The RPS Western Region is delighted to announce that Marie Cecil is the winner of their annual Bursary Award in the form of a £200 to be put towards the cost of her final exhibition at the end of her degree, plus a one-year membership to the Royal Photographic Society.
Applications were invited from students studying for a degree related to Photography in a higher education establishment in the Western Region. Anne Eckersley, RPS Western Region Organiser said, ‘We were thrilled by the standard of the applications this year and very pleased to announce Marie as this year’s winner.’
Marie is a student at the University of Gloucester and her submission describing a project she will be pursuing in her final year prompted the Western Region Committee to declare her the winner of the 2024 Award.
Marie said, 'I am a 3rd year student studying editorial and advertising photography at the University of Gloucestershire. I am passionate about nature and through photography it allows me to explore our connection with the natural world. I am so grateful to be able to do what I love, and I thank you for giving me this opportunity.'
The committee was impressed by Marie’s project where she plans to explore our conventional perception of plants by tapping into their hidden auditory world. Inspired by a study revealing that plants emit inaudible sounds; Marie aims to capture and interpret this botanical symphony and create a multi-sensory experience for the viewer by fusing still-life images with dynamic moving ones and embedding the recorded plant 'voice' through augmented reality to give the viewer a more immersive experience and a mixing of the senses, sight, sound, and smell.
Marie’s tutor said,
‘I'm particularly thrilled for Marie who is now in her 6th and final year of her degree having been studying part time due to a life restricting health condition.
Throughout her studies, which included lockdown, she has a passion for exploring plants and the natural world, always trying unconventional ways to express their form, structure and our relationships with them.
Her project including plant sounds and augmented reality is very exciting and ambitious. Winning this bursary supports Maries investment in equipment in both hardware and software which will take her work to another level. It's perfect timing as she embarks on her Major Project the final one of her undergraduate degree.
We are certainly looking forward to seeing and hearing the work Marie creates at the Editorial and Advertising Photography degree show at the University of Gloucestershire next June.