SPAM the 2007 degree show of the University of Westminster's MA in Photographic Studies

This is a degree show with a difference. Unlike the many others in London, these graduating MA students are largely professional photographers and this exhibition is independently and professionally curated, as the calibre of the work demands. Reflecting this distinction, SPAM is an inversion of the title of the course it concludes: the University of Westminster's MA in Photographic Studies. The diversity of highly developed personal styles and theoretical approaches, as well as the surprising range of media, attest to the strength of this programme and demonstrate why it remains the strongest in the UK.

The venue, the basement of the Shoreditch Town Hall, reinforces the uniqueness of the show. The exposed bricks and architectural features, which are more typical of exhibition spaces in Berlin than London, exempt the works from the harsh treatment of white walls. The labyrinthine arrangement of rooms makes each viewing space unique, enabling sudden encounters with certain works and accidental entrapment in others. The resulting arrangement of the works highlights their strengths and individuality rather than imposing categories that attempt to define its objectives for the viewer, so each artist’s contribution can be viewed independently of the others.

Elizabeth Upper is an independent exhibition curator. She began curating while completing an MA in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute in 2005, which she came to from a background in gallery management. Having lived in Texas, Paris and Berlin, she is now based in London.

About MAPS David Bate, Course Leader

The University of Westminster's MA Photographic Studies course started in 1994 and is a highly successful taught masters photography programme with an excellent international profile. Applicants come from all over the world to participate on this course and go on to careers in areas of photography and art. For more information, please visit the course website.