A UNIVERSITY student in York is set to attend one of the world’s most prestigious arts festivals, following in the footsteps of some of the country’s most-admired creative forces.

Lily Horton, a York St John University master’s in Fine Art (MFA) student, has been chosen as a Venice Biennale Fellow.

York St John University has teamed up with the British Council and Lily is their first student to receive the honour.

Organisers said the Fellowship offers ‘a unique opportunity for emerging creatives to represent the UK on an international level while broadening their perspective and developing their creative practice.

In October, Lily will spend a month at the Venice Biennale, developing a personal creative project and engaging with audiences as an ambassador at the British Pavilion.

Since 1895, British artists have been showing work at La Biennale di Venezia, one of the oldest cultural festivals in the world.

From the 1930s, a specially commissioned ‘Pavillion’ was installed at the festival by a newly founded British Council and paved the way to show work from these shores including those from Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Eduardo Paolozzi, Bridget Riley, Gilbert & George, Rachel Whiteread and filmmaker Steve McQueen.

Lily said: “Stemming from my art practice, I’ve developed a fascination with seemingly mundane things - cracks in paving stones, telephone wires cutting through the sky, puddles of murky water.

“I would like to use my time in Venice collecting imagery of these things, capturing these events through photography and film, illuminating an existence of Venice through these muted, somewhat unnoticed events in a city formed of bridges, canals, and carless streets.

“Once returned to the UK, I would then like to use this collection of imagery to form a short film highlighting Venice from this perspective – from my perspective – not in magnificent views or grand monuments, rather in cracked bricks, creased fabrics, ominous clouds.”

Helen Turner, associate head of fine art at York St John University, said: “This partnership is important to York St John University because it links our students with the activities and networks of the British Council and the Venice Biennale.

 “Offering the fellowship to our students meets and extends their aspirations.

“To be chosen by an external organisation of such stature, for the quality of their artistic practice and research, is an endorsement of their work and a definite confidence boost.”