University of Suffolk graduate thanks tutors with crocheted caricatures
Gemma Upson, who first picked up crochet at primary school, has graduated from the University of Suffolk, calling her Fine Art degree “hand-on-heart one of the best things I have ever done” - and she has celebrated by immortalising her tutors and technicians as crocheted alter egos.
Why it matters: Over three years at the University of Suffolk, Gemma went from crocheting a single childhood memory to exhibiting 30 freehand album covers at the Arts Degree Show - and she wanted to thank the tutors and technicians who helped her along the way.
The details: Gemma began making the caricatures in her second year and completed them over the summer after finishing her course.
She brought the caricatures to her graduation ceremony this week, posing for photos with the team and their crafted alter egos. The University of Suffolk’s graduation ceremonies were held on the Ipswich Waterfront from Saturday, 17 October to Wednesday, 21 October.
What they're saying: “It has gone so fast, but it’s hand-on-heart one of the best things I have ever done,” Gemma said.
“I knew we would experiment with different mediums, and I knew we would learn a lot about art history, but it’s also a period where you learn a lot about yourself, and all the tutorials we have are so insightful – you gain so much from the time you are with these tutors.”
For context: Gemma's final-year work at the Arts Degree Show in June Autoethnography: Cover of Colours featured 30 crocheted album covers, all made freehand with no pattern and displayed in one of the gallery’s central avenues.
- Each album represented part of the soundtrack to her life, including The Bends by Radiohead, Ten by Pearl Jam and Velvet Revolver’s Contraband.
- The backs were deliberately left unstitched, giving each cover a unique “B-side” that encouraged visitors to interact with the work.
- Visitors were invited to leave comments in a book beside the work, sharing their own memories of the records.
“I loved people watching. When they walked past the backs, I kept seeing people, they would walk, do a double take, take steps back and walk around the work. I loved that interaction, watching people smile and talk about the albums,” Gemma said.
The bigger picture: The 45-year-old previously crocheted famous figures including Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, David Bowie and former Top Gear trio Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
Her caricature of Radio X presenter Chris Moyles led to the DJ sharing her work on air, bringing thousands of new followers to her artwork Instagram page almost overnight.
The bottom line: After three years at the University of Suffolk, Gemma’s crochet carried her through her degree - and she made sure the team who helped her got a thank you in her own medium.
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