Credit: Low-life, New Order, 1985. Art direction Peter Saville. Photography Trevor Key. Design Peter Saville Associates. Image source: Discogs.com

Welcome to the online home of Cabinet, a student-led exhibition programme for Newcastle University’s School of Arts and Culture. The project provides support in time and resources to students who want to gain experience in exhibition-making. Originally conceived for the display cabinets on level three of the Armstrong Building, Newcastle City Campus, we have migrated the programme online due to COVID-19.

Over the last few months, COVID-19 has dramatically altered our personal relationships, pulling us closer in proximity to those we live with whilst isolating ourselves from our extended networks. The three students selected from an open-call, Olivia Erodotou, Matteo Magazzino and Charlie Dean, have created exhibitions that capture moments that enrich our lives. From the formative experiences you gain through university, to how different places shape your identity, or, the memories you hold from musical encounters, each student has responded to the challenge of transforming their exhibition from a physical experience to online and has incorporated participation in developing their projects.

The final exhibition in our 2020 programme is Music and Memory: A Peter Saville Sample curated by Charlie Dean. This exhibition takes a deep-dive into the work of Peter Saville, a designer who is most famous for the record sleeve artworks he created as part of Factory records. Saville's iconic use of image and material to produce the record sleeves has shaped a generation of music lovers' attachment to these design objects.  In this exhibition Dean pairs Saville's work with stories from fans (sourced through Twitter) to highlight his continued impact and influence on people's lives.