TUS ‘Through Our Eyes’ student exhibition in Athlone Library

A new mixed-media exhibition exploring the third-level student experience, as seen through the eyes of TUS students, has opened in Athlone Library.

‘Through Our Eyes’, a joint initiative by TUS’s Athlone campus and the Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), showcases a curated snapshot of the creative work of students across all six TUS campuses. The exhibition sees students share their unique perspectives in response to the question ‘What is the TUS student experience, though your eyes?’ through a variety of media, including poetry, typography, illustration, video, print, and music.

“In my eyes, the TUS student experience is unique, like no other,” said exhibitor Aleksandra Kulaszewic who created a book of typography, a medium she says she originally struggled with only for it to become one of her “greatest strengths”.

Reflecting on her experience of studying at TUS Athlone campus, she called it a “safe space”, where she has grown as a person while honing her craft.

“There’s great support from both your peers and your lecturers,” the final-year BA (Hons) in Graphic and Digital Design student explained.

“You are encouraged to experiment and push your boundaries. There is never shame in failure which allows you to grow and learn for any future situation.”

For Danielle Callaghan, a BA in Graphic Design student, it’s all about “getting out of your comfort zone”.

The third-year student, based at the Athlone campus, produced a video about the importance of self-belief and “overcoming imposter syndrome and being proud of the work you produce”.

LSAD student James Wellwood is exhibiting a series of experimental abstract photographs depicting micro-organisms and cells through the lens of a microscope.

Working with a veterinary nursing student in Athlone to acquire the original base photographs, he modified the images during his studio practice to give them a more “avant-garde look”.

The third-year BA (Hons) in Fine Art (Painting) student explained that the end result is the embodiment of the student experience in that the images “signify the idea of the connectivity that exists between the different TUS campuses”.

According to Sarah La Cumbre, manager of the Student Resource Centre at TUS Athlone campus and herself a part-time student at LSAD, the exhibition was conceptualised with the intention of celebrating “student creativity” and the “connectedness across all six TUS campuses”.

The ‘Through Our Eyes’ exhibition, which debuted at TUS Athlone campus last week with distinguished guests including Dr Harman Murtagh, a notable Irish historian and art curator, and LSAD Dean Mike Fitzpatrick, moved to the beautifully designed atrium of Athlone town library on Saturday.

The ‘Through Our Eyes’ exhibition is open to the public and will run until April 18 in the Athlone Library.