On a freezing cold Saturday afternoon, I can think of numerous other ways to spend my time but have been invited to an art gallery in Deptford to discover a new movement. Walking through, what seems to be a disused yard, I follow the signs and arrows pointing the way forward. The yard is empty, the café hut is closed and there is not a sole in sight. Luckily for me I know that the event is definitely taking place or I might have turned around.

As I walk into the gallery, I am surprised to see the room packed with people; young and old all wrapped up in their outdoor coats. Apparently there is no heating in the gallery, which is normally closed during the winter. The Art in Perpetuity Trust gallery has opened its doors to a young entrepreneur who wanted to understand contemporary art.

Sarah Rowles, a Goldsmiths student has managed to set up Q-Art London; a cross-campus forum for student artists and graduates to present their work to each other. The aim of the convenors are for students to discuss their work, challenge themselves and receive feedback from an audience of other student artists and graduates from the top London art colleges.

The event at APT is the third in a succession of events taking place every month. There have been previous events at Goldsmiths, University of London and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Sarah thanks everyone for attending and introduces the first presenter.

Anne Bland, a graduate from Goldsmiths, flew in from Norway to present her paintings based around the concept of erosion. Anne: “Living in Stavanger, Norway and being out of London for over a year, it was excellent to have the opportunity to meet fellow students and other recently graduated London artists, and artists doing postgraduate studies. It seemed like an opportunity not to be missed to bring some work and introduce it for discussion. I would like to have come to other events, however travelling to London limits the amount I will be able to take part in”.

The freezing temperature does not seem to hinder the debate and a lively discussion takes place around Anne’s work. The aim of these events is to spark engagement and critique around those artists’ who present their work. It also helps art lovers to understand the meaning behind the work; learning from the artists actual intentions is a real fascinating experience.

Sally, another graduate from Goldsmiths, was next up to present her paintings based on questioning static beauty. She wanted the audience to think about how we look at the cartoon like animals, whether we can see the funny side to the characters or completely miss the point. Sally: “I had time to reflect on the decisions I had to make regarding choosing pieces, what they communicated, how I could describe my practice, what my art is about. The questions I received have generated new questions and I am currently digesting them”.

Phil, a second year student at Goldsmiths, presented a sculpture of a penny piece with a twist. Essentially he wanted to look at how we engage with objects that are symbolically loaded. The fact that the sculpture is actually made out of nine carat gold, which has been tinted to look like a penny has the whole audience in deep discussion around the ethics of such a project.

During a well deserved break to drink hot cups of tea, I manage to speak to Sarah about why she set up Q-Art London. Sarah: “I came to college when there was an art school crisis; budget cuts, teachers cuts, class sizes grew and not enough lecture time. So I wanted to provide something extra to facilitate my learning and that of others around me. When I applied to Goldsmiths, I also got into every other art school and was fascinated by the myth that all of the different art institutions were the best. I wanted to see whether it was the institutions or the artists themselves that made the courses”.

Sarah had the idea to create a forum for students from across the London art institutions to come together to critique their work together. Obviously there were some huge hurdles to overcome, but with a well thought-out plan, savings from her summer job and the confidence to approach heads of departments, Q-Art London was born. Sarah describes Q-Art London as: “A place where art students from all the London Universities can come together and learn from one another without institutional barriers that are in place. So artists can learn from art historians and vice versa”.

The gathering reconvenes for some intellectual discussion around art criticism from a PHD student. Matthew, also studying at Goldsmiths presents the idea of how art criticism should be encouraged from outside of the art practice field. In using ideas around philosophy, art can be interpreted from outside the confines of aesthetic values and style judgements. One of his points caused a stir when he suggested “What an artists says about their work is not that interesting but what could be said about the artwork, is where the depth of criticism can take place”.

Raakhee, a graduate from Central Saint Martins presented her photography pieces, and wanted more ideas on how to push the work forward. Debra, a second year student at Wimbledon presented her video and audio piece around the concept of how we look at time. Last to present was Elaine, a third year student at Camberwell who takes everyday materials and makes them represent weird and wonderful shapes.

Most of the work is completely different and seems out of place. However Sarah is adamant that: “I don’t judge the work, the group at the convenors do, which provides the peer review criticality. Q-Art offers additions to what people already have and it’s always good to learn more”.