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UEL’s Krystal set to sparkle at New Designers SELECTION showcase

Tuesday 11 September 2007

A University of East London (UEL) graduate has been named one of the UK’s most promising designers and invited to exhibit her work at the prestigious New Designers SELECTION exhibition in the OXO Tower gallery from 20-23 September.

Krystal Orphanides (22) graduated this summer with first-class honours from UEL’s Combined Honours degree in Printed Textiles and Surface Decoration with Marketing for Design.

Earlier this summer, Krystal exhibited her work among thousands of other graduates at the New Designers show at Islington’s Business Design Centre. She was selected as one of the top fifty designers by an award panel featuring judges from major companies including Nike, Dyson and the Audi Design Foundation. 

Krystal's ornate wallpapers and wall hangings will now go on show at the New Designers SELECTION show during London Design Festival, as well as in the window display of the Southbank Centre’s Design Shop from 13-27 September.

She said: “I’m so happy to have had my work chosen for such a prestigious exhibition; it’s a tremendous confidence boost and a great opportunity to get my work seen by hundreds of influential designers.

“My wallpapers and hangings are inspired by woodland flowers, moths and birds. They’re all hand screen-printed and delicately hand-cut into ornate designs. It takes quite a few weeks to produce each piece so I’m really pleased to have achieved this recognition.

“Since graduating, I’ve been working as a freelance designer; I’ve had plenty of commissions and have been working on a range of greeting cards. After the first New Designers exhibition, the Southbank Centre asked if I'd like to exhibit and sell my work at their shop. Who knows what great opportunities might turn up this time!”

The New Designers SELECTION exhibition will be open to the public at the OXO Tower’s gallery from 20-23 September, 11am – 6pm daily.

UEL’s School of Architecture and the Visual Arts, opened in 2004 by Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, offers dedicated, purpose-built studios, workshops and exhibition space. For further information, visit www.uel.ac.uk/ava.

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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