Georgia Ingrey: Visual Merchandising and Design

About me

I currently study at the University of Hertfordshire and am completing a foundation degree in Visual Merchandising. I work primarily with recycled materials to make interior and art pieces, you can find more of my work on my website.

After many years of navigating the creative path from GCSE to my Foundation Degree, I have been able to explore many aspects of Art and Design. To gain the necessary industry knowledge and experience, I am exploring various creative pathways such as curation and interior design through my current Visual Merchandising course. My work tends to incorporate many textures and material manipulation, being predominantly inspired by artists such as: Judith Scott and Dana Barnes. My style is often abstract, primarily influenced by emotions, nature and dreams.

Various pieces of my artworks inspired by these concepts have proudly been exhibited at the David Gentleman Gallery as well as the Gibberd Gallery, in which my work was on display to the public. My continuous commitment to art and design has also been recognised and led me to receive the Terry Oliver award, in which I am extremely proud to have achieved (shown below).

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Design Work

Photo belongs to Georgia Ingrey, more images can be found here.

The restrictions of lockdown have been extremely challenging. However, I took the opportunity to gain inspiration from the current challenges faced today and have portrayed them in my current works. The Covid-19 crisis meant for many creatives, adapting to situations where there is limited access to facilities. Whilst this can be viewed as a negative impact, I tried to make the best out of a bad situation, enabling myself to become more self-sufficient and independent.

These design pieces are a part of a personal project, informing ideas for my final major project. Within this work, I delve into the current situations of COVID-19 whilst allowing myself to have free reign and regaining motivation by exploring my creativity. This project looks at the juxtaposition of emotions and experiences in lockdown looking back at ‘happier times’ in conjunction with the dull repetitiveness of lockdown. Initially I was influenced by ‘nostalgia’, looking back on my childhood toys and memories. I symbolised this through the use of materials, colours and hand-woven textures in the chair entitled Woven in Time - a metaphor for better times. The textures allude to the excitement of a child and the white symbolising the purity of childhood.

Photo belongs to Georgia Ingrey

Georgia Ingrey, Woven in Time, 2020, Re-Upholstered using Synthetic Fabrics, Recycled Materials, H: 37" x W: 18"

In contrast to this I looked at the repetitiveness of lockdown, the same routine, confined within the same four walls, looking at shape colour and repetitive patterns; which is reflected in the title of the chair, Going Round in Circles. This chair has a strong, bold appearance, symbolising the strength we have all gained throughout these tough times.

Considering the increase of waste generation within society, and limited access to materials in lockdown, I made use of a discarded chair which was re-upholstered using reclaimed fabrics. I wanted to use the sustainable approach and this can be seen throughout multiple projects.

Photo belongs to Georgia Ingrey

Georgia Ingrey, Going Around in Circles, 2020, Re-Upholstered using Synthetic Fabrics and Recycled Materials, H: 37" x W: 18"

I feel these images best exhibit myself as a designer. They display my love of interiors, texture, and material manipulation, portrayed through a homeware instore display set up. Within these pieces I have also portrayed the importance of up-cycling by following the idea of ‘make do and mend’ utilising materials that I already had, which I often try to follow within many of my creations.

Here are some additional works of mine that are heavily inspired by textures found in nature. They have been created through material manipulation (below). More of my works can be viewed here.

After completing my Visual Merchandising Foundation degree, I hope to complete my full BA in Fine Art in order to enhance my critical and theoretical thinking in preparation for the industry.

After graduating I then plan to delve into various job roles offering and implementing my visual merchandising skills to practice within the industry whilst furthering my knowledge even more with increased experience. I would like to experience various fields within the creative industry such as visual merchandising, interior design, and curation, all areas where my critical thinking, teamwork and creative skills can be used effectively.

I am still expanding my knowledge of furniture design and upholstery, and this is also something that I would like to look into further, along side my future career. I have thought about designing and making rugs which I aim to research further in the upcoming months for a final Major Project idea.

By Georgia Ingrey