Neve Schoof Wins SIDE Principal’s Art Award

North Albany Senior High School Year 12 student Neve Schoof has achieved outstanding success in her School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) ATAR Visual Arts course, receiving an exceptional 97% for her final artwork. 

Her piece also earned her the prestigious SIDE Principal’s Art Award, meaning her artwork will be displayed and “rented” by SIDE for the next two years.

Her artwork, titled Runway to Ruin, is a striking and thought-provoking exploration of the global fashion industry and its environmental and ethical consequences. Created using post-consumer waste and found materials—including fabrics, newspaper, onion bag mesh, hand-dyed zippers, and thrifted yarn—the piece challenges the viewer to confront the impact of fast fashion and consumerism.

In her artist statement, Neve explains that her work was inspired by what she witnessed during travels to Cocos Keeling Islands, Christmas Island, and Thailand, where she was confronted by beaches and communities affected by textile waste. “I realised I wear clothes stitched by hands I’ll never meet,” she writes. Through Runway to Ruin, she sought to expose the hidden human and environmental costs of fashion, positioning the viewer as part of the story through a mirrored sphere held by the mannequin.

The sculpture unfolds as a visual narrative—from a paper-mâché globe symbolising globalisation and Western consumer culture, to the lower sections depicting environmental devastation and garment worker tragedies such as the Rana Plaza collapse.

Influenced by artists Hung Liu and Sommar Roman, her piece combines beauty, symbolism, and raw truth to spark reflection and responsibility.

Neve’s exceptional achievement highlights not only her artistic skill but also her social and environmental awareness. She has also entered Runway to Ruin for possible inclusion in the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s Pulse Perspectives exhibition, with final selections to be announced later this year.

Neve capped off her remarkable achievements by receiving the North Albany Senior High School ATAR Dux award at Friday’s Year 12 Presentation and Awards Evening, a testament to her dedication and excellence across all subjects.

Congratulations Neve!