RCA SHOW

This year the Royal College of Art did not fail to present an impressive gaggle of fine artists in their MA show, but the wow factor was found in Metalwork and Applied Arts, where the once homey crafts had been injected with irony and intelligence.

Suzi Tibbetts explores metalwork, audio and spatial instillations all under the umbrella of applied arts. Her chattering teacup sits atop a bronze side table, instantly conjuring images of a granny in her parlour dreading an earthquake, or worse, tankers. Tibbetts' gramaphone spins a gold plated disc, while Audio books and The Silencer, an Audio Escapism Device examine the role noise plays in our daily life, providing acceptable levels of noiselessness.

In the same room Joanthon Mathew Boyd has ingeniously created a typewriter that produces script in his own unique handwriting.

Further in Rhys Himsworth's mechanical hybrids seek to interrupt the anxiety and disengagement caused by advancing technology. His drawing machines and painting machines find a balance between the automated and the intuitive.

Elsewhere fluffy feather hanging sculpture entitled Dreamcatcher had a delicate allure, Hector De Gregorio's printed and painted Portraitshad a clasical appeal, and dripping lemon scnted goo wheels were grotesque yet mesmerising.

By Millie Ross