New College Swindon Student Hosts Successful Exhibition to Highlight the Beauty of Swindon

Former New College Swindon (NCS) student Timothy Ogu recently hosted a week-long photography exhibition at Darkroom Espresso in Swindon, titled ‘Patience’, highlighting the “beauty in the mundane”, including people, shops, and Swindon’s culture.

After completing his degree in Media and Culture at London Arts University, Timothy worked on various freelance and high-profile projects with recognisable brands such as Casio, Dove, and Live Nation.

In 2024, he left the chaos of city life, came back to Swindon to reset “metaphorically and physically”. He said, “I considered moving back to Swindon and commuting to London for work, but it was too expensive. When I came home, I didn’t know what I was going to do next. I continued with my photography, not knowing it would lead to this. I think if I had shot with an exhibition in mind, it would have turned out completely differently.”

Timothy studied A Levels for three years at NCS, picking up photography in his last year. When he returned to Swindon, he ran several inspirational talks for NCS students, which eventually led him to want to learn more about the photography dark room. One of New College Swindon’s media technicians taught Timothy each week, before he eventually landed a full-time role as a Photography lecturer.

In addition to the dark room, the students at NCS have access to a photography suite, exciting editing software and exciting equipment that prepares them for a successful role in the industry when they leave. The lecturers who teach the course are more than passionate about their craft. They are experts in the industry and bring together their knowledge and contacts to build a rich course for those whom they inspire.

Becoming a lecturer after a colourful life in London has had many perks for Timothy’s students, although he never thought he would end up in this role. His mantra is “not to be the smartest person in the room”, as he is always inspired by his students’ ideas. He wants to give them the confidence to speak up and disagree with him if they see another way to do something, as this prepares them for their working life. In addition to this, Timothy has opened many opportunities for his students through his contacts. 30 of his students recently visited Casio in London and were given live briefs to shoot the “on-trend” watches for posts and reels on Instagram. Casio have agreed to post their favourite on their social media soon.

Although Timothy is modest about his work, he was proud of the feedback received from his family and friends at the exhibition. One person said they had also left a busy life in London to move back to Swindon and had struggled to find the beauty in the town at first, which resonates with Timothy’s work and message.

We are looking forward to Timothy’s next release of work. He has teased that it has a slightly different focus, but ‘Patience’ is his ongoing project.

Here’s a sneak peek of some of Timothy’s work:

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