CREATIVE Winchester students have combined art and technology to create a stunning showcase.

Winchester School of Art students revealed weird and wonderful designs in graphics, sculpture, photography, textiles and more at the launch of its degree show on Monday (June 17).

Course leaders said students have embraced media and technology more than ever before this year.

Final year sculpture and fine art student Lorna Barnshaw has created a photography exhibition that the audience can interact with by downloading an app onto a smart phone.

She said: “I was inspired by new technology and how digital things are merging with reality. I’m taking everything digital off the screen and materialising it. But I wanted to keep a bit of digital in there without having a screen, but using something everyone has on them, i.e. a phone.

“I use the ‘Layer’ app which allows you to scan the image and then a video will play on your phone. So you get that digital element within a physical space.”

Nick Stewart, programme leader for fine art, added: “More students are developing work with new technology, interacting with the viewer through software and smart phones and I think it’s something we will see more in the future.

“We have been quite surprised at the increasing numbers using sophisticated technology. Students are picking up on this without us pushing them and the course allows them to develop and use whatever medium they want to.”

Other exhibits include a 3D scan of the entire school campus and a sculpture exploring gender roles with film clips and pictures of cross-dressing actors.

Final year graphics student Rebecca Higgins created a striking image of a lioness made from drawings of a different animals, a comment on genetic engineering.

She said: “My contemporary ‘Chimera’ is an exaggeration of the engineered monsters seen in films and games which are actually not genetically possible in the real world.” The show runs until Sunday, June 23 and is open to the public 10am-8pm until Friday, and from 11am-4pm at the weekend.