Tom Hunter / Helen Amy Murray /150 years of St. Martin’s / Chelsea’smove to Millbank / Summer Shows / LCC award-winners / LCF MA catwalkshow / Camberwell at Dulwich / Xhibit University of the Arts London Magazinespring/summer 2004

Contributors

MichaelDaCosta is amarketingstrategist. He isa co-host of theWorld CreativeForum and anadviser to thecharity Arts &Business. He is an alumnus of LCC.

Rowan Erlam iscurrentlystudying BAJournalism atLCC. Since lastsummer, shehas worked forSneakmagazine.

MariaFitzpatrick is inher third yearBA FashionPromotion atLCF. She hasworked atLondon FashionWeek, FashionRocks for thePrince's Trustand the BritishStyle Awards.

Max Fraser isthe foundingauthor of theDESIGN UKseries. He alsocontributes as afreelancejournalist forIcon, ElleDecoration,Intra, and theIndependent.He is currentlyco-writing abook with SirTerence Conran.

Austin Cowdalland MattHamilton areNEW. Bothstudied atCamberwellCollege of Artssetting up NEWin 1996. NEW'sillustrationclients includeThe Face, theGuardian andTime Out.

Michelle McGaghgraduates fromBA Journalismat LCC in May.She has workedfor anindependentmusic magazineand apostproductionfilm andtelevisioncompany.

Caroline Smithis a London-based writer.She has beenContributingEditor ofCreativeCamera andBlack Bookmagazine in theUS and iscurrently VisualArts Editor atAttitude.

Sincegraduating witha PostgraduateCertificate inPhotographyfrom CSM, AlysTomlinson hasworked for TimeOut in NewYork, Berlin andParis as well asPenguin Books,The Times andDesign N/A.

Front cover image: Rat In Bed, 2003 © the artist. Courtesy Jay Jopling / White Cube (London)Back cover image: Red chair for 100% Design cHelen Amy Murray

If you would like to contribute to forthcoming issues, please get in touch with your news. University of the Arts London Magazine, 65 Davies Street, London W1K 5DAT: +44 (0) 20 7514 7604E: alumni-association@arts.ac.ukW: www.arts.ac.uk/alumniAlumni Co-ordinator: Jo StilesEditor: Jane Struthers; Assistant Editor: Mary Lehner; Design: M2; Print: BSC Print

This magazine is available in a pdf format.

University of the Arts London Magazine is published by the Department of Communications and Development. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without theprior permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/oromissions. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of University of the Arts London. All rights reserved.cUniversity of the Arts London 2004.

Contents

SpringSummer2004

University of the Arts London Magazine

Around the Colleges

London Collegeof Fashion

From Graduate FashionWeek to the latest MAcatwalk shows, a reviewof LCF’s success over thelast 12 months

08CentralSaint Martins

CSM celebrates itsancestry as it marks the150 year anniversarysince the foundation of St. Martin’s School of Art

12CamberwellCollege of Arts

The research andinspiration behind the HowDo You Look exhibition thatopens at Dulwich PictureGallery in autumn 2004

18London Collegeof Communication

We ask four award-winningalumni how they haveprogressed sincegraduating from LCC

22Chelsea Collegeof Art and Design

Head of College,Professor Roger Wilson,reports on Chelsea’simminent move to Millbank

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Announcements

Comment

Interview

Gallery

Profile

Summer Shows

Noticeboard

Short courses

The Rector, Sir Michael Bichard, explains the significance and the future ofUniversity of the Arts London

Max Fraser examines the difficulties now facing young designers

Tom Hunter discusses his recent work based on the headlines of local newspapers

Xhibit 04 opens in May.We take a look at a selection of the students’ work onshow

Helen Amy Murray talks about her success over the last two years and how ithas provided her with the opportunity to focus her business

A taster of this year’s degree shows. Make sure you’re there to view the latest infresh, creative talent

Alumni news, events and exhibitions

Advance your skills on the wide range of short courses available

Announcements

s University of the ArtsLondon, we are the UK’s first

broad-based university dedicated toart, design, fashion, communicationand performance. Our new namereflects the quality and nature of ourorganisation, as the title of ‘University’is the gold standard for highereducation. Our core activities are allrelated to the creative industries andbenefit greatly from our location in theheart of London.The new titlereinforces our position, strengthensour brand and raises the profile of ourspecialist subjects.

As a university, we are in a strongerposition to recruit the best studentsand staff. University of the ArtsLondon will be recognised clearly as acentre for high quality teaching,learning and research.We will haveparity of esteem with other universitiesof equivalent achievement.

We shall continue to celebrate theindividual identities and characters ofour Colleges and their distinctiveapproaches to their disciplines.Weshall carry on the tradition ofencouraging our graduates to use theirimaginations and creativity tocontribute to the sectors in which theywork. Our alumni shall continue to beamongst the most influentialpractitioners in their fields worldwide.

The creative industries are one of the

fastest growing sectors in the UKeconomy, boasting nearly two millionjobs and contributing over £11bn inexports to the balance of trade. Ourstatus as University of the ArtsLondon provides a focus for oureducational, cultural and industriallinks. It also helps us capitalise onopportunities to develop world-classpartnerships with business and theprofessions as well as the internationaleducational community.

We offer a vision of excellence inuniversity education for the 21stcentury to all of our students, parents,staff, alumni, partners and employers.The change of title represents thelatest achievement of the LondonInstitute since its incorporation in1989.We are delighted to face a future filled with creativeopportunities as University of the Arts London.

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Whyauniversity? Game onGreek designer and CSMgraduate, Sophia Kokosalaki, hasbeen commissioned to designthe costumes for the openingand closing ceremonies of the2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

UnityChelsea graduate, Anish Kapoor,is to create a memorial in NewYork to the British victims of the11 September 2001 attacks onthe World Trade Centre. The six-metre sculpture, Unity, will formthe centrepiece of a memorialgarden near the Twin Towerssite. Kapoor has also beencommissioned to create asculpture for the new MillenniumPark in Chicago.

Winning wordsLondon College of Fashionalumna, Mary Sotiropoulos, haswon an Elle talent award.Sotiropoulos now joins the Elleteam on an internship and hasbeen given the freedom of amonthly column within themagazine, she will also bereviewing the spring/summercatwalk collections inSeptember.

Get involvedWe are planning a series ofevents throughout the next fewmonths to celebrate the launchof University of the Arts London,which include masterclasses,reunions and receptions duringthe final year shows. For moreinformation contact the AlumniAssociation on 020 7514 7604.

The Rector, Sir Michael Bichard, explains the significance and thefuture of University of the Arts London

s a Londoner, one growscomplacent to moans about

the tube, groans concerningcongestion, defeated sighs about theweather, and the phenomenally highliving costs. Hell, I find the whiningis even contagious. One wonders ifwe have all lost sight of thesplendour sitting on our doorsteps?Are we forgetting to remindourselves that our city is, withouthesitation, one of the world’s mostthriving creative capitals?

Whilst we might need a solitarymoment to ponder this fact, it wouldseem that students are flocking toLondon to sample its offerings.Theimmense maze-like metropolis,provides the playground of discoveryand inspiration that they all seek.

As increasing numbers of designersenter the market each year, theprospect of ‘making it’ becomesevermore competitive. In myexperience, three types of designgraduate tends to emerge: those thatwrite off design and steer themselvesinto different industries; those thatfind jobs at existing agencies; andthose that choose to set up alone.The latter form the small proportionthat need mentoring.

But even the most entrepreneurialcharacters need suitable outlets tothe right markets. Networking can be

a slow-building and rather falseexistence. In the early stages, emptywallets allow no room for error.Advertising is out of the questionand even the free capacity ofwebsites has limited reach. It wouldseem that the tried and testedforums for attracting attention areexhibitions.Visitors love theinteractive nature of installations, thetactility of experiencing objects inthe flesh, and the buzz of the new.Schmoozing is rife and the exchangeof cards is fluent – the cross-pollination of ideas electric.

Exhibiting doesn’t come cheap andthe ambition of organisers can oftenbecome stifled by the enormous fixedcosts. Quality can be compromised tomeet sales targets and organisers areoften forced to approach their ‘B list’exhibitor lists.To prevent this,

government or corporate sponsorshipshould consider subsidising the earlyambitions of tomorrow’s talentgeneration. Schemes do exist, but fartoo many companies think awardschemes are the best avenue topursue.With a different awardceremony unleashed every fewmonths, one starts to question thecredibility of such events. Is it reallydemocratic for one individual to win£25k? Shouldn’t this vast sum ofmoney be pooled across groups ofdesigners to better effect? Thethinking behind this is simple – in theminds of marketing directors, moneydictates the level of importance andbuys credibility which, in turn, resultsin sizeable brand exposure to a newtarget audience.

I can’t help thinking that if groupsof young designers across the countrywere given more mini breaks withmodest localised sponsorship funds,then they would identify and linkmore quickly with their chosenmarket, however niche, forming acrucial catalyst for positive growth.

If more deserving creatives receivedthe right opportunities early on, thelikelihood of a successful businesswould inevitably grow more solid.And, hey, if there are more visionariesout there honing their skills toimprove the efficiency of ourinfrastructure, or contributing to theoverall improvement of our lifestylesthen maybe, just maybe, usLondoners might even stopmoaning…

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The art of cultivation

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Interview: Tom Hunter

om Hunter is a name mostwould recognise in contem-

porary art. He’s represented by JayJopling’s hip and heavyweight WhiteCube gallery. Charles Saatchi hascollected and exhibited his photos andlast year his book won the prestigiousJohn Kobal Award. It’s hardly difficultto see why. His images are alluring.They unravel tales in a pictorial formusually seen in the paintings of theDutch and Pre-Raphaelite masters.A fully clothed woman floating on theRiver Lea is reminiscent of JohnEverett Millais’ Ophelia. His well-known image of a young motherreading an eviction notice next to hersleeping baby is a latter-day staging ofVermeer’s Woman Reading A Letter AtAn Open Window. But the rich colours,sensual lighting and meticulouscomposition illuminate other detailssuch as cracks in the window, shelvingthat’s falling down and wallpaper

peeling off walls. Hunter’s photographsseduce but the political message isinherent.Those who rejected thecapitalist legacies left by ThatcheriteBritain and chose to live independentlyas squatters or travellers were – andstill are – labelled in the press asvictims or a nuisance.The eye-poppingnewspaper headlines with exposés thatspelt out moral panic to the masseshad consequences for Hunter who wassquatting at a house in Hackney in theearly ’90s.

‘I wanted to show images of mycommunity in a different way,’ he says.‘We were being labelled. I feltpowerless and angry that I was classedas this drug-taking ‘other’ and not partof society.’

Hunter responded by turning thecamera on the interiors of his home inEllingfort Road. He photographed theother local squatters and those he meton his double-decker bus when he wastravelling though Europe. As Hackneybecame more developed, the squat,rave and traveller communities wereforced to move to the borough’s edges.He photographed his friends in thesederelict, ghost-like wastelands,along the overgrown banks of

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Tom Hunter’s photographs document the realities of life. In his recentseries of work he challenges the relationship between image, media andcommunity by reinterpreting local newspaper headlines

Interview by Caroline Smith

Stranger thanfiction

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Above: Woman Reading A Possession Order, 1997Right: Lover Set On Fire In Bed, 2003

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the River Lea.The series, Life andDeath in Hackney and Swan Songsfeature the individuals and spacesoften overlooked. It’s a poignantaccount of an area undergoingdevelopment and the clash of privateand public interests.

It’s fitting that this interview takesplace in a private showroom at WhiteCube. It overlooks trendy HoxtonSquare and its cluster of restaurants,bars and design companies that movedin after high rents pushed out the artand alternative publishingcommunities. More than any of theother establishments, Jay Jopling’sgallery stands as a gleaming symbol ofHackney’s gentrification.

‘Hackney is still very working class,’Hunter asserts. ‘The media report thatit’s changed, but the majority live incouncil estates. It’s one of the poorestboroughs in the country.’

Hunter is interested in how thismedia distortion affects lives. His firstseries, based on redressing the imageof squatters, was bought by Museumof London for permanent display.

The follow-up series, PersonsUnknown, was a further response tonegative local press.

‘As squatters, we were the easyscapegoats,’ he says. ‘No-one consideredthe council’s lack of management orsaw the houses that were rotting.Wewere being evicted and these beautifulterraced houses were going to bedemolished in favour of building a carpark and frozen meat sheds.’

His work was published in theGuardian and Time Out.The exposuremeant that other, like-minded groupsoffered support. ‘We’ve battled withthe council for ten years now,’ he says.

Hunter moved to London from asmall village in Dorset when he was 20to escape the usual route of marriage,mortgage and children. He’s dyslexicand found school difficult, souniversity wasn’t an option. After twoyears working as a tree surgeon for theRoyal Parks, he gave up the job andthe flat and hitchhiked his way aroundthe States.

‘I took a 35mm camera with me andtook snaps,’ he says. ‘Photography

seemed to be what I could do. It wason every street corner. It seemed thatanyone could do it.’

After a year, he moved into a squatin Ellingfort Road and took an A levelin photography.Though he wasoriginally intending to ‘do a DavidBailey and open a commercial studio’,he attended London College ofPrinting. After the success of his earlywork, he went on to study for an MAat the Royal College of Art, where hebegan to explore art history.

‘My connection has always beendepicting the real world,’ he explains,‘so at college I started to look at theinteriors of realist Dutch paintings.The Dutch painters representedordinary people rather than religiousicons.The light, colour and compositionthat Vermeer used seemed to reflect mycommunity.’

He has had his fair share of columninches. Some critics say that hisinterpretations romanticise reality.Woman Reading A Possession Order withits religious Madonna and baby motifhas been criticised for using the

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Left: Rat In Bed, 2003Right: Landlord Stuffed In Suitcase, 2003

seductive language of advertisingphotography. ‘Yes, I hold my hand up– I want my images to be seductiveand beautiful,’ he says. ‘If you explorethe image on another level, you see thereality of deprived living conditions.There are beautiful films aboutterrible situations, such as theHolocaust, but it doesn’t mean youcan’t have an affinity or sympathisefor the characters. People said that Ishould have airbrushed the image, butwhy? Once you read the title, themeaning is clear.’

The photograph has been showninternationally as a curatorial shorthandfor the urban realities affecting many inthe ’90s.Without the usual helping ofvisual puns and irony that was definingmuch of the cultural and artisticoutput at the time, it struck a chord.Saatchi immediately bought it. ButHunter maintains there were no bigbreaks in his career, but more a case of‘lessons learnt’ and obvious highlights,such as the commission to work withresidents on the ill-fated Holly St.Estate Tower Block as part of the

Shoreditch Photo Biennial. He wasinvited into White Cube’s artist stablesome months later.

‘I’m privileged in the way I work,’ hesays. ‘I produce one, maybe two seriesa year. Friends talk about jobs wherethey have minutes to photograph aband, so they literally have to grab animage.When I photograph, it’s alwaysserious and contemplative. I don’tspend time wasting shots.The imageseeps into the lens. It’s a much morepleasurable way of working.’

It’s also the antithesis of the epic andoften pompous black and white studiesproduced by some Magnumphotographers who dabble in acommunity for a book project or thesensationalist glut of photojournalism.Hunter thinks that there should beroom for other viewpoints: ‘As soon asyou pick up a camera and point it, youmake an editorial decision,’ he says.‘When a Magnum photographerproduced a photo essay on acommunity of travellers in Hackneythat depicted drugs and anti-socialbehaviour for the Weekend Guardian,

the kids were spat upon at school andstones were thrown through vanwindows.The results were verydamaging. I’m not saying that therewere no drugs or anti-social behaviour,but it was a fractional part.The factwas that before, two communities livedside-by-side.When the story waspublished, there was immediatehostility. People believe what they see.Pictures have a huge impact on lives.’

Hunter’s new work continues to reinterpret the content of newspapers.In his new series he focuses on theheadlines of local newspapers.Theresults are often fantastical, somesobering, others sinister – a womanlooking over her sleeping husband ashe burns to death – but all are studiesof the stories people tell, life beingstranger than fiction and what windsup as news. One can’t help but thinkHunter’s work is bigger than the sumof its parts – political activism, localcommunities, art history anddocumentary photography – to simply show a view of humanismwithout fashionable irony or pun.

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he buzz of anticipation in theexhibition space was rewarded

with an energetic and professionalpresentation of nine maturecollections by the MA Design andTechnology students.

One of the hallmarks of the courseis the rich experience of workingalongside students of numerousnationalities (from both industry andundergraduate level), and this multi-cultural frame of reference wasreflected in the scope and diversity ofthe designs on show. A challenging,but effective, fusion of themes ranging

from childhood daydreams to ethnicglamour lent a vibrant, colourful,eclectic feeling to the evening, but theindividuality of the collectionsthemselves was especially evident.Thedesigners had obviously beenencouraged to follow very personalpaths to seek the true potential inboth vision and design processes.

Besides the design conceptsthemselves, students displayed a rangeof specialist crafting skills along withan intimate working knowledge of theirchosen materials.These qualitiesdemonstrate what Sandy Black,

London College of Fashion

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A fusion of talent

Course Director of MA FashionStudies, describes as one of thegreatest strengths of the course: ‘Ourintegration of design with technologymakes this College a particularlyattractive choice for postgraduatestudy. It means we can tap theenormous potential for fusing creativityand functional design concepts.’

There is no doubt that the research-led approach is providing studentswith the best possible chance to makethe most of opportunities, withgraduates working for labels asdiverse as Burberry, Harrods and

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London College of Fashion students and staff were joined by an impressive audience of industry and press forthis year's MA Fashion Studies catwalk showcase. By Maria Fitzpatrick

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t was the first time that a singleinstitution had taken Best

Womenswear, Best Menswear andBest Designer. In addition, this wasthe first year the collections werejudged blind, eliminating any pre-conceptions or bias amongst judges.The winning collection by YukoYoshitake, Designer and Menswear,was put into production and marketedby Top Man, Oxford Circus.Currently,Yoshitake is developing herown label with the support of Centrefor Fashion Enterprise.

Although LCF has always had apresence at Graduate Fashion Week,this was a particularly prize-ladenyear. ‘The collections were the perfectbalance between creativity andcommercial awareness, whichabsolutely sums up an LCF student,’believes Dean of Fashion Design andTechnology, Roy Peach. ‘Thegarments were said to look as good onthe inside as the outside, which is howit should be.’

A unique institution, LCF is theonly educational establishment inBritain fully committed to fashion.Worth £10bn in manufactured goodsand employing 20,000 people, theUK fashion industry relies on astream of skilled, innovative and well-prepared graduates. One reason forLCF’s success is a symbiotic andinterdependent relationship with theindustry it aims to serve. FashionEditor of the Daily Telegraph, HilaryAlexander, notes that its fashion

department has always had a strongrelationship with the College. ‘Overthe years, hundreds of fashionpromotion and media students havecome to us for work experience.Theyhave a down-to-earth attitude,enquiring minds and relish hardwork, all qualities highly prized on adaily broadsheet newspaper. One ofour LCF work experience students,returned to us as a full member ofstaff and has been a fashion assistantfor over a year.’

This vocational ethos remains at theheart of LCF. Course leaders andspecialist tutors are actively engagedin their professions, passing on a levelof learning which is authentic andrelevant. ‘We have an amazing staffprofile, recruiting people across theindustry. Staff are increasingly soughtafter on a consultancy basis,especially for work in South Americaand Asia,’ says Sandra Holtby, Headof College.

Since its inception London Collegeof Fashion has evolved to meet thechanging needs of the fashionindustry. It has carved out aninternational reputation andcontinues to develop its breadth ofeducational provision for 4,000students. In some ways, fashion is atricky subject, all about change, neverstatic, constantly evolving.This is onereason it is such a vibrant anddynamic industry and such afascinating area in which to teach and learn.

Wearing its name wellAt the last Graduate Fashion Week, London College of Fashiondominated proceedings by scooping five of the eleven top awards.Nilgin Yusuf, senior lecturer, explains why

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M&S. For others, such as Chris Liu,a womenswear graduate from 2003,the MA is the kickstart they neededto set up on their own. Liu recentlylaunched his label with support fromthe Centre for Fashion Enterprisebased at London College of Fashion.

Not dominated by flights of fancy,London College of Fashion graduatesachieved an admirable balance oforiginality and realism, combiningcreativity and detailed executionwith ultimately marketable ideas.A sound basis for uncertaineconomic times.

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Generation xThe seventh annual exhibition organised by the Students’ Unionopens this month. Xhibit 04 includes a selection of work fromacross a wide range of disciplines from fine art to performancevideos. Here’s a sneak preview of some of the work on show

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‘Xhibit’s broad spectrum is a big part of its appeal. And there’s more energy andraw talent on show here than anything at,say, this year’s lacklustre Beck’s Futures’BBCi on Xhibit 03

hibit is an annual exhibitionshowcasing some of the most

challenging and innovative workproduced by current students ofUniversity of the Arts London. Itreflects the diverse membership of theUniversity and the Students’ Unionand provides students with all-important opportunities to be seen,understood and acknowledgedoutside of the parameters of theircourse, College, discipline and theUniversity itself.

Xhibit 04 will feature a diverse rangeof outstanding pieces from students

from the five Colleges, from alldifferent courses and levels of study.

No.1 Matthew James IrwinLondon College of Fashion, 2nd yearBA Fashion Styling and PhotographyOutside in a dress and hat (photography)1

This is the first photograph in a seriesof four in response to a brief entitled‘Beauty’. ‘I was inspired by AlfredHitchcock’s The Birds,’ commentsIrwin. ‘Each photograph becomesprogressively more violent. By thefourth photograph, the model is on thefloor trying to protect her face from

the butterflies that are attracted to theflowers on her dress. It’s symbolic,playful and humorous,’ he says.

No.2 Helen Barff Camberwell, MA DrawingPinhole camera car, part I

By blacking out a car, Helen Barffturned the vehicle into a pinholecamera. ‘In this image, the pinhole isin the back passenger window andtaken with an exposure time ofbetween four and eight minutes.Theinverted image projects 180 degreesfrom inside the car,’ she comments.

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No.3 Yoshimi Sasaki Central Saint Martins, 3rd year BACeramic Design So What!

This exhibit is an interactive installationof ceramic balls hanging from theceiling which the observer can’t helpbut walk amongst and touch, causingthe balls to collide into one another.‘Most ceramics are too delicate tohandle and a lot of the time are purelydecorative,’ says Sasaki. ‘I wanted tomake something people could touch,hold and play with, I wanted to getpeople to interact with the piece.’

No.4 Daniel Hutton London College of Communication,2nd year BA Photography Below

‘Following a brief entitled ‘Society’, Ifocused on the idea of escapism,’ saysHutton. ‘I wanted to concentrateprimarily on the environments andplaces we go to escape life, rather thanon the actual performances themselves.’There are two photographs in the work,both of which are taken in the theatre,one of the seating, Below, and the otherof the lighting rig, entitled Above. ‘Theseating is where you view the spectacle

and the lighting produces the illusion ofescapism,’ comments Hutton. ‘Thelighting rig is observed upside downand therefore to the viewer it becomesnon-referential, creating its own form of escapism.’

No.5 Yutaka Inagawa Chelsea MA Fine ArtUntitled (violet ink on paper)

‘For this piece, I looked at the chaosand the grotesque imagery and objectsthat can be found in a modern city,’says Inagawa. ‘These were everydayobjects both mechanical and organic.From this I created a montage andlooked at the shapes that wereproduced.The work is an abstractpiece reflecting the character of amodern city.’

Xhibit 04 is at The Arts Gallery, 65Davies Street, from 13 May - 24 June(Monday - Friday, 10am - 8pm). Fordetails visit www.arts.ac.uk/events or call 020 7514 8083

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Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

ushing the boundaries ofLondon cool has always been

the agenda of Central Saint MartinsCollege of Art and Design (CSM).Famous names such as Gilbert &George and Stella McCartney haveemerged from its hallowed doors.Even now, as the College celebrates150 years since the foundation of St.Martin’s School of Art, they areproving they’ve got what it takes tosupply a new generation of prodigiesfor another century.

St. Martin’s had a diverse andprestigious history. It was founded in1854 by Reverend McKenzie of theSt. Martin-in-the-Fields parish, on theback of religious fervour about theChurch’s role in education.The Schooltaught mostly design skills to boys and

became independent of the parishin 1859.

As St. Martin’s reputation forinspired arts grew, so did its funding.It received £100 a year from theTechnical Education Board andLondon County Council in 1894.This annual aid meant that the Schoolwas able to diversify its range ofcourses.These included theintroduction of plant drawing, stoneand marble carving and carriagedecoration courses.

Remembering the days when SidVicious and Chrissie Hynde wereillustration models for the School,Howard Tangye, a senior Fashion andWomenswear tutor and formerstudent himself says, ‘There wereparties every week, it was a social

atmosphere as well as a creative one.’And St. Martin’s was no stranger toraucous parties; the Sex Pistols playedtheir first gig there in 1975.

Tangye always remembers alumni fortheir work, no matter how famousthey have become. ‘John Galliano,who graduated in fashion in 1984, wasan excellent student.You could see histalent in his beautiful drawings andillustrations,’ he says. SurprisinglyGalliano, known for his outrageousclothes, ‘Would always dress intailored clothes, but he still stood outbecause it was such a flamboyant era,’he recalls.

St. Martin’s joined with CentralSchool of Arts & Crafts in 1989 toform Central Saint Martins College ofArt and Design. In 1999 Drama

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This year there will be a St. Martin’s summer, asCentral Saint Martins marks the 150 year anniversarysince the foundation of St. Martin’s School of Art.Michelle McGagh and Rowan Erlam celebrate theCollege’s ancestry and explore its future

Centre London and in 2003 ByamShaw School of Art joined the Collegeto create the CSM we know today.The prestige built by St. Martin’shelped shape CSM into one of themost renowned and revered artcolleges in the world.

Tangye comments: ‘The talent of thestudents has created the name of theCollege. But the philosophy of theCollege with its foundations in fine artmeans the students are encouraged tobe creative and individual.They aregiven the confidence to be themselves.’

In true CSM style, today’s focus ison the future.Their aim is to create anew breed of artist, designer andperformer for the 21st century.

The Innovation Centre: Arts,Communication, Fashion, Design, a

purpose-built space at the Holbornsite is testament to the College’sforward thinking and creativity.TheCentre focuses on building linksbetween the College’s rapidly growingarts and design research programmeand the worlds of science, medicine,technology and business to create newproducts for the future.

But for the Innovation Centre tocontinue to be pioneering, money iscurrently being raised to develop thesecond phase of the £4m project, anextension that is to double the existingspace. ‘We have approached theLondon Development Agency tosupply the core funds,’ says DaniSalvadori, Head of Marketing andEnterprise. ‘It’s a big investment forthe College.’

To find out more about the history ofSt. Martin’s work, former fine art staffwill be included in a BBC documentaryto be broadcast this summer aboutsculpture at St. Martin’s in the ’60s. Anew exhibition at Tate Britain entitledThis Was Tomorrow will also showcasework of past students and staff amongother artists of the 1960s.Theseforthcoming projects have inspiredCentral Saint Martins to organise areunion for former Fine Art St.Martin’s students and staff, which is set for autumn 2004.

For more information on the celebrationsmarking the 150 year anniversary sincethe foundation of St. Martin’s, contactThembi Morris-Hale on 020 7514 8471or E: t.morris-hale@csm.arts.ac.uk

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artsFar left: Prospectus, 1912-1913Above left: Fine art students, 1920sAbove: Millinery class, 1950sAbove right: Annual exhibition ofstudents’ work, 1932

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Profile: Helen Amy Murray

ince graduating from ChelseaCollege of Art and Design in

summer 2002, Helen Amy Murrayhas experienced a whirlwind ofsuccess.Winning several of the topdesign awards including the NESTA(National Endowment for Science,Technology and the Arts) InnovationPrize and the OXO Peugeot DesignAward, she is now turning herattention to the commercial aspect ofher business and how to develop andmarket her work.

‘It was not until I started to producemy final show pieces,’ she recalls, ‘thatI thought these really are quite specialand then more importantly that Ineeded to learn how to treat this likea business.’

I ask if she thought of setting up apartnership. ‘No, because I wouldn’teven know how to do it. I wouldn’tknow where to begin. Quite obviously Iam protective of my work and want tobe known for producing it. I am all forit if I meet someone and it’s “Wow, weshould really work together”, but Idon’t think that can be forced. I don’tmind working on the business side, butit does prevent me from spending timeto be creative.’

The business decisions now facingMurray are indicative of many youngdesigners who are searching to findthe right direction in terms ofproducing and marketing their work.Following her recent participation at

the NESTA Pioneer Programme, forwhich she, with 11 others, wasshortlisted to receive financialassistance, Murray is now re-evaluatingher vision for the business. ‘PreviouslyI was thinking about finding amachine to produce my handmadefabrics.The Programme made methink: “Why do I want to do that?”My fabric is desirable because it ishandmade. Now I have the focus andconfidence to say that I don’t need a

way to mass-produce my fabric. If thathappens one day, that’s fine. But whatreally interests me is producingexclusive pieces of work on a couturelevel using beautiful materials for thehigh end of the market.’

The last two years have providedMurray with the opportunities toconsider the options available to her.The escalating press coverage hasgenerated interest in her work, but ithas required increasing amounts ofdetermination to convert this interestinto sales. ‘Between each project, Ispent my time working towards a showthen receiving press coverage and thenthinking: “Shit, what am I going to donow?” Then I would immediately

14

From cross-stitch to couture, award-winning textile designerHelen Amy Murray talks to Michael DaCosta about her influences,successes and her tense relationship with commerciality and creativity

Portrait photography by Alys Tomlinson

Budding

S

15

‘I define long-term success as being fortunate towork on pieces and projects that excite me and toretain the uniqueness that my work is all about’

entrepreneur

start work on another show. I’m notquite sure how I managed it, because Iwas funding myself,’ Murray recalls.‘Your confidence is up and downbecause as soon as you have finished,you have to start again. I was workingand living in my small flat in EastLondon and felt slightly isolated.It’s really hard as you are not evensure if your work is actually any good.’

Interest in Murray’s work cameshortly after graduating from Chelseaat 100% Design, one of the UK’sleading product design fairs. Herexhibited work was in response to abrief from the UK furniture designcompany, Morgan. It asked a group ofdesigners to cover one of its diningchairs. She upholstered the chair in astunning red rose fabric. It was onlythen that Murray began to realise theimportance of the fabric she hadcreated. ‘100% Design was so amazingbecause it was soon after finishingCollege.The feedback was great.People would come up to me and

comment: “This is just so beautiful”.I just stood there religiously for fivedays and didn’t move.’

The chair also attracted complimentsfrom unexpected sources. ‘Even LucilleLewin commented,’ says Murray. ‘Sheowned Whistles and was the CreativeDirector at Liberty. I didn’t even knowwho she was, but she said that it wasthe best thing she’d seen at the wholeshow. So I think at that point I realisedthat I had to continue with interiorsand furniture and then wait to seewhat would happen.’

Her sculpted floral patterns, appliedacross a wide variety of fabricsincluding suede and leather, areinspired from carvings on the exteriorwalls of the Taj Mahal. ‘While I was atChelsea, I went to India on a studytrip – it changed my work.We spentthree months visiting different factoriesand their stitching blew me away andthat formed the basis of my thesis,’ shecomments. ‘I’ve always been interestedin textiles and stitching.When I was

young, I’d sit and learn cross-stitchwith my grannies.Then I started toexperiment with different embroiderystitches and techniques.’

The versatility of her work is evidentfrom her change of approach for the2003 DKNY New Designers Show.‘DKNY didn’t want fabrics butwanted pieces of work,’ she explains.‘That was why I made themannequin; it wasn’t furniture,because there were lots of otherfurniture designers exhibiting, and itwasn’t fashion as I’m not a fashiondesigner.’ Consequently, in addition tothe mannequin, the red chair wentinto the DKNY window too.

Just a year after graduating, Murraybegan to win awards for her work.Thefirst was the NESTA Innovation Prize,which was awarded to her during theexhibition as part of the One Year Oncategory at the New Designers show inLondon. ‘I set myself a ridiculous taskof producing a huge amount of workfor the show. I produced an installation

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‘What I am really interested inis making exclusive pieces ofwork on a couture level usingbeautiful materials’

where I covered the walls. I madesome wall panelling and covered achair in brown leather with sculpturalfabric around the sides.That was a bigproject and I didn’t know that theNESTA judges wanted to talk to me.Then they announced that I had won.That was a real surprise.’

A more prestigious award howeverwas in the pipeline for Murray. I askher what it was like to win the OXOPeugeot Design Awards just a fewmonths after the NESTA prize. ‘Thatwas different,’ she says. ‘Quite a fewmonths went by between applying forthe Awards and then being selected asone of the final 12. At that point youreally don’t think you’ll win.To me,that was really big and that night wasone of my highlights so far,’ she

recalls. ‘My family and friends came –it was really emotional andoverwhelming. Suddenly here’s therealisation that people want to seeyour work. It meant that I could getthe studio I wanted and I could starttalking to my solicitors aboutpatenting my technique.

‘My reputation, brand and myname are going to be as important asmy work. I need to find a way topromote my name to the rightpeople.That’s something I have towork on.’ Her efforts are alreadybearing fruit. She already has somevery high profile individuals asclients.

Perhaps, the appropriation bycreative practitioners like Murray ofmarketing terms like ‘brand’ is the

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sign of a new more balancedentrepreneur culture – a hint thatcommerciality and creativity are no longer distantcousins barely on speaking terms. Butthere is no doubt there is also a magicingredient required. Irrespective ofendless numbers of buzzwords,sustained passion about your work isof course one of the keys to success. Itseems fitting then that Murray shouldhave the last word: ‘I want to createinnovative, visually aesthetic andconversational works of functional artand design using textiles to crossthese boundaries. I define long-termsuccess as being fortunate to work onpieces and projects that excite me andto retain the uniqueness that my workis all about.’

All

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Hel

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ray

Camberwell College of Arts

iding on the success of severalprevious exhibitions exploring

visual perception, Dr John Tchalenko,a Camberwell Research Fellow andHead of the College’s Drawing andCognition research project, is delvingfurther into the popular subject withHow Do You Look, his latest exhibition.It stems from a research project withImperial College’s Visual InformationProcessing Group at the Departmentof Computing and the Wellcome Trust.Opening this autumn at DulwichPicture Gallery, the new exhibitionpromises to fascinate gallery-goers

across the UK when it commences itstwo-year tour in November.

Building upon Imperial College’scutting-edge research into generalhuman visual search behaviour andsurgeons’ eye movements duringlaparoscopic (‘keyhole’) surgery, ledby Professor Guang-Zhong Yang,How Do You Look explores the parallelsbetween a surgeon’s and a painter’shand-eye co-ordination. Emphasis isgiven to how the mind processes visualinformation, how this affects experts’use of trade tools and how their skillscan be passed on to the next

generation.The exhibition draws afurther comparison to members ofthe general public, showing how weuse our eyes to view the worldaround us in general, and paintings inparticular.Tchalenko elaborates, ‘It’s anobservation of how we use our eyes, aseye movements are intimately connectedto the brain’s processing activity.To acertain extent, understanding eyemovements informs us how the brainis undertaking a particular task.’

Explaining the ideas behind theresearch,Tchalenko comments, ‘Wepick out the visual information that we

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R

When we view a painting, what do we actually see? Camberwell’s Dr John Tchalenko explains the ideas behindhis research featured in a new exhibition opening at Dulwich Picture Gallery this autumn

How do you look?

Camberwell student CarolineMisch, having won a major £20,000public sector art commission, willunveil her memorial sculpture thisautumn.

Misch, a third-year sculpturestudent at Camberwell, first heardabout the Evelina and St Thomas’Children’s Hospital memorialsculpture last summer from SteveBunn, a Camberwell lecturer whoorganised the commission for hisstudents. ‘Several of us submittedproposals,’ says Misch. ‘Of these,three were shortlisted and we wereasked to create maquettes that werelater exhibited at Guys Hospital.’From this exhibition, Misch’s designwas chosen for the £20,000 publicsector commission.

Working to create a ‘space thatpreserved the memory of younglife’, Misch designed three forms ofchild height, each made of smoothcast glass with a fractured edge anda double helix in its centre,positioned so that they face eachother. A six-metre paved circleimmediately surrounds thesculpture with seating andlandscaping at its boundaries. ‘I wasworking with the idea of thecontainment of grief,’ says Misch. ‘Itis a simple design that conveys apresence that is gone, but apresence that is still strong.’

The sculpture, when completedand installed this autumn, will besituated in the Memorial Garden atGuys Hospital, in an unusedtriangle-shaped area bordered bypathways and a brick wall.

Finding it challenging to ‘get theunity of the site right,’ Misch usedher broad experience to create adesign fitting for contemplationand healing.

need for a particular task.Whenpreparing to cross a busy road, we failto see the shops on the other side butwe are completely aware of the carscoming towards us.The eye capturesthe visual information it requires, sendsthe information to the brain whichinstructs the leg muscles when to startthe forward motion.The same is truefor a surgeon when clamping an arteryor an artist when painting a model’snose.When the artist is concentratingon the nose, he or she does not see anyof the other features on the face.It’s how the visual system works.’

The exhibition will attempt to shedlight on how people perceive things ineveryday life. As the research continuesinto this ground-breaking area ofbiomedical science,Tchalenko’sstarting point is that normal vision,creative art and life-saving operationsare dependent on a common biologicalprocess, vision. Humphrey Ocean, aninternationally renowned artist andvisiting lecturer at Camberwell, hasplayed a considerable part in laying thefoundations for this investigationthrough his collaboration withTchalenko on this and previousprojects exploring art and cognition.

The challenge of conveying acomplicated scientific subject to awider art gallery audience has beentaken on by art director and leadingUK designer, Christian Küsters, apart-time Research Fellow and visitingtutor at Camberwell, underTchalenko’s direction.The pair havedecided to organise the exhibition intothree, two-metre high towers displayingimages and text for each of the threecategories – the surgeon, the painterand the general public. Küsters isdesigning the tower displays. Anaccompanying split-screen film willshow side-by-side images of a painterand a keyhole surgeon at work.

The How Do You Look exhibitionstems from several previous exhibitionsand years of collaboration betweenTchalenko, Camberwell, ImperialCollege, the Wellcome Trust and otherproject supporters, such as theLaboratory of Physiology in Oxford.

The exhibition opens at Dulwich PictureGallery on 6 October 2004.The tourcommences 22 November 2004 and runsuntil 31 January 2007.For furtherinformation contact Isabelle Egan,Camberwell College of Arts 020 7514 6470

19

Healing space

Above: Normal Vision At any instant the eyes see sharply and in full colour only a small area(left), but the brain fills in the rest of the scene from information captured during previousinstants (right). Photograph Luke Tchalenko, 2004.Left: The painter’s gaze path while drawing line ABCD Red: A to B. Blue: C to D. Green:Reinforce C to D. Portrait of Nick, Humphrey Ocean, 1998

Summer Shows 2004

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Illustrious illustratorsMany people had a sneak preview ofCamberwell’s Illustration students’work this past January at the Ofcomexhibition in aid of St Mungo’shomeless charity. Many of the workswere sold at the event and others havebeen exhibited at the StackhouseGallery in New York alongside graphicartists from Tokyo, New York and theUK. Further exhibitions will takeplace this year at the NationalMaritime Museum and the School ofVisual Arts in New York. ButCamberwell’s Summer Shows will bethe main attraction this coming June.The BA Illustration course atCamberwell approaches visualcommunication from a wider socialand cultural context. It is designed tohelp students find their originalpersonal voice and point of view.Graduates of the course go on tocontribute to the arts community in avariety of ways, as exhibiting artistsand freelance illustrators. Building onthis success, Camberwell isintroducing the new MA Illustrationcourse this coming September.

Style for lifeIf you missed this year’s catwalkshows at London College ofFashion, you’ll get another chanceto see the works of this year’sstudents. In addition to cutting edgefashion design, on show will bestudents’ work from the Schools ofFashion Promotion and Management,including footwear, fashionphotography and specialist make-updesign and Fashion DesignTechnology, including costume,technical effects and make-up forthe performing arts.

The heat is on

Above: Untitled by Chloe King, 2004Bottom left: Untitled by Georgia Harrison, 2004Below: FdA Specialist Make-up, 2003

The final year shows will be in full swing across all five Colleges from May untilSeptember – make sure you’re there to see the latest in fresh creative talent

21

Forming with fervourHanna Tonek is in her third year ofBA Ceramic Design. She will beexhibiting her work at the final yearshows next month. ‘My show is calledA Rush of Plush,’ she says. ‘I ammaking a range of porcelain bowls andvases that have embossed wallpaperpatterns on them. I love the way thehard ceramic and the tactile plush offlock work together. It is such anunusual and interesting material towork with.’BA Ceramic Design at Central SaintMartins explores the different contextsand traditions of ceramics as well asexamining and inventing new uses forthe medium.The course has formedlinks with international companiessuch as Authentics in Germany,Barney’s in New York,Wedgwood andthe Conran Shop.

Design processThe theme for this year’s BA Graphicand Media Design final year show atLondon College of Communication iscalled Process. It seeks to deconstructthe hidden creative processes behinddesign in areas as diverse asfilmmaking, web and publicationdesign. John Brown Citrus Publishingis collaborating again on the projectthis year, kindly supported by Arts &Business.The exhibition comprises final yearwork from the areas of study includingIllustration, Information Design, andTypo/Graphic Design as well asAdvertising, Graphic Moving Imageand Web Interactive options.

Fine art at Manresa RoadForty years ago Chelsea School of Artmoved into its new premises just offthe Kings Road. Designed by F BPooley CBE of ILEA’s Department ofArchitecture and Civic Design, theManresa Road building custom-fit thenumber of students at the time.Today,with five times as many students in BAFine Art alone, it is time to move on.For many Chelsea alumni, the privateview crush at the final year showsaround the central stairwell and on thelandings, holds the strongestmemories. Over the years, the numberof red dots on private view night hasgrown significantly.This summer, asever, you can expect a mix of theradical, the problematic and thechallenging.This year is particularly special. It isan opportunity to celebrate the manydistinguished international artists whohave taught and studied at Chelsea.This is the last year the final showswill be held at Manresa Road, then itwill be time for Chelsea College of Artand Design to move on once more, tobenefit a new generation of artists anddesigners in its home next to TateBritain.

To find out dates for all the Summer Showsvisit www.arts.ac.uk/eventsor call 020 7514 6216

Thanks a Billion by Hanna Tonek, 2003. A liveclient project for the Office of GovernmentCommerce. Tonek presented this award toPeter Gershon, who saved the government abillion pounds.

Above: FdA Fashion Styling and Photography,2003; Right: Tides, Liam O’Connor BA GMDInformation Design, final year projectFar right: The infamous central stairwell atManresa Road

London College of Communication

parents to research the effectiveness ofthe screens and the response so far hasbeen good.Testing of the pilot screenswill take place early this summer.The project has also recently landedSzebeko a place on the NESTAGraduate Pioneer Programme thatteaches young entrepreneurs essentialbusiness skills. Szebeko hopes tolaunch her own design businesstargeting the public sector. ‘Design inthe public sector is weak and doesn’thave to be as bad as it is.Working onthis project has been a step from studyto employment. I’ve found a niche inthe public sector,’ she says.

Felicia Webb, Postgraduate Diplomain Photojournalism, 1998Having gained numerous internationalawards and publication credits for her

work, including the Sunday TimesMagazine, New York Times Magazine,Time and Newsweek, 1998 LCPgraduate and seasoned journalistFelicia Webb is using her photographicnous to develop two very poignantdocumentaries on eating disordersand obesity, bringing awareness to‘worldwide illnesses of our time’. NilBy Mouth focuses on anorexia andbulimia and has received greatattention in Europe and America, withexhibitions in Sweden and Norwaypresented in an educational capacity.‘The response it’s had is beyond anydream I could have,’ says Webb.‘There was an enormous exhibition atthe Cultural Centre in Stockholmwhere they ran medical talks for thepublic alongside it.The same wasdone in Norway.The exhibition hashad a huge snowball effect.’Webb also recently won a grant fromNikon and the National PressPhotographers Association in Americato broaden her work on childhoodobesity, Generation XL.Webb says,‘My journalism background helped

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Bright young things

Deborah Szebeko,MA Typo/Graphics, 2003Working at the Great Ormond StreetHospital through LCC’s volunteeringprogramme, Deborah Szebeko wonthe HEFCE Student VolunteeringAward for Goshi, an interactive touchscreen that provides information forparents of patients when members ofhospital staff are unavailable. Goshi aredesigned to look like little people andare marketed as the first port of callfor parents with queries, with staffacting as back-up support. Szebekoexplains, ‘The hospital wanted touchscreen information points for parentsarriving in the middle of the night, asthe staff needed support to deal withfrequently asked questions.’ Szebekohas spent the last few months liaisingwith doctors, frontline staff and

Many students and graduates from across the four Schools of LondonCollege of Communication (formerly London College of Printing) winawards for their work. We caught up with four award-winning graduatesto find out how they have progressed since leaving the College

because I knew what kind ofphotographer I wanted to be.You haveto be good at picking stories and knowhow to develop them because youhave to publish them. I do lessfreelance work than I would normallyhave to. I’ve been fortunate to do thework I love to do by funding itthrough awards.’

Rihwa Ahn, BTEC 2D DesignSoftware, Creative MediaProgramme, 2003Ahn works in Tokyo at the advertisingagency Dentsu Young and Rubicam.She won First Prize in the 2003D&AD Student Awards in thecategory ‘Poster Advertising’.Thesubject was 'New Deal for Musicians',part of a government package toprovide the unemployed andphysically disabled with workopportunities in the music industry.‘The objective of my work was toencourage the disabled to move theirminds into action. My intention wasto give images of disability a positivetone by using movement and brightcolours. She found inspiration for heraward-winning idea while walkingdown a London street. ‘At first, Iwanted to use images of music and

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Award-winners from the Schoolsof Marketing, and Printing andPublishing

Marketing

Valerio TerrerioThe Media Vehicle Award

Suzy PickthallThe Worshipful Company of MarketersAward

Anne MolloyMindShare Media Management Award

Alexandria TerriéreAntony Koziol Award

Jan VarelaQuiet Storm Creative Management Award

Printing and Publishing

Krunal Shah, Patrick Wokarac andNaomi SimmonsJ.M. Dent Bursaries

Musie ZeweldiThe Nelson Award

Andrew King, Hope Grant andGeorge Marsden-SmithWoodgate Stevens Awards

Ibrahim KalashLondon Master Printers’Association Award

Ivanka KutnerGeorge Goodman Award

Paul McNultyBlue Riband Cup for Excellence inPrinting and Publishing, Daily MailStudent of the Year

some symbolic goods for the disabled,such as dark glasses, white canes andwheelchairs.Then, when I was walkingdown a street in Holborn, I cameacross a blind man walking with awhite cane.When his cane reached theraised pavement bubbles, I wasreminded of musical notes.’

Leonie Purchas, PostgraduateDiploma in Photojournalism, 2003Leonie Purchas recently won theSunday Times Ian Parry Award, theMetro Bursary Award and the TomWebster Award for her photo essay,The Labours of Hercules, her final yearproject. ‘No one knew it would havethis success,’ comments Purchas. ‘Iwon the first award and then it startedescalating.’ Mentioning that the maincharacter, Alex, has since died,Purchas photographed the funeral andadded the photos to the story. ‘Alexwould’ve been smiling to be in theSunday Times.’Purchas also featured in the ‘PDN30’, an American photographymagazine’s list of 30 top youngphotographers, for her photo essay,The Shoot. ‘Winning these awards is anamazing opportunity to get funding for my work. It gives me the

opportunity and confidence topursue small ideas that I havewithout feeling pressured by theindustry. Photojournalism is adifficult industry to break into.Theawards let you find your feet anddevelop your style.’With the awardmoney and accolades, Purchas iscurrently developing otherdocumentary stories and thinking oftaking on freelance commissions.

Far left: Nil by Mouth cFelicia Webb; Left: Generation XL cFelicia WebbAbove: Jason Igniting Daffodils (from London Car Dealers) cLeonie Purchas, 2003Above right: D&AD award-winning work by Rihwa Ahn, 2003

ow’s the building going?’‘Walked past the new site –

looks really exciting!’ ‘Next autumn,really?’

These are the three most commonforms of greeting from friends andacquaintances since I arrived atChelsea. Of the three I strongly prefernumber two.The first triggers aresponse that makes the patter of adouble-glazing salesman sound likeepic poetry. I can comment, at length,on the flange and the fixing withfootnotes on door furniture that haveresulted in dinner invitations beingissued with strongly-worded conditionsthat conversation never ventures intothe realm of the construction industry.The third is just enough to plant thatseed of doubt in my mind that has mewandering down Atterbury Street inmy pyjamas, with the dawn chorus forcompany, seeking consolation in visible

evidence of progress.Of course this isn’t a new building. It

is a site with a history receiving a newoccupant with an equallyextraordinary past.The art school is aspace saturated by expectation andanticipation. It is not a homogeneous,empty space.We are not starting fromscratch.The planning and preparationprocess has necessitated a balancing ofestablished strengths with informedanticipation of our future. ‘The move’is as much about transportingattitudes as physical resources.Wehave used the move to reflect on ourfuture. All of those underlyingassumptions are open to interrogation,carrying forward that Chelsea spirit ofinnovation and risk.

An increasing itinerancy of studentsand staff brought about by conditionsof study, patterns of employment andthe perpetual restlessness of cultural

production asks questions of thedesign and management of space.Millbank must reflect the importancefor students and staff of social spaces,sites for exchange and opportunitiesfor exhibiting work alongside thefamiliar workshop and studio.We haveidentified ‘project spaces’ across thesite to be used for planned events forstudents on all of our courses.We areparticularly keen to amplify staffresearch within the College andoutwards to a wider public. Chelseacontinues to attract some of the mosttalented, influential practitioners andour identity is strongly influenced bythese individuals. Millbank mustcontinue that Chelsea tradition ofattracting and promoting the best andmost challenging work.

The character of the building,mixing formal spaces with adaptableareas, creates an opportunity for

24

Head of College, Professor Roger Wilson, reports on Chelsea’s imminent move to Millbank

Chelsea College of Art and Design

Location,location,location

‘H

bringing national and internationalevents to Chelsea, alongside regulardisplays of current work by studentsand staff.We also have a great locationfor celebration and we intend to followour last alumni event with a‘housewarming’ at Millbank.

We have been discussing our planswith colleagues at Tate Britain,working together to arrive at eventsboth to mark our arrival and establishthe basis for a sustainable relationship.Collaborations between nationalgalleries and an art academy are notexactly new, but this is the first time inthis country that we have been giventhe opportunity to explore theinterrelationship between ourinstitutions with shared interests in thedevelopment and appreciation ofcreative talent. Similarly we continueto talk to our new neighbours inWestminster and Pimlico in

anticipation of the invigorating impactof Chelsea’s arrival.

At the site we are still using theRoyal Army Medical Corps buildingnames to describe locations.Yourviews and proposals are invited as itseems incongruous to continue torefer to the ‘Married QuartersBuilding,’ the ‘Officers’ Mess’ or the ‘Barracks’.

Moving will be a challenge:completing the emptying of buildingsand decommissioning of equipment,whilst minimising disruption forstudents, then getting used to a newenvironment and facilities. It will alsobe a wrench for many staff withpowerful attachments to currentbuildings and locations. Even the mostpositive and optimistic of us will feelsome sense of loss as we sever ourconnection with the physical sites ofChelsea’s past. So this year’s end of

year shows have a special significance,as will the following year’s exhibitionat Millbank.You are all invited tomark both occasions with us.

I look forward to seeing you all atthese shows: by then the Millbank sitewill be visibly taking shape and anydoubts will be more than displaced bysheer excitement at this new phase inChelsea’s history.

Come along and join a party to saygoodbye to each of the Chelsea sites.For details call 020 7514 7604 or email alumni-association@arts.ac.ukThe Students’ Union is keen to hear fromalumni in regards to past Student Unionofficers and activities to help create anarchive about Chelsea. Contact: LloydSampson, Students’ Union, University ofthe Arts London, 2-6 Catton Street,Holborn,WC1R 4AA.E: l.sampson1@chelsea.arts.ac.uk

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Noticeboard

Camberwell College of Arts

Ilinca Cantacuzino, Elaine Stephensonand Frances Skittrall (BA Painting, 2001)

All share a studio in Greenwich.They areholding their next show together at TheGreen Space Gallery, East Dulwich from 18May - 12 July. For further information visitwww.ilinca.co.uk.

Tamara Garvey (Foundation, 2002)

Garvey has been accepted to the SavannahCollege of Art and Design in Georgia for theMaster of Fine Arts programme in Painting.

Central Saint Martins Collegeof Art and Design

Veronica Bailey (MA Communication Design, 2003)

Bailey is exhibiting with The Blue Gallery atPhoto-London 2004, London's first annualinternational photography fair, featuringimages including The War’s Best Photographs(below left) organised by PLUK from 20 - 23May at the Royal Academy of Arts new spaceat Burlington Gardens.

Winner of the Jerwood Photography Prize2003, Bailey will also be exhibiting at TheCustard Factory, Birmingham 10 - 30 Julyand at Stills Gallery in Edinburgh 31 July -19 September.A catalogue of her prize-winning work 2 Willow Road (below right) canbe purchased through the Blue Gallery atwww.thebluegallery.co.ukFor more information visit www.photo-london.com or call 020 7839 9300.

Artemis Yagou (MA Industrial Design, 1991)

Yagou has completed a PhD in Athens,Greece, where she is currently based. Sheteaches for the private college AKTO art anddesign, conducts research on the history ofGreek design, and is InternationalCorresponding Member of the DesignResearch Society.

Liz Olver (BA Jewellery Design, 1996)

After a long relationship with Central SaintMartins as student, technician and thensenior lecturer for BA Jewellery Design,Olver is now Product Development Managerfor De Beers LV working with CreativeDirector, Reema Pachachi, also a formerCSM student.

Mads Monsen (BA Graphic Design, 1999)

Monsen is currently living in Ho Chi MinhCity,Vietnam and is a magazine Art Directoron a monthly publication, rated as thenumber one magazine in the Vietnamesemarket just a year and a half after it waslaunched. In his spare time he undertakescommercial photography assignments as wellas reporting stories from charities in order toraise both awareness and funds for them.

Steven Sin (BA Fashion Print, 2001)

Sin has been running his own shop in Sohocalled OMYGOD for two years. He hasrecently been invited to show his collectionfor the second time in Malaysia at KualaLumpur Fashion Week.The show featureswork by Malaysian and Asian designers fromHong Kong, Singapore,Thailand and India.Visit his website at www.omygod.org.uk orcontact him at sin@omygod.org.uk.

Sarah Doyle (MA Communication Design, 2003)

Doyle is currently working on an in-storeexhibition in Japan in May 2004 for theJapanese art and fashion store And A.To seeher artwork and find out about herforthcoming exhibitions and events visitwww.sarahdoyle.co.uk.

Prince Right On, Sarah Doyle

Catherine Johnson (BA Fine Art Film, 1984)

The former Royal Literary Fund Fellow atLondon College of Communication hasrecently spent a month in Malawi working forthe British Council. Johnson is also thescreenwriter of the forthcoming film BulletBoy due to be released in September and hernext novel Lucky is out later in the year.

Sophie Outrams (BA Fine Art Film, 1984)

Outram’s last film Floating was shown atUniversity of Westminster's celebration ofExperimental Film in January this year. Shestarts work on a new film in the summer.

Lance Charlton(Diploma, 1993) and Tomoe Kurokawa(Diploma, 1992)

Charlton graduated from Byam Shaw Schoolof Art Diploma course in 1993. In 1995 hemarried Kurokawa (who also studied on theDiploma course, graduating in 1992). In2000 their daughter Elika Lucy AnneCharlton was born. Charlton is currentlyundertaking a 12-month pupillage (to train

26

Where are you now?We want to hear from you. If you have any news or would like to publicise your forthcoming exhibition or events, please let us know

as a barrister) in the Chambers of SibghatKadri QC. Kurokawa is continuing to paint.

Barry Hobson (BA Fine Art, 2003)

Since graduating from Byam Shaw, Hobsonlives and works in Kronberg, north ofFrankfurt. He has started a few projectsinvolving photographic installations. He hasjoined the Frankfurt branch of the Germanartists association BBK and has two groupexhibitions in Frankfurt this summer.Departure - Arrival runs from 23 April - 16May and Horizonte which runs from 4 - 27June at the BBK Gallery in HanauerLandstrasse 139, Frankfurt.

Zug, Barry Hobson

Chelsea College of Artand Design

Jacques Abelman (MA Design for the Environment, 2002)

Abelman is a former Chelsea student nowbased in Paris and is starting a non-profit organisation called CEDRE (Center forExperimental Design and Research) forinterdisciplinary projects in architecture, finearts and design, relating to emerging trendsand environmental concerns. He plans to runa summer programme in a chateau in easternFrance with artists in residence as the centralactivity of this organisation as well as puttingon expositions in Paris.This year'sparticipants include several painters andarchitects, as well as a filmmaker and poet.He is interested in networking with otheralumni who may wish to participate in

CEDRE activities. Contact Jacques atbenjy50@hotmail.com or 13 Cite Voltaire,75011 Paris tel: +33 (0)6 72 43 54 07.

CEDRE, Jacques Abelman

Jill Fanshawe Kato (BA Painting, 1963)

After graduating in painting from ChelseaSchool of Art, Fanshawe Kato studiedceramics in Japan for four years and hassubsequently exhibited her pottery in France,Korea, China, USA and widely in Britain.She will be exhibiting her work in theContemporary Crafts at Kenwood exhibition, atKenwood House Orangery, HampsteadHeath, NW3 from 13 May - 13 June.Theexhibition is a group show organised underthe auspices of English Heritage.

Andrew Collins (BA Graphic Design, 1987)

Collins’ latest book, Heaven Knows I’mMiserable Now is to be published by Ebury inJuly. Described as a sequel to his humorouschildhood memoirs Where Did It All GoRight?, the book deals with his collegeyears, specifically his three years at ChelseaSchool of Art.

London College ofCommunication

Alex AJ Festinese (National Diploma Graphic Design, 1998)

Festinese has just finished shooting his firstshort film, based on the monologue of a mix-raced young man who is studying to becomean historian. Passionate, witty and heart-warming, the work has entirely been shot onHD camera and it will be entered in severalinternational film festivals.

Rune Salvesen (BA Journalism, 2001)

Salvesen’s first novel (with a working title ofPur Morgen) is being published this autumnin Norway.The cover will be designed byLCP BA Photography graduate StåleEriksen.

Philippe Ruttens (Certificate in Prof Photographic Practice, 2003)

Ruttens has moved his photography businessfrom London to Sydney,Australia. Hisfashion, portraits, still life and reportage workhas been published in various magazines suchas Front, Marketing Week, Asiana, websites andexhibitions. Find out more atwww.ruttens.com.

Polly Braden(PG Dip Photojournalism)

One of the winners of the JerwoodPhotography Prize 2003, Braden will beexhibiting alongside Veronica Bailey at TheCustard Factory and at Stills Gallery.

Made in China, Polly Braden

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Jill Fanshawe Kato

Edgar Martins(BA Photography, 2000)

Also a winner of the Jerwood PhotographyPrize 2003, Martins will also be exhibiting atThe Custard Factory and Stills Gallery.Abook illustrating Martins’ prize-winning workcan be purchased through the Moth Houseat www.themothhouse.com.

Naglaa Walker(BA Photography, 2001)

Walker, Jerwood Photography Prize Winner2003, will be exhibiting at The CustardFactory, Birmingham 10 - 30 July and atStills Gallery in Edinburgh 31 July - 19September. Naglaa Walker’s book, On Physics,will be published in September in the UKand US by Dewi Lewis Publishing.

Strong Interaction (QuantumChromodynamics) From the series On Physics,Naglaa Walker

London College of Fashion

Louise Marshall (BA Fashion Studies, 1998)

Marshall is now the Associate Producer onthe programme Home in the Sun.

Ruby Shepheard (BA Fashion Promotion, 1998)

Shepheard is the Style Editor of Sneakmagazine.

Liz Hancock (BA Fashion Promotion, 1999)

Hancock is Beauty Editor of iD magazineand works freelance (beauty) for Vogue.

Eunju MacMahon (MA Fashion, Design and Technology, 2000)

Since MacMahon completed her MA, shehas worked for Fake London as aWomenswear Manager. She started her ownbusiness in January last year called OnjooMac, a ready-to-wear designer label. She hasshown her third collection at theMetropolitan hotel during London FashionWeek in February and at Atmosphere duringParis Fashion Week in March. ContactMacMahon at info@onjoomac.com.

Laura Jane Preston (BA Fashion Promotion, 2000)

Having finished her BA Fashion Promotioncourse, Preston is now a freelance style writerfor wgsn magazine.

Christine Tsang Wong (Access Fashion Promotion and Media, 2001)

Tsang Wong is now living in Shanghai,China. Since completing her course, she

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worked as a freelance stylist, writer andfashion editor for Vision Magazine andHarper's Bazaar (Chinese edition). She hasnow joined the new Elle Deco Chinese editionand is working on the launch issue.TsangWong plans to eventually to set up ownfashion PR agency.

Polly Isabella Aldous (BA Design, Marketing and Product

Development in Footwear and Accessories,

2002)

Aldous has exhibited her accessories rangewithin the Atmosphere section of Pret-à-Porter Paris in March.Atmosphere is a sectordedicated to designers who inspire today’sfashions and dictate tomorrows trends.

Sarah Bentley (BA Fashion Promotion, 2002)

Following completion of her BA FashionPromotion course, Bentley became theFashion Editor of Jockey Slut magazine.

Lyndon Gabuat (BA Design and Technology for the Fashion Industries, Menswear, 2003)

Gabuat is working for fashion designer Ziad Ghanem.

E: alumni-association@arts.ac.uk T: 020 7514 7604F: 020 7514 8179Alumni AssociationUniversity of the Arts London65 Davies StreetLondonW1K 5DACollection, Eunju MacMahon

Accessories, Polly Isabella Aldous

hoosing Chelsea’s intensivecourse in interior design,

Theresa Smith of moochdesign, anaward-winning company thatspecialises in commercial interiors anddesign, decided to further herprofessional development. ‘The coursegave me a portfolio, independent ofthe work my employers were doingand the confidence to start my ownpractice. It meant I could explore myown ideas. It was a great boost and aunique opportunity to grow creatively,’she says.

Smith is currently attending anothercourse at London College ofCommunication to develop herknowledge of the Vectorworks CADprogramme which she uses in thedesign process.

Seeking to ‘increase knowledge,interest and vocabulary of fashionproducts,’ Jane Leadbetter, HarrodsEducation and Development SeniorManager, approached London Collegeof Fashion to educate and inform itssales associates of the fashion cycle and

increase awareness on the evolution offashion trends, in order to offer animproved service to its customers. ‘Thecourse took place over seven modules,’says Leadbetter. ‘We were taught onemodule a month in an afternoon perweek. During this time, the team learntabout many aspects of fashionincluding the historical context,fashion design and personal styling.’

WCRS, a creative advertisingcompany, took a different approach. Itwanted to improve existing technicalskills and increase visual awareness andcommunication. A group of 12employees attended a life drawingcourse at Central Saint Martins. ‘Theteam had a range of creative abilities,’comments Helen Denney, HR adviser.‘They discovered a fresh approach tovisual communication, realising thatthere are many solutions to oneproblem.Training outside of theworking environment in a subject thathad a wide appeal has helped toachieve that.’

Teachers and support staff at Tuke

School, a Peckham secondary schoolfor children with severe learningdisabilities also felt that life drawingclasses would help develop theirexisting skills.The course was arrangedthrough the Creative Partnershipsinitiative and Camberwell College ofArts. 'It was a way to return to basicsin sharpening our observation skills.It was an opportunity to analyse theway we look and see what we, and thestudents, are drawing,' says AndrewHinton, Project Manager at theSchool.The course succeeded inimproving staff confidence in using awider range of art materials, makingfor a more dynamic and variedapproach to lessons.

London College of Communicationdevised a one-day tailor-made trainingcourse for the copywriting team atFreemans that focused on the use offormatting text in QuarkXpress. SheilaHeath, HR Officer, echoes Hinton’ssentiment, ‘In some cases newknowledge was acquired, but inothers it reinforced and reminded theteams of their existing skills.The team[together with the graphic designers]found it very beneficial. In placing thetwo groups together, they learntabout the problems experienced byeach other.’

Tailor-made professional training canprovide key skills from a diverse rangeof subjects to help develop businessneeds, further career progression orfacilitate a career change.

For more details on professional shortcourses at University of the Arts London,call 020 7514 8192 or return the attachedcard to the address provided

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