Young designers in Durham took over a city centre shop to display sculpture, ceramics, textiles and jewellery.

Applied arts for enterprise students at Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) staged a mini-exhibition at the former Durham City visitor centre as part of a project to make creative use of vacant premises.

They spent two months creating their ‘Artist’s Book’ exhibits, making visual interpretations of their final dissertations.

Mature student Lou Gilmore-George, 34, of Richmond (pictured), exhibited copper sculpture inspired by camping. She said: “It’s been a really sharp learning curve creating an exhibition from scratch, but much more of a real life experience.

“Not only did we have to design and create the exhibits, we were also responsible for planning the space, lighting and marketing using social networking channels.

“The idea behind Empty Shop is so creative and having my work exhibited in the centre of Durham is incredible.”

The scheme was co-ordinated by arts group Empty Shop and Durham County Council to give artists a platform in prime locations.