to develop their portfolios and potentially further their careers with the offer of an internship with our marketing agency, Turn Key.”

Sharon Heleine, LCA Assistant Partnerships & Professional Engagement Manager, said: “The Victoria Gate photography competition is a superb opportunity for our BA (Hons) Photography students to develop their presentation skills in a professional situation. This exciting experience will be of significant benefit to the winners’ portfolios and future careers”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Victoria Gate .