A Westhill art student, who is carving out a successful alternative career as a music producer, has taken inspiration from the proliferation of digital media in the modern world to create his final year project.
Nick Cronin (22) is currently showcasing his work at the Gray’s School of Art Degree Show, which runs until Saturday, June 25.
The former Westhill Academy pupil said: “My Degree Show piece is comprised of five televisions based on the floor facing upwards, linked to show one film piece in synchronisation across all of the screens.
“The inspiration behind this piece was the rapid advancements of technology and the omnipresence of the digital world in our day to day lives, and how we attempt to reconnect on a human level through them.
“With my collection I hoped to provoke viewers to think about the screens themselves, often an overlooked object in itself that we don't even necessarily notice but spend so much of our lives glued to.”
Nick, who has worked with a range of UK and overseas hip-hop, rap and grime artists in his capacity as a music producer, said: “I am very happy with the overall production of the work and its installation for the Degree Show, as I feel it will be incredibly visually striking and a new way of approaching these themes.
“Overall my time at Gray’s has been fantastic, as I have been able to pursue my interests and develop my artistic practise both in my coursework and in my work outside of the university. Once I graduate I plan to pursue music on a much more persistent level, continuing to hone my craft and produce for bigger artists.”
Talking about his music work, Nick said: “The most recent released track I have produced is with an artist from London called Nolay, a track called Van Gogh, which was featured on i-D magazine and SB:TV.
“This track was played on Radio 1Xtra and was released to great interest and praise as we worked with an instrumental style that was relatively new for her.
“Another track I have produced which a music video was released for was with another London MC called Kwam, who appears regularly on radio performances and sets with several other hotly-tipped names in grime.
“Since these collaborations, I have also been working with musicians from the United States, one called Reno from New York and also Ace Cosgrove of Maryland, who has had his music featured on the American television series House of Lies and had his most recent single Bia-Bia premiered by esteemed hip-hop site Fader.”
He added: “In addition to this I have also produced remixes of several artists' songs such as Lily Allen, Azealia Banks and Tatyana Ali. The Lily Allen remix in particular was for a competition run by her label, in which my entry reached the top ten.”
The Gray’s School of Art Degree Show, which is sponsored by BP for the thirteenth year, runs from June 18 to 25 and will showcase work by students of all disciplines. To find out more, visit www.rgu.ac.uk/degreeshow
To listen to some of Nick’s remixes, visit www.soundcloud.com/vagrantrealestate