A young artist is planning an explosive finale to his end of year college exhibition.

And while most people keep their garden tools in a shed, art student Leo Warner plans to blow one up and film it happening.

The 17-year-old from Stanbury is in his final year at Leeds College of Art and Design, where he is studying for a national diploma in photomedia.

The images of the exploding shed will form the centre piece of his final exhibition in June, and Leo wants to ensure the whole thing goes with a bang.

He explains: "The idea for the project came about after a conversation with my dad Simon who did a similar project when he was at college. It is my final end of year project and I want to go out with a bang.

"I was also inspired by modern abstract artists like Camellia Parker, who entered images of an exploding church steeple in this years Turner prize.'

Leo plans to capture the moment on both still 35mm and 16mm moving film, and if all goes to plan, the images will provide a short film and large photographs to accompany it.

The only missing ingredient so far is the shed, and the student is appealing to anyone who could provide him with either a new or used one.

He is also looking for sponsors to cover the general cost of the project, which will require the expensive reproduction of large colour prints.

"A lot of venues and clubs in Leeds are interested in showing abstract films like these, and an art exercise like this acts as a marketing and publicity event in itself," he says.

Special effects explosives will be used in the final explosion, and Leo has enlisted the help of a pyrotechnics expert to ensure the bang is a safe one.

Leo hopes to study English and philosophy at York University later this year.

The event will take place in a weeks time in a field near his home, and anyone interested in sponsoring Leo can contact him on 0956 594961.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.