Imperial students get creative for ArtsFest 2010

ArtsFest 2010 showcases student creativity at Imperial with concerts, exhibitions and dance and drama workshops - News

Monday 22 February 2010
By Abigail Smith

Imperial students unleash their creative side today for Imperial College Union's annual ArtsFest, a week-long event designed to showcase the wealth of talent to be found on the College's campuses.

The week will see free demonstrations and workshops across the South Kensington campus, covering activities from drama to belly dancing, which aim to give a flavour of what Imperial students get up to in their spare time and encouage more people to explore their artistic abilities. Organiser Mohammad Aboljadayel, a Department of Computing student, explains:

"I was recently told by an Imperial student that you are either good at art or good at science, and you would be surprised at how many people continue to believe that. ArtsFest tries to dismiss that myth of separation by bringing art to the people instead of waiting for them to come to it."

With over 30 of the College's 300 clubs and societies focusing on arts and entertainment, ArtsFest is able to offer a wide array of taster events to students and staf. Music will play a major role throughout the week, with sessions including rock and jazz, classical guitar and a workshop by Techtonics, a popular student a capella band. The College's Sinfonietta, symphony and wind orchestras will also give concerts. Theatre-lovers, meanwhile, have the opportunity to enjoy a concert given by the Musical Theatre Society and a DramSoc workshop.

A highlight of the week will be Thursday's Showcase, which will bring together all of the arts-based societies to give a series of short performances incorporating different styles of music, drama and dance. A full timetable is available at: http://icartsfest.com.

Mohammad adds:

"Experiencing the diversity of art at Imperial while organising ArtsFest has been very enjoyable but the best time will be during the week itself. A large number of ideas were offered by the societies themselves and several events wouldn’t be taking place without their enthusiasm. Our committee has a wide range of people, from vocalists and musicians to designers and art appreciators which will hopefully bring something different to this year's ArtsFest."

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