update - University for the Creative Arts

Art Helps Redevelop Community / The Queen’s Brooch / A Gallery For The Community / Alumni-Online
creative
/ Summer 2013
update
University for the Creative Arts
Alumni Magazine
Issue
08.
UCA at the Movies / Zandra Rhodes / Creative Fund / A Facebook Adventure
Cover image
Watercolour of the punk-inspired The Conceptual
Chic Collection, 1977-8 © Zandra Rhodes 2012
Welcome
No bounce
Welcome to the eighth
edition of Creative Update,
the magazine of the UCA
Alumni Association
back:
Simon Ofield-Kerr, UCA’s Vice-Chancellor
In this edition of the UCA Alumni Magazine, Creative Update,
we report a number of major successes for our alumni, for the
University and for the work of the alumni relations team.
features
p10
advice
p15
news features
p16
academic matters
p22
development
p21
profiles
p25
advice
p29
update
p36
news
p41
alumni news
p42
obituaries
p43
It is now clear that the hoped-for ‘bounce back’
in university applications has not happened with
enrolments in 2013 likely to be lower than they
were in 2012 especially in creative arts courses.
Since the last issue of Creative Update our alumni have been
nominated for both Oscars and Baftas, appeared in major television
series, designed jewellery for Her Majesty the Queen and opened
their own galleries. Creative Update has caught up with these alumni,
and others, to hear their stories and to ask them to give you some
words of wisdom as to how they achieved their success.
The decline in applications and the likely further
decline in enrolments is nothing short of a tragedy
because the changes to student finance and the
introduction of full-fee loans discourages potential
students from realising their talents by following
a creative arts degree.
In recent months the University has has secured significant funds
for research projects. The most high profile of these has been
the successful project to catalogue the work of our Chancellor,
Zandra Rhodes, and to make her collection available online
as a free educational resource.
The reduction is more than a personal loss; it will
be a loss to the UK’s creative industries and arts
sector. More, it is a loss to other sectors which
employ arts graduates because they are creative,
enterprising, critical and independent.
UCA has also announced a redevelopment scheme across its
campuses, starting with an exciting plan to refurbish the Library
on the Farnham campus this summer. The scheme and the plans
for the other campuses, reflect the changes in the way that students
learn today and will provide quality teaching and learning spaces
for our current and future students.
Just a few years ago, many of us thought the
longstanding links between UK creative arts
education and creative industries, and the strengths
of this country’s creative sector had finally been
recognised. However, either by accident or design,
it feels from my perspective as the Vice-Chancellor
of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), that
memories are short and it is once again essential
to make our case to government and indeed to
prospective students.
In the Development and Alumni Relations Office we have launched
a new online service for all UCA Alumni. This offers each alum the
facility to find lost friends and classmates, and to develop an online
profile for others to see. This service will be developed to provide
other facilities over the coming months.
In the autumn we launched our first telephone fundraising campaign
in aid of the UCA Creative Fund. Money raised will be distributed
across the University later in the year to support a range of projects
benefitting students on all campuses. UCA would like to thank all
those who supported this new initiative.
The Alumni Relations Team
[email protected]
www.ucreative.ac.uk/alumni
University for the Creative Arts | Contents | Creative Update
creative economy.
There is no denying that this has proved to be a difficult year in
Higher Education as the Vice-Chancellor outlines in his article.
Next year may prove to be equally challenging, but with diligent
planning UCA is well situated and prepared for the future.
There are a number of changes planned for the coming year
and we hope that, as an alum, you will want to get involved.
2
talks about Higher Education and the
news
news p3
News
creative economy. We need to make it clear that
the success of this sector is intimately related to
the 175-year history of art and design education
in this country. It needs to be recognised that there
is no incidental relationship between what happens
in creative arts institutions each and every day
and the international strength and recognition the
UK has across art, design and media – movingly
and repeatedly recognised in the cultural aspects
of our incredible Olympic Games last summer.
Each and every day we teach students how to be
creative and enterprising, by asking them to produce
work for which there is no prescription, by requiring
them to work individually and collectively in an
environment of studios, workshops, galleries and
libraries, supported by project briefs, lectures,
seminars, crits and exhibitions. Most importantly,
students engage with staff - who are themselves
working within the arts sector and the creative
industries - and the student is formed by a rich diet of
industry-led collaborations, projects and competitions.
Whilst the content and outcomes have changed
hugely, the core challenging experience of the
environment and its real engagement with industry
and the world beyond the campus has been remarkably
stable for more than 100 years - and it works.
In itself, the changes to student finance would be
challenge enough, but when combined with that
of international recruitment caused by real and
perceived visa issues, and the potential introduction
of the EBacc that promotes the importance of
STEM subjects at the expense of the creative arts,
universities like mine are potentially feeling the
breeze from an impending perfect storm.
So, it is frustrating to be required to make the case
repeatedly that what government wants in terms of
real engagement between universities and industry
is happening within creative arts institutions and
has been for more than a century – there is a
model of great practice that should be recognised
rather than left to suffer from uncoordinated policy
initiatives from different government departments.
It is vital that we reaffirm the links between our
form of education and the strengths of the UK’s
Dr Simon Ofield-Kerr
Vice-Chancellor
Creative Economy | Simon Ofield-Kerr | Creative Update
3
News
News
Joanna Lumley launches digital archive
News in brief
Backstage opportunity for
students at London Fashion Week
Foundation students from the
University for the Creative Arts
(UCA) at Farnham gained a unique
experience of the glamorous world of
fashion during London Fashion Week.
14 Pre-Degree students were given
the opportunity to work backstage
dressing and assisting models
at the Fashion Scout venue during
the four-day international event.
Student, Teresa Carmona said:
“Working backstage at London Fashion
Week was one of the best experiences
I’ve ever had. It was hectic yet exciting
and a great introduction into the
fashion industry.”
The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has
launched a digital archive of work by celebrated
fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
Actress Joanna Lumley unveiled the Zandra
Rhodes Digital Study Collection on 26 March
2013 at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum.
During Zandra’s 50 years in fashion, she has
dressed global icons including Princess Diana,
Jackie Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor.
These famous designs are just some of the 500
dresses and garments that have been painstakingly
prepared, catalogued and photographed over the
past 18 months for the collection, created for
the education community through a collaborative
project between UCA and the Zandra Rhodes
Studio, with funding from JISC.
Zandra said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that the
Digital Study Collection has gone live and
hope that it will inspire and guide fashion
students and researchers around the world.
“It’s been an exciting project to work on and
I’m glad to see that my work is of value and
will be remembered for many years to come”.
Fellow Further Education student,
Rowena Kinghorn, said: “I really
enjoyed the fast-paced environment
of working backstage - the
atmosphere just before the
shows began was incredible.”
Two decades of domination
at ‘Jewellery Oscars’
HRH Princess Michael of Kent
attended the Craftsmanship and
Design Awards where the University
for the Creative Arts (UCA) won
the College Trophy for the 20th
time in 21 years.
The annual prize-giving, organised
by the Goldsmiths’ Design and Craft
Council, took place in London on 4
March 2013 where students from UCA
Rochester’s BA (Hons) Silversmithing,
Goldsmithing and Jewellery course
took home four other awards.
UCA has won the prestigious College
Trophy at the so-called ‘Jewellery
Oscars’ nearly every year since
it was introduced 22 years ago.
4
Creative Update | Zandra Rhodes | Digital Archive
Subject leader, Robert Birch, said: “We are all
delighted to win the College Trophy for the 20th year
and keep UCA’s enviable record going.” Gold Award
winner Mafalda Manteigas, who is 20 and from
Portugal, studied at UCA for a semester as part
of an exchange programme with her Product
Design course in her home country. She said:
“I’m extremely grateful and happy to receive
this recognition. Winning has encouraged me
to continue designing jewellery and to be bold
in my inspiration and designs for pieces.”
UCA Honours
The University would like to extend its
congratulations to UCA alumni Tracey Emin
and Stephen Webster on their awards of a CBE
and an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List.
Tracey received her CBE for services to the arts
whilst Stephen’s MBE was for his services to
training and skills in the British Jewellery Industry.
UCA Lecturer wins international
design competition
Gabor Stark, a lecturer from the University
for the Creative Arts (UCA) at Canterbury
has won an international design competition.
A senior lecturer in Architecture, he impressed
the judges in a contest set by the Siberian Centre
for the Promotion of Architecture in Novosibirsk
to create a monument dedicated to the famous
Russian architect, painter and typographer,
El Lissitzky.
Rather than creating one fixed monument, Gabor’s
winning concept features 10,000 portable artefacts
that will move around the world.
Gabor Stark said: “El Lissitzky and his wife Sophie
Lissitzky-Kuppers led a nomadic existence,
travelling around the world collaborating with the
international avant-garde, so I wanted to reflect
this through small objects that could migrate from
Novosibirsk and end up anywhere in the world,
the same way that they did”.
News in brief | News | Creative Update
5
Feature
Feature
‘Silver trunks
of treasure’
Zandra Rhodes Digital Study
Collection project
Legendary fashion designer and UCA Chancellor, Zandra
Rhodes, has been working with UCA researchers and
students on an exciting new collaborative initiative
launched online at the end of March 2013.
feature
The doyenne of the fashion world,
with a career spanning over five
decades, has designed haute
couture dresses and outfits worn
by icons such as Diana, Princess
of Wales, Jackie Kennedy
Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor,
Diana Ross, and Debbie Harry
of rock group ‘Blondie’,
to name just a few.
6
Now these remarkable
garments are coming
out of the closet.
A selection of 500
exquisite vintage
pieces from the
private archive
of Zandra
Rhodes have
been pressed,
preened, photographed,
researched, and catalogued to
be made available openly online for use in
learning, teaching, and research worldwide. This joint
venture between UCA and the Zandra Rhodes Studio
has been made possible with external funding from JISC,
Creative Update | Zandra Rhodes | Digital Study Collection
after a successful application by the University’s
Director of Research and the Project Director,
Professor Kerstin Mey.
Dubbed by the project team as her ‘silver trunks
of treasure’, the garments have been hidden away
in mammoth trunks stacked throughout the Zandra
Rhodes Studio in London, located above the Fashion
and Textiles Museum founded in 2003 by Zandra
herself. The trunks contain a sample of every
Zandra Rhodes creation, totalling many thousands
of incredible luxury and handmade pieces, which
she has had the foresight to retain since the
beginning of her career in the mid-1960s.
Having trained at one of UCA’s founder colleges,
the Medway College of Design, in the 1950s, Zandra
Rhodes has returned to her roots with this project
and has been working with the next generation
of fashion and textile design students from
the University’s BA courses. Through paid
internships, a lucky group of students assisted
the project researchers with the preparation
and documentation of these garments on site
at the Zandra Rhodes fashion house, and gained
a privileged behind-the-scenes insight into
the industry. The project has utilised expertise >
“
I used to get up at 5am and
spend time working on my
prints before going to teach
”
Digital Study Collection | Zandra Rhodes | Creative Update
7
Feature
Feature
from the University’s Visual Arts Data Service (VADS),
which has managed similar digital archiving
initiatives, and hosts a tremendous database of
over 120,000 high quality art and design images
from public and private collections across the UK.
As well as her finished garments, access will
also be provided for the first time to the ‘Zandra
Rhodes Style Bibles’. These sixteen volumes held
in the studio contain beautifully stylised pencil
drawings of each and every one of the designer’s
fashion collections.
The inspiration and stories behind the designer’s
favourite and iconic outfits have also been
captured in a series of video interview clips with
Zandra Rhodes, and the design and production
processes involved in making a Zandra Rhodes
piece will be uncovered in video tutorials with
her specialist studio team. Filming has been
made possible with additional support from
the UCA Creative Fund.
The project has also provided once-in-a-lifetime
opportunities for students from other courses
such as Film Production and Photography, who
have assisted with filming, digital post-production,
and project publicity photographs of the designer.
For details on how to access the Zandra Rhodes
Digital Study Collection, see the project blog
www.zandrarhodes.ucreative.ac.uk
To access more image collections for free
non-commercial educational use, see:
www.vads.ac.uk
By Amy Robinson
VADS Collection Manager
Above:
One-shoulder dress
from The Ayers Rock
Collection, 1974,
inspired by the
designer’s visit to
Above:
Australia (this dress
Ensemble from
was worn in another
The Ukraine and
colourway by Jackie
‘Chevron Shawl’
Kennedy Onassis)
MARK WARING
Caroline Boulton
Chris Butler
collection, 1970 ©
Zandra Rhodes 2012
8
Creative Update | Zandra Rhodes | Digital Study Collection
Film Special | UCA Screen Stars | Creative Update
9
Image: ©2012
Disney Enterprises.
Feature
Feature
All Rights Reserved.
We had three massive stages with up to 50 units
running with 30 animators at one point. There’s a
lot of co-ordination involved in shooting something
so big. We had multiple puppets as well. There were
about 15 Victors and 30 different types of Sparky,
in various different forms – dead, alive, sitting,
jumping, barking - all of which had to be animated
at the same time by all of those units.
The stop-motion techniques we use in the big
Hollywood productions are far more complex than
what I used at UCA back in 1989. When I was there,
we had basic wire armature puppets and if we were
lucky we’d have a ball and socket joint. Even then
they were very expensive things so when you’re
a student and learning you work with what you
can afford and what you can get away with.
Some of the concept puppets on Frankenweenie
cost around £40,000 to make. They have winding
mechanisms inside the head which allow a
character to open the mouth and change their face
and make them talk or smile. We couldn’t do this
at university, or even on children’s TV programmes,
O
f course it’s great to be nominated for these
awards but it’s also nice to know that the
years of hard work making a film have all been
worthwhile. It’s important to know that you’ve
made something that’s got substance and means
something when it is seen in the cinema.
Nominated for both an Oscar
and a BAFTA, Mark Waring
writes for Creative Update
10
Creative Update | UCA Screen Stars | Film Special
When I was at UCA, the emphasis was more on
what you had to say and your story than how you
did it. That was a good grounding because, even
on a feature film, you’re trying to find the best way
of telling the story. UCA really gave me a really
good sense of that, which is something I’ve used
throughout my career. You can create amazing sets,
puppets or design but if it doesn’t tell your story,
you’ve failed. That’s something that was instilled in
me early and what we took into our graduate films.
Being asked to direct the Captain Sparky short
was a great end to two years of hard work on
Frankenweenie because I was given another little
step up. Being given my own project was a fantastic
opportunity for me. It was a great idea to take
something from the film – the home movie – and
make more. As a kid I loved making my own home
movies on my Super 8. In fact it was these that got
me my place on the course at UCA. Personally it
was a nice little thing that came full circle for me
on this project. All of the elements fitted together
really resonating for me.
It would be great to do more features when they come
up. Unfortunately, they never seamlessly finish and
start up again seamlessly so I’ll go back to directing
commercials and pop promos until the next feature
film pops up again. I’m sure Tim Burton will want
to make another animated film soon, so fingers
crossed I’ll get to work with him again.
It was fantastic working with Tim Burton. He’s very
enthusiastic and he loves stop-frame films – that’s
where he started out. His love of this genre filtered
through to the rest of us on the shoot. It was great
when he came round and spoke to us about the
film. His enthusiasm radiated out to all the people
working on the project and he was happy to talk to
all or any of us. He got so interested in the details
and he gets really engaged with the smallest things,
like tweaking the set design, certain props or the
weave of a costume.
It’s the first film I’ve made in 3D which was an
interesting challenge. The film was converted into
3D in post-production but there were a few shots
that we created specifically for 3D.
because you don’t have either the money or the
development time. That doesn’t make a less
interesting or successful film however, as the story
and skill of the animators is what really matters.
I think the course attracts people with talent which
is a great thing. When I was there, I was aware it
was a prestigious course and I’m sure it’s the same
now. When I was at UCA a whole bunch of students
got poached to work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit
because the producers realised they had all the skills
necessary to go straight into the job.
The prestige of the course goes ahead of it because
of the Oscar winners and I think potential students
will see people who’ve gone on to do some amazing
things and want to follow in their footsteps.
Mark Waring
BA (Hons) Animation
Farnham 1995
Frankenweenie is now available on Disney
blu-ray and DVD. All images in this article
©2012 Disney Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.
Film Special | UCA Screen Stars | Creative Update
11
Feature
Feature
World
Without
End,
Following her time at UCA
Caroline went on to drama
school in London. Since then
she has become a successful
actress and has had a number
of TV and film roles including
working with Ridley Scott on
World Without End.
Creative Update caught up
with Caroline shortly after she
returned from filming in Europe.
Caroline said: “I chose UCA after
much research as it was the only
degree in film that specialised in
Film Art which was my absolute
passion. There are an awful lot of
general film and media degrees
you can choose at a normal
university but the artistic side
of filmmaking is what I really
wanted to study in depth. I also
wanted to be in an environment
that supported developing artists
fully, being surrounded by fellow
a nun’s story
After UCA
actress, Caroline
Boulton, works
with Ridley Scott
creative, artistic people is so
helpful to develop your ideas and
skills as an artist. The teachers
are all artists in their own right
and you need to be taught by
those who understand what
you are trying to create and
can guide you from their own
experience. It also encouraged
mixed media projects with other
departments in KIAD which
reflects how things really work
in the industry, projects are very
collaborative now. My degree was very useful
when moving into the world of
acting. There is a huge amount
of technical knowledge you can
only really pick up on set and
from gaining industry experience
but my BA and MA absolutely
without doubt gave me a head
start. Because of my studies
I was always very comfortable
on a film set in front of or behind
the camera which is a huge
advantage. Often, actors come
to drama school after an English
Literature or Theatre degree
which can be quite theoretical,
but for me personally, I found
my film degree much more
practical and useful.
My Course Leader Sophia Phoca
recommended that I try acting.
I was always singing in the
corridors of KIAD, doing ballet
in the canteen, taking drama
classes and generally being a bit
annoying! I had already trained
as a ballet dancer, was taking
singing and acting lessons and
had started to act in everyone’s
films they made on the film
degree and so I got a real taste
for it. I had never considered it
as more than just a fun hobby
and thought that at 23 I was
way too old for drama school.
Sophia mentioned one day I should really
go to drama school and work professionally.
She was very complimentary of my acting
abilities but I was quite embarrassed so
dismissed it out of hand but it really got me
thinking.
Creative Update asked Caroline how she
got involved in “World without End”. She
said, “I auditioned months before filming
and then just had to wait and wait! I spent
a long time pacing the floor with my fingers
crossed. The director Michael Caton-Jones
then selected me to play the role of Sister
Elizabeth and once it was all confirmed
I started filming straight away.
The TV series is a big-budget adaptation
of Ken Follett’s best selling book “World
Without End” and the follow up to awardwinning TV series “Pillars of The Earth”
also by Ken Follett. The mini series is set
in the English town of Kingsbridge and
follows the residents as they are led into
the hundreds year war by the King and
as Europe battles the outbreak of the
black death. It’s an epic TV series with
a budget of $46 Million dollars and is
produced by Ridley and Tony Scott. It is
being broadcast worldwide so it should
be quite spectacular. The first series was
nominated for Golden Globes and Emmy
awards so we are hoping to compete!
I play Sister Elizabeth, a very pious, confused
nun searching for power within the church
and who believes she can gain control by
helping the Prior Godwyn by acting as his spy
and accomplice. Unfortunately not everything
goes my way. I loved playing her! Lots
of scowling and it’s so much fun to be
mischievous! She is quite confused and
desperate too so she makes some rather
bad decisions which lead her deeper down
a path she then can’t escape from. All my
scenes are with fantastic actors too like
Charlotte Riley, Miranda Richardson and
Rupert Evans so a really great experience.
Working on a big production like this slightly
terrifying at first! There are hundreds of
people working on a show like this as it
was such a huge production but you soon
get used to the scale of it and get to work.
The entire village, including the Cathedral
were all built from scratch in a huge field,
so it was like stepping back in time, sheep
and geese running about and lots of mud.
Some of my internal scenes were filmed
at the largest sound stage in Europe which
was just so enormous. I have worked on big budget films and
also period TV shows before like Robin
Hood for the BBC but this was a much
bigger more elaborate production which
was reflected in the amount of crew,
just hundreds of brilliantly busy people
everywhere making everything look
perfect. The attention to detail was mind
blowing, every prop was made bespoke.
Talking about her current job as an actor
and her future plans, Caroline said, “I love
acting and being selected to work on a
production as big as this just reinforces
my passion for the film industry. I have
just returned from filming on “Fleming/
The Man Who Be Bond” a brilliant
BBC period biopic of the Bond writer
Ian Fleming starring Dominic Cooper.
I play Janet his stockbroker secretary
and this will be broadcast as a 4 part
series on the BBC. I’m still always
excited whenever I see myself on TV
in any production I’ve worked on.
If I had to give advice to someone who
was considering acting as a career after
they had finished their degree I would say,
You must work obsessively hard to get
anywhere as it’s highly competitive so
no slacking and always be a polite and
decent human being. You never know who
your fellow students may go on to be in
your industry in the future. Your fellow
students are your future colleagues.
Caroline Boulton
BA (Hons) Visual
Communication
(Video & Film)
Maidstone 2002
Image: copyright of Tandem
12
Creative Update | UCA Screen Stars | Film Special
Communication/Scott Free
Film Special | UCA Screen Stars | Creative Update
13
Feature
Advice
Tunde Adebutu
Tunde Adebutu
BA (Hons) Architecture
Canterbury 2003
Tunde is 32 was born in London, lived
in Lagos, Nigeria till he was 16 and
then returned to London where he
has lived since.
a year off and decided I wanted to try
something else. I got a great opportunity
in planning which also involved working
with development, so I took it.
Creative Update asked Tunde what
advice he would give to students
or alumni who had not considered
a career in planning.
He says: “When I left college, UCA
Canterbury (then the Kent Institute
of Art and Design) was one of the
universities I visited. I loved the city
and the course head made me feel
welcome so I decided to go there.
I remember I felt so grown up to be
leaving home, but London was only
an hour away on the train so I could
pop home if I got really homesick!
After I finished my course, I worked
in Westminster libraries, then I got
a unique opportunity as a planning
assistant in Essex; a year later I went
to work in Surrey as a planning officer.
I also had the opportunity to study
for a master’s degree in planning.
He said, “Planning is interesting
work and there are many aspects
to policy, development management
and enforcement. Being involved
in creating great and ever evolving
places is always interesting.
I am now working as part of a team
helping to deliver a new local plan
for the borough which includes a huge
former military site for 1500 homes,
commercial, retail and leisure uses also.
It’s taking years so that’s a big project!
“The course was a chance to pursue
an idea of a vocation and it was great
to finally move on from just drawing
in notebooks in my bedroom.”
Chris said: “I was absolutely thrilled to
be nominated for an Oscar. I watched
the announcement whilst I was in bed
in a hotel room in LA, I was giddy with
excitement, it’s such an honour.
He has worked on some of the biggest
animated projects of the last decade,
including Coraline and Tim Burton’s The
Corpse Bride, and recently designed,
storyboarded and animated the short
film Timer Switch for UCA Academy
Award-winner Daniel Greaves.
BA (Hons) Animation course leader,
Lesley Adams, said: “Everyone on the
Animation Course was very proud of
Chris’ Oscar nomination. The degree
at UCA Farnham has produced three
Oscar-winners so far and we would
love him to join that special list.”
Initially I planned to make a career as an
architect but a number of opportunities
arose which made me change my plans.
I am now a Planning Policy officer in
a Local Authority in Surrey. As a Policy
Officer, I help plan, monitor and manage
development throughout the borough.
At UCA, I got to develop many skills
during the course including gaining
a better knowledge of the built
environment, technical skills, design
skills, group working and project
planning. The course gave me the
skills I needed to develop my career
in ways that I had not previously thought
about. I can say that my degree and
my experience really opened doors.
“I’m really proud of the film and was
so happy just to get the chance to write
and direct it, so having a nod from the
Academy really is the icing on the cake.
It’s just incredible.”
Chris said: “Studying at Farnham was
a special time for me: it was my first
time away from home, my first time
meeting like-minded creatives, and
my first time being a grown up.
It’s interesting, sometimes you start
out on a path but things end up working
out differently. Architecture is a long
course and seven years is a long time.
After the first three years (Part 1) I took
I find my job very rewarding. I have
been in my current role for nearly
seven years and I still really enjoy
it. Local Government work is very
fulfilling so I may stay I while longer.”
Creative Update | UCA Screen Stars | Film Special
Chris Butler
BA (Hons) Animation
Farnham 1995
Working in a local authority is particularly
fulfilling. When you go to work, your
concern is not to make profit, but to
improve the lives of people in the borough,
both now and for future generations.
That always gives me extra motivation”.
My 3 key bits of advice for
anyone starting a BA course:
Do the course because you enjoy it: All
the most successful creatives I know
do well because they genuinely love it.
Balance your work and play: University is
usually your first major taste of freedom
and independence and some people tend
to go nuts. Enjoy yourself, but remember
why you’re there - to gain skills for
you to have the most successful and
fulfilling career you can have.
You make the majority of your friends
for life at university and you may even
meet your future partner (I did!) so be
pleasant and sociable!
Opportunities with Architecture | Tunde Adebutu | Creative Update
advice
Stop-motion zombie comedy
ParaNorman, was also nominated for
a BAFTA, and is Chris’ debut feature
as a writer and director.
Studying architecture was always my
dream as I have always loved the built
environment and living in London
really inspired me due to its wonderful
buildings. It’s amazing to be involved
in creating great places to live and work.
Chris Butler, who graduated from UCA
Farnham’s BA (Hons) Animation degree
in 1995, was shortlisted for Best
Animated Feature at the 85th Academy
Awards for his film ParaNorman which
he wrote and directed.
14
A rewarding career,
Architecture can
lead you anywhere...
15
16
learning
excellence…
News Feature
A ‘gateway’ to
news feature
News Feature
Creative Update | Farnham Library | Redevelopment
The Library & Student Services
Department has begun work on
a project that will transform the
spaces in which key services will
be delivered across UCA campuses.
The first of these projects is the
redevelopment of the Farnham
Library.
A design has been produced for
the interior space of the building
which provides:
•
25% more space and 30% more
seating capacity for students to
work without reducing capacity
for our books and other resources
The Farnham Library will be completely
refurbished in time for the start of
the next academic year. This is a
major project that will ensure that
UCA students have an inspirational
and dynamic Library which meets
the learning, teaching and research
needs of a 21st century student.
•
Wider accessibility for
students and staff with
mobility impairments.
Following extensive consultation
with our staff, students and alumni
UCA has now engaged a team of
architects, DRDH Architects based in
London, who have been working with
the University to design this cutting
edge resource, ensuring unrivalled
access to materials and technology,
essential to students studying the
creative arts.
•
•
A range of learning environments
able to cater for seminars,
workshops, meetings, tutorials,
group work and presentations
with quiet spaces, available
to students when they want to
study away from everyone else
A brand new 120 square metre
flexible learning area, providing
30 square metres of exhibition
wall which can be used for
graduation-shows, exhibitions
and other events.
In addition a new Research Centre
will be created which, with the
special collections and archives
will provide a reading room
for researchers. The Research
Centre will also be home to UCA’s
digitisation unit, as well as the
Visual Arts Data Service (VADS),
a national online resource for
the visual arts.
Finally, the new Library will provide
a landmark building for the University
on the Farnham campus.
As well as a new library space, the
refurbished building is a ‘Gateway’,
providing access to a range of
specialist student support services
including learning and language
support, disability & SpLD support
(specific learning difficulties),
counselling services, financial advice
and guidance and careers services.
Students will be able to contact staff
online, by telephone or in person,
at our ground floor service desk.
The Library is due to be completed
for staff to move back into at the
beginning of September. The
refurbished building will be open
in time for the start of term and
we look forward to seeing you then.
The design process is now drawing
to a close and work is continuing
with Kier Construction, the main
contractors, to plan the construction
phase which will take place during
June, July and early August.
If you would like more information
about any aspects of this project,
then please email us at
[email protected].
Alternatively, you can ring on
01252 892950.
This distinctive and innovative
‘Gateway’ resource will be open to
students and staff seven days a week
and will play a central role in the
creative process, being at the heart
of our campus community.
Redevelopment | Farnham Library | Creative Update
17
Academic Matters
Academic Matters
Lucy O’Brien UCA Lecturer in Music Journalism
A
academic matters
dele, Madonna and Lady
Gaga are just three of the
major female artists highlighted
by a lecturer from UCA in her
book about women in popular
music. Eighteen years after it
was first published Lucy O’Brien
has undertaken to revise and
expand her book, She Bop: The
Definitive History of Women
in Popular Music, to reflect
the changes in music today.
18
“Younger artists are all unique
women with their own take on
it, with their own language and
story to tell. Women before me
like Joni Mitchell or Kate Bush
have taken their machete into
the jungle, parts that are not
so traversed. You honour the
women before you and after you.
There isn’t a copyright on this
story,” singer/songwriter Tori
Amos told me.
She Bop (the definitive history
of women in popular music)
is their collective story.
Since She Bop was first published,
some key changes have occurred
for women in rock. Previously
under-researched, there is now
a range of writing on the subject
– so much so that in 2000, US
girl band Le Tigre chanted from
the stage: “Not another book
about women in rock!”
Creative Update | Lucy O’Brien | She Bop
Despite fresh perspectives,
there is still a need to document
women’s musical history
because it is periodically buried.
In the same way that Janis Joplin
diligently uncovered the story
of Bessie Smith and bought her
a headstone, today’s music fans
have to search for 70s female
punk bands or forgotten 80s soul
singers in alternative media.
Female performers are still
being written out of ‘official’ pop
history. As long as women are
sidelined in the Rock & Roll
Hall Of Fame or Classic Rock
anthologies in favour of the male
canon, there will be a need for more
material on their achievements.
My third edition of She Bop
is a major update on the 1995
original. What struck me while
writing this is how polarised
the scene has become, between
the digital underground and the
global pop industry. Although an
increasingly competitive market
has meant hypersexualisation and
branding on an epic scale with
stars like Gaga, Katy Perry, and
Nicki Minaj, once-marginalised
women artists have been using
new technology and social media
to forge ahead. Performers like
Imogen Heap and Iggy Azalea are
no longer reliant on traditional
record-company structures to
get their music heard. As LA
Times critic Ann Powers told me:
“On the positive side, I do think
things are falling apart, coupled
with the passing of the elder
generation of nearly 100 per cent
male music industry executives,
has opened a space in which
talented women can emerge.”
What also struck me when
updating this book was how
many of the women I first
interviewed have since passed
away. Women from Nina Simone,
Miriam Makeba, and Dusty
Springfield to punk upstarts
Ari Up and Poly Styrene. They
enriched popular music in many
different ways. In that sense
She Bop has become an archive
of women’s experience, from
the early 20th century music
industry onwards. Talking to
women like Simone and Eartha
Kitt made me realise how much
they had struggled through racism
and sexual discrimination to be
heard. The global divas of today
owe so much to those pioneers.
So why did I write the original?
When girl guitar bands and
singer-songwriters were in
the ascendant in the early 90s,
there was a noticeable lack of
analytical material about women
in popular music. From 1984,
when I co-wrote a cover story
for the feminist magazine Spare
Rib on women in the music
industry and was shocked to
discover just how few of them
had record deals or were in the >
Academic Matters
Development
“
Younger artists are all
very unique women with
their own take on it, with
their own language and
story to tell. Some have
paved ways.
”
charts compared to men, I made
a point of interviewing female
artists whenever I could. As
a journalist on New Musical
Express (NME) in the 1980s,
I tried to get more in-depth
coverage of female acts from
a feminist perspective. In 1992,
having spent eight years as
a music writer, I decided to
draw all the strands together.
All the women I spoke to had a
singular sense of purpose; it was
as if obstacles such as racism
and sexism demanded such
self-definition. Emerging from
the interviews was a sense of
the importance of women as role
models, whether it was Ari Up,
20
Creative Update | Lucy O’Brien | She Bop
I have explored areas of power for
women in pop: Why have women
colonised the singer-songwriter
genre, or immortalised the role of
the disco diva? I have examined
how much women are tyrannised
by the Image Question and the
impact this has on their work.
How do they negotiate what
Suzanne Vega calls “the Cleavage
Question”? Female artists
devised strategies to confront
or bypass this issue, whether
it’s Madonna’s outright twist
on the blonde sex bimbo or
Annie Lennox’s androgynous
‘man in a suit’. There is also the
question of lesbian sexuality,
how coming out of the closet is
considered commercial suicide.
This fear may have been allayed
in the early 90s, when k.d. lang
publicly said she was gay, but
many lesbians still feel obliged
to enter into a charade of bluff,
counter-bluff and non-gender
specific lyrics.
I also interviewed women in
the industry – the managers,
journalists, producers, and A&R
women who work in powerbroking areas. I have explored
the scandal of the industry
‘brain drain’ – women fed-up
with hitting their heads against
the vinyl ceiling leaving the
corporate sphere to set up as
independents – and assessed
their progress within companies:
how effective is their gradual
‘infiltration’ of executive
positions? Despite what one
insider called “management
training courses and a large
amount of goodwill” in the 90s,
the impact of recession in the
noughties meant a reversion
to the old boys’ network. Now
with a rapidly changing industry
there are more opportunities for
women, particularly in the USA,
but there is still room for
radical change.
Finally, that troublesome ‘Women
In Rock’ category. Female artists
are often featured together, even
though they perform across a
range of genres – whether it’s
Bjork, P.J. Harvey, and Tori Amos
on the cover of Q magazine, or
Shakira, Britney Spears, and Mary
J. Blige on the front of Rolling
Stone. No self-respecting writer
would include Jack White, Jay-Z,
and Liam Gallagher in the same
article and call it ‘Men In Rock’.
Despite the fact that women make
up nearly half of the pop charts,
record companies and music
media still lack confidence in
their selling power. When that
category finally disappears,
we can celebrate true equality
for women in the business.
All the women interviewed
for this book found music to
be a personally liberating force.
Whether as performers,
business people, or fans, they
use music to describe, define,
and give meaning to their life.
As women move further to the
centre of the industry to shape
it for themselves, the way music
is consumed and performed
will be totally transformed.
Lucy O’Brien, is a BA (Hons)
Music Journalism lecturer
at UCA, based on the Epsom
campus.
UCA benefits from almost
£1million
in research funding
UCA’s Research & Enterprise Department has
been awarded funds from the European Union’s
Interreg IVA Channel Programme as lead partner
in three schemes to engage the creative and
cultural industries in the UK and France.
The partnership, led by UCA, is made up of six
art schools (three in France and three in England
across 11 campuses) with a history of serving
the arts, the communities and industry for
at least 200 years.
The project addresses the strategic challenges of
social cohesion and cultural identity. It encourages
the stimulation of growth for the creative and cultural
industries in the South and East England Coastal
region and Par-de-Calais, Normandy and Brittany.
The project particularly focuses upon supporting
creative practitioners, including creative art students,
freelance artists and creative professionals from
across the regions allowing them to develop the
quality of their practice and development.
The respective arts schools will serve as hubs
for creative excellence, flanked by community
based arts organisations that serve as unique
units for innovation, as cultural animators
between creative practice and communities.
In addition there is the support of the public
authorities and public organisations acting as
intermediaries that bring appropriate strategic
and coordinated civic engagement and reach.
Uwe Derksen, Assistant Director of Research
& Enterprise at UCA, said: “We are delighted
to be a part of this exciting new project.
By nurturing the creative network of creative
animators and intermediaries that engage with
creative practice with the arts school and its students
at the centre it will create a rich cross-border creative
ecology through a range of collaborative actions.
Out of this ecology, and by ensuring that each
action has a social and community aspect to it, ICR
seeks to stimulate cultural and economic growth,
enhanced collaboration and cohesion. In doing so it
will employ innovative models of creative knowledge
exchange, cultural development and interventions.
“It will aid research at UCA, and in the UK and
also create new partnership opportunities and
access to new resources and expertise.
“I find it particularly satisfying that UCA has
been made lead partner of one of the projects
as it clearly shows the many benefits that a
creative arts university can bring to a cultural
regeneration scheme.”
This will reconcile and refresh activity concentrated
in cultural urban centres with the skills, knowledge
and creative talent that can be applied in the wider
coastal communities and its hinterland. The partners
will use their combined expertise and experience
in the development of cultural content and its civic
application to revitalize the urban and rural areas
in the French-English border regions stimulating
the rest of the economies and wider communities.
Interreg | Research Funding | Creative Update
development
This book, fuelled by over 250
interviews in the USA and
Britain, is not a straightforward
chronological history; rather,
I have examined themes and
trends. Too often women have
been written about in terms
of what filmmaker Penelope
Spheeris dubbed ‘Marilyn
Monroe Damage’ – that is,
primarily as men-pleasing
angels or problem personalities
– rather than their body of work,
so I encouraged them to talk
about their personal creative
expression.
celebrated by New Young Pony
Club’s Tahita Bulmer for her
“punk ethic and playful glamour”,
or Billie Holiday, whose voice
was, for Cyndi Lauper, that
of the “Universal Mother”.
21
Development
Development
Creative
FUND
For three weeks in October and November the
University launched its first telephone fundraising
campaign on behalf of the UCA Creative Fund
For those three weeks,
students from the Farnham
Campus worked in shifts every
evening and at weekends,
calling our alumni and the
parents of current students.
Throughout the campaign the
students spoke to over 1100 of
our alumni and parents seeking
their support for a number of
Creative Fund projects. This year
the campaign concentrated on
three special projects. These were:
development
22
The general fund, to be
spent on special projects.
The Creative Fund
Scholarship
The Graduation Show Fund
Creative Update | Development | Creative Fund
These projects, aimed at
providing the greatest benefit
to the greatest number of
students, were approved by
the UCA Leadership Team
to launch the first year of
the telephone campaign.
Alumni and parents to whom the
students spoke were positive
about the fund and were, in
the main, pleased to be called.
Many understood the need for
the Fund and said that they
would have liked to have had
the chance to call upon these
funds when they were a student.
Many talked about the problems
in finding money to pay for the
extra materials that they needed
for their course. This seemed
to be a common theme for
many, regardless of the course.
Robyn Taylor, a first year BA
Product Design student and
one of the callers said: “I loved
talking to the alumni. That was
the best bit. It was great finding
out about what they had done
since graduating.”
Over three weeks alumni and
parents pledged or gave gifts
of over £30,000 which will be
allocated to special projects
later in the year.
Matthew Horton, Head of
Development and Alumni
Relations said, “The University
and the students really
appreciate the support that
alumni and parents have given
to the campaign. In these
difficult times it is extremely
generous of people to give back
to their University. On behalf
of UCA I would like to thank
all those who have made a gift.”
What is the Creative Fund?
Creative Fund Projects 2012
The Creative Fund provides funds for a wide variety
of projects that transform the student experience,
enhance research and teaching, and support
students in financial need. Each year staff and
students bid for grants from the Creative Fund
for projects that would not be possible without
these funds. They may be for specialist equipment,
research or collaborative projects with external
stakeholders that give students the opportunity
to work and to present their work in the real world
giving them valuable experience that will enhance
their employment prospects.
Almost £20 000 has been allocated for number
of exciting projects from the Creative Fund 2012.
They include:
Every gift made to the UCA Creative Fund, regardless
of its amount, enables the Creative Fund to make a
difference. Gifts provide funding to projects that have
a real and lasting effect on the School, its students
and the wider UCA community. The joy of the fund
is that a great number of alumni and friends can
join together to make a real difference to the students
and to feel a part of the work of the University.
We greatly appreciate contributions of all sizes
and would like to take this opportunity to thank
all our donors for their generous support.
More details of the creative fund and to see
the projects funded by the 2012 campaign visit:
www.ucreative.ac.uk/supporting-uca
The Zandra Rhodes Masterclass
The Zandra Rhodes Masterclass is a collaborative
venture between UCA and Zandra Rhodes Studio
to develop a series of online videos for use by
UCA fashion and textiles students, in which key
techniques unique to Zandra Rhodes’s design and
production will be demonstrated.
Enhancing the CG Arts corridor area and
computer rooms
The aim is to enliven and enhance the environment
for all students who work in and around these
areas, as well as for all those who pass through
and use the areas.
Canterbury Open Lecture Series
The lectures will be an ambitious series connecting
individuals, local, regional and international
communities and will focus upon emerging
issues that underpin contemporary art & design:
Knowledge, Invention and Creative Currency
Waste in Action
In any urban or rural area good waste management
is essential. Students will be asked to consider the
waste, rubbish etc around them and aspects of
disposal and recycling, using art & design - processes
of deconstruction and reconstruction of discarded
materials - to raise others’ awareness of the global
environmental problems that councils, at micro
level, are faced with.
Creative Fund | Development | Creative Update
23
Development
Profile
Creative Fund
Caller Profile:
Robyn Taylor
Robyn, a BA Product Design first year, tells Creative
Update about her experience as Creative Fund Caller
Tell us about your course
The course looks at design but
also the practical uses of design.
I am currently designing a light
for family use. The course helps
us look at the practical use of
our design not just at the product
itself. My lights are designed as
easily movable blocks and are
really colourful, textured and
attractive to kids. Parents can move
them to where they are needed.
They but can also be used by
adults to provide mood lighting.
Why did you apply to be a
Creative Fund Caller?
I wanted the opportunity to
be involved in the life of the
University other than being
just a student. It has already
given me the chance to work in
other areas of the university. As
this was a new project it was
especially exciting and has given
me the chance to meet students
from other courses. I also hope
to become a student ambassador
in the next year.
24
Creative Update | Development | Creative Fund
What sort of reaction did
you get from the alumni?
The alumni had had a letter
saying that they were going to
receive a call, so no one was
surprised. Initially some people
were a bit hesitant. After talking
to them for a little while they
seemed very positive about
giving even if it was only a one-off
gift. Some people didn’t really
approve that we were asking for
money. They thought that the rise
in fees meant that the uni would
be richer. After talking to me
and the other callers though they
better understood the situation.
Why do you think the Creative
Fund is important to students
and to UCA?
It is really important. It gives
the current students access
to things that they wouldn’t have
otherwise. The Creative Fund is
the key to getting support from
all the alumni. As a current
student it’s great to know that
previous students have done
well, loved their time at uni and
want to support those of us who
are currently doing our degrees.
I have spent over £200 on extra
materials for my course so far
this year. It’s tough finding that
sort of money. Some students
really need a scholarship to
survive. The Creative Fund is
a great way of providing the
resources that students need.
Not all the calls ended up in a
gift but I think the alumni liked
getting a call from their old uni.
Some of them even signed up as
mentors, which was great. There
are other ways for the alumni
to give back to the uni, not just
with money. As a student I really
appreciate that.
I would like to thank all those
who spoke to me. I really enjoyed
meeting them, even if it was only
on the phone.
When I finished my under-graduate course in Farnham,
Surrey in 2007, I set my own company up and worked
as a web designer, animator and graphic designer.
The work was extremely diverse: brand development,
designs, ergonomy of websites, layouts of catalogue
brochures, logo design and flash animations.
I also did a number of internships in Soho in various
animation studios. Whatever I was up to, I made sure
I also did my own personal work in my spare time
to further practise and learn my craft.
After two years I decided to complete my academic
pathway by studying a Masters in Image &
Communications at Goldsmiths, University
of London, which offered a deeper and more
Sebastien Freuler
academic insight into what I chose to do.
BA (Hons) Animation
A week before completing my studies I
Farnham 2007
received a phone call for a job offer at UEFA
in Nyon, Switzerland as an Assistant Graphic
Producer. I did not have to think it twice;
I packed my bags and came to Switzerland
right away! I started working pretty much a
month after having completed my Master’s degree.
I had the great honour of working on the 2012 UEFA
European Championships. It was an overwhelming
experience; the build-up to the event was long and
needed a lot of hard work. Somehow I never thought
that day would come. However, once I set foot in
Poland it felt quite surreal. The simple thought
that millions of people across the world would be
watching us every second of the event was quite
daunting. Of course, the hard work we put in and
the long hours made these weeks pass by quicker
than we thought!
I knew that more than 100 television channels
across the world would be broadcasting my
creations. I felt responsible and challenged by that
fact admittedly, it was quite nerve racking at times.
We were working on incredibly tight schedule while
having to be as creative as possible and at the
same time creating exciting and eye-pleasing work.
There’s a saying in design that quick turnover and
excellent work cannot co-exist. I think we managed
to break that myth! It was an exhausting experience
but at the same time satisfying seeing our work on TV!
Football crosses all borders and race and brings
people together with thrills and entertainment;
it shows the diversity that is found within our
European culture. The football audience is a young
vibrant audience and no longer predominately
male! So our work has to appeal to a wide range of
demographics and work for everyone! I have never
worked on a project of such a grand scale before.
UEFA acted as the host broadcaster for Euro 2012.
It welcomed 44 broadcast partners from IBC,
(International Broadcast Centre) for the totality of
the tournament. On site we provided a large range
of services from TV studios, edit suites, production
areas and offices to shops and restaurants.
I was so grateful to UCA for preparing me for this
kind of challenge. The BA Animation course taught
me about the power of narrative which brings
strength to projects even when they are 20-second
promos. The technical skills were pretty much up
to me to perfect and learn. UCA gave me the basic
tools and knowledge but let me explore them in my
own time. If you can tell a story in 20 seconds then
your message comes across a whole lot stronger.
UCA taught me that. Who knows what the next
challenge is… I say bring it on!
You can find out more about Sebastien at his website.
www.sebastienfreuler.com
Graphic Producer | Sebastien Freuler | Creative Update
profiles
Did you enjoy speaking
to the alumni?
I loved talking to the alumni.
That was the best bit. It was
great finding out about what
they had done since graduating.
I especially enjoyed talking to
the younger alumni who were
just a bit older than me. This
has given me some great ideas
for where I could take my career
after graduating. There was one
alumna who had done a fashion
degree but she had moved on
to become an illustrator. She
told me that doing the degree
had given her a great range
of skills and it had given her
more opportunities than just
in fashion. Some of the other
callers even got internships
out of the process.
After his postgraduate degree in Image &
Communication, Sebastien moved to Switzerland
to work as a Graphic Producer for UEFA.
25
Profile
Chia-Wen is a Taiwanese graduate who completed
her degree, BA Fashion in 2010 where she studied
at the Epsom Campus. She and a friend set up a
Facebook page to share their experiences in the
UK. This soon became an internet phenomenon
and has now been turned into a book, The UK
Observing Diary. Their Facebook page has over
122 000 followers and gets ten million hits a
month. Creative Update asked Chia-Wen what
it was like to have a book published.
She said: “It’s like having a baby! Only it takes
more time than pregnancy. It takes about a year
and a half, from the first word I wrote to see it on
the shelf in a book store. My first book means so
much to me, as I first came to England to study
when I was 17, this book is like a summary of my
days. My Family back in Taiwan now understand
why I have spent all those years far away from
home, and what I actually did in UK.
A
k
o
o
b
e
c
Fa nture
e
v
Ad
I get my inspiration from absolutely everything. It
could be some new graffiti on a wall in Shoreditch
or a barista handing out a new flavour of drink.
I have lived in London for six years but sometimes
I still feel like a tourist when I see something new
on the street. The people in London are what made
me write the book. I did interviews with loads
of creative people such as designers, models
and actresses for my book. They are all creative,
liberal and down to earth at the same time.
I started running UK Observing Diary a fashion
and lifestyle social media page in 2009, with my
best friend Shang Ting who finished university in
Barcelona and came to Leeds to work. In 2010 our
page had the first press exposure which featured
in the Leeds Guardian, then Taiwanese press just
went crazy after that. Our story was on the national
news, television and newspapers. We even made the
headline on Yahoo! Taiwan search engine. We had
about 6,000 subscribers before the press presence,
it then doubled and tripled in the next few days.
122 000 followers…
and still counting
(At the moment we have more than 122,000
followers.) It was then that we were approached
by publishers in the Far East.
I began in 2010 working as a design assistant for
Victim Fashion Street, an ethical womenswear
designer label and then as a contract writer for
reading shopping, and styling fashion websites.
I have been invited to be an official blogger for
Vogue Taiwan and to be a columnist for “Bon
Voyage”, bimonthly travel and lifestyle magazine.
In 2011 I co-founded zeczec.com, the first
Taiwanese creative crowd-funding website.
In 2012 I published UK Observing Diary, a creative
guidebook featuring British fashion, designer
interviews and culture. This year I directed the
fashion show for designer APU JAN during London
Fashion Week.
UCA prepared me for so much of this. With so many
fashion-related courses going on in UCA Epsom,
I learned the skills and knowledge I needed
from my fashion course, and also learned how to
cooperate with people from all professions. During
my time in UCA, I helped to put on a fashion show
with students from the fashion and promotion
course, model in photo shoots with graphic
students, and assist MA fashion students for their
graduation projects. All these great experiences
became a stepping stone to my future collaboration.
I am now working as project manager for zeczec.com.
I do social media management and crowd-funding
project consulting. For UK Observing Diary, we are
talking about having a website to give more content.
We welcome any new, exciting collaboration, we are
a great link for those who want to establish in the Far
East market! I am also preparing my second book.
www.facebook.com/ukobservingdiary
Chia-Wen Liu
BA Fashion
Epsom 2010
26
Creative Update | Chia-Wen Liu | Facebook Fashion
Facebook Fashion | Chia-Wen Liu | Creative Update
27
Profile
Advice
Profile
Jaakko Mattila
Art helps
re-develop
run-down
community
International alumnus Jaakko Mattila has recently
returned to UCA Farnham to transform a run-down
building into a work of art thanks to a community
project organised by the University.
Jaakko Mattila travelled from his native Finland to
work with young people from the Sandy Hill Detached
Youth Project in Farnham during April and May.
The unique assignment was organised by staff at
UCA’s James Hockey & Foyer Galleries who wanted
to create a community project for Jaakko around
his major exhibition there last year.
Jaakko, who graduated from BA (Hons) Fine Art at
UCA Farnham in 2001, said: “This was a very exciting
project for me. Art, like sport, brings people together:
it educates them about cultural and social differences,
and can enrich people’s lives. For me, the experience
of art - and making it - has been life-changing.
”I have done community art projects in the past
that have been very fulfilling and this one was
just the same. I hope that the kids got something
out of the project and now feel more rooted here.”
Jaakko and members of the Youth Project began
working on the exterior walls of the octagonal
hut on Sandy Hill on 17 April.
Tracy Scares, Lead Youth Worker at Sandy Hill
detached Youth Group, said: “We are really pleased
with how the building has turned out, but for me
the most important outcome of this project has
been the number of young people getting involved
in art who might have never done before.
“We had new kids joining the group because they
saw artwork happening down here, which also
brought in a new dimension because many kids
have very complex backgrounds and it can be tough
for some to learn about tolerance, working together
and accepting new people, so this has been great.”
Jaakko was the first became the first UCA graduate
to headline a major solo exhibition at the James
Hockey & Foyer Galleries.
Design Council competition winner is UCA graduate
Danielle Marsh, along with other UCA alumni
from the Interior Architecture & Design degree
have come together to form CID, an interior design
consultancy. They have worked on some high
profile projects in recent years and have ambitious
plans for their current work and for the future.
Currently the CID team are working on a range of
exciting projects, including a hotel refurbishment
project in St Lucia, large new build developments
across London for some of London’s top developers
and various FF&E schemes for show flats. Our key
current projects are:
Danielle told Creative Update a little more about the
company. She said: “CID Interior is a fresh, new and
unique interior design consultancy who specialise
in creating elegant and luxurious high end interiors
for residential, hotel, hospitality and commercial
projects. Although it is a small company it is involved
in some of the biggest and most prestigious projects
in London. The company’s skills range from design
concepts, project management through to completion,
visualisation, technical drawing packages and FF&E.”
•
375 Kensington High street: CID Interior
are working on one of the most prestigious
developments in London
•
190 Strand: Another luxurious and prestigious
development in the heart of London
•
Wellington Gate: Located on the former Atkinson
Morley Hospital in Wimbledon, SW London
•
Greenwich Wharf: new-build residential site
in Greenwich.
CID was formed in 2009 by directors David Ferns,
BA Interior Design 1997, and Kevin Fox, formerly
directors at Scott Brownrigg Architects.
The CID team includes designers Marcus Crees
David Ferns, BA Interior Design 1997, Emma Nelson,
BA (Hons) - Interior Architecture and Design 2010,
and Danielle Marsh who all graduated from the UCA
in Interior Architecture & Design.
Danielle Marsh
BA (Hons) Interior
Architecture & Design
Graduated 2010
David and Marcus met at UCCA and graduated in 1997.
Although going their separate ways in the design
world, Marcus joined CID in 2011 as associate
designer. Marcus has had over 14 years in the
design industry working on a range of projects
from hotel and residential to leisure and commercial.
advice
Jaakko Mattila
BA (Hons) Fine Art
Farnham 2001
Alumni come
together for exciting
Interior Design
Consultancy
Emma & Danielle also met at UCCA and graduated
from the same course in 2010. Both gathering a range
of experience from set design and private residential
to exhibition, retail and design co-ordination.
28
Creative Update | Jaakko Mattila | Community Art
Interior Design | Danielle Marsh | Creative Update
29
25
Advice
Advice
”
Andrew
Candy
[mine]
a gallery for
the community
Why did you choose to come to UCA and
what have you done since graduation?
I was aware that college was becoming more
progressive and expanding, the strength of design
courses on offer was attractive plus there was
the convenience of location.
After graduation I worked in London for an integrated
design and marketing agency, Skidmoore Turnbull,
then moved on to Roger Felton. Then I moved to
Sphere Communications and finally, Flagship
Consulting which incorporated a Public Affairs team.
Alongside these latter jobs I set up my own company
and started working for a range of private clients
and eventually I left Flagship to work from offices
at Waterloo.
I became a partner and joint owner of Tentacle
Limited working from offices by the Thames in
Greenwich. We moved the business from Greenwich
to Carshalton in 2008 with a view to setting up my
own gallery business at some point in the future.
This has now been achieved with our gallery - [mine].
How did you feel when your gallery opened?
Mixed emotions really. My partners and I moved
from Greenwich at the end of 2008 but discovered in
30
Creative Update | Andrew Candy | Gallery
early 2009 that we had been mis-sold an Interest
Rate Swap Agreement by our bank when we took
out the mortgage on the commercial property
in Carshalton. The effects of this product have
had a hugely negative effect on the business and
prevented us from moving the business forward.
We have spent the last 4-5 years battling with the
bank, the Financial Ombudsman and the Financial
Services Authority to get our case heard. More info
available on www.bully-banks.co.uk
This has been an unexpected and huge task to
take on given that all I wanted to do was design
and create for a living... it probably demonstrates
that you need to be adaptable and to enjoy
a challenge and develop a full range of skills
if you want to run your own business.
Tell us about your plans for the Gallery
It is the intention to make [mine] one of the largest
and most diverse galleries in Surrey and South
London supporting the arts and artists as well
as helping to economically regenerate the local
area. The gallery has been set up to provide
sustainable and cost-effective rental spaces
for exhibiting and selling creative work including
fine and applied art, craft and design. Andrew Candy
BA (Hons) Visual
Communications
Graduated 1997
Display shelves are available to hire and
we have been running solo and group shows
since March 2010. 2013 is the first year
that we will be hosting three Open
exhibitions, including a Festival En Plein Air.
Can you give a brief history of your
career and major projects from
graduation to date?
Other than the jobs that I have already listed
I have been fortunate to have worked on
a number of major projects which include:
Rosetta Communications
We produced a brand identity and marketing
communications project for Rosetta
Communications, a significant defence
satellite contract bid by a consortium
of British Telecom, Lockheed Martin
and British Aerospace. The styling for
this campaign was subsequently used
quite heavily for the consumer facing
O2 brand when it was first launched.
Pemberton Greenish
I carried out a complete rebranding
and associated communications plan for
a 225 year-old property specialist law firm
when it changed from Lee Pembertons
to Pemberton Greenish. The firm includes
the Earl of Cadogan among its clients.
Bankside Means Business
We worked with Southwark Council’s
economic regeneration team to create
a range of branding and marketing
materials that set out the council’s vision
for sustainable neighbourhoods in central
London. Their aim was to provide a unique,
creative and dynamic environment to live
and work in. The campaign was instrumental
in raising the profile of Bankside in its
infancy and attracted a significant level
of inward investment.
Alec Stewart OBE Testimonial Year
We produced identity and marketing
materials for all the events held during
the course of 2003 for Alec.
Creative Maidstone
We worked with Maidstone Council
and the Arts Council to produce the
branding, brochures and billboards
for this campaign to create economic
regeneration through the establishment
of an Artists Quarter in the town centre.
How did UCA prepare you for this
project?
Being taught by working professionals
enabled me to get a good idea of what was
expected of me in the real world. Having
said that, two to four weeks for a single
project would be a luxury these days.
What’s next for you?
Resolving the bank situation and building
the gallery business is the priority.
Alongside this I am developing an art book
publishing service which we have kicked
off by helping design, print and sell the
paintings of John Stillman, which is the
artist’s first book. I am also continuing
to work on a consultancy basis on design
and branding projects for private clients.
What advice would you give to a
student or other alumni who would
like to get their work exhibited?
Well if they are really good then they
can give me a call and send me some
examples of their work... If you don’t
ask you don’t get anywhere these days.
Ultimately be confident in your work
and your abilities and work hard and
network as much as possible.
What advice would you give to a
student or alumni who is thinking
about working in galleries as a career?
Hard to say really as the gallery concept
I am running here is not akin to a regular
gallery or a gallery with a budget and a
curatorial strategy. Work smart and work
hard were some words of advice given
to me when I first started out and you
can’t go far wrong following them.
Gallery | Andrew Candy | Creative Update
31
Advice
What’s next for you?
I would like to move into the
business side of the industry
and concentrate more on a
new business. Watch this space!
Sullivan
Gardner
Sulli graduated from Surrey Institute of Art and
Design (now UCA) with a BA (Hons) Degree in
Graphic Design, but the road to that first illusive
design job was a long and bumpy journey…
Especially back in his home county of Cornwall!
After a considerable amount of time freelancing
as a graphic designer alongside a low paid full-time
construction job, he eventually landed his first
junior role at Century Print, a design studio on the
outskirts of Falmouth. The role involved designing
printed literature and corporate identities for small
local businesses and charities. This ‘foot in the
door’ job soon led to a position within the Marketing
and Communications team at Truro College. Sulli
became responsible for the print and production
of educational literature and also got involved with
marketing campaigns.
In 2008 Sulli joined Seasalt, an ethical clothing
company based in Falmouth. Working within the
Design and Production team, he was responsible
for producing clothing catalogues, in-store graphics,
tee-shirt prints and online updates. Shortly after
taking on this role it became clear that in order
for his career to take a huge step forward he would
have to venture outside Cornwall, so he headed up
to Bristol to see what opportunities a city would bring.
After spending a few months freelancing in the city
centre, he landed a Print Designer role at City of
Bristol College. Sulli was responsible for the design
and production of all major publications produced
by the college. He remained in this role until he
was headhunted by an external design agency
that the college had commissioned on a project.
For the past two years Sulli has been a senior
designer at Pencil Studio, a small multi-disciplinary
design agency, based on the outskirts of Bath.
Pencil’s all-round creative communications
expertise has given Sulli the perfect opportunity
to work on a whole range of design projects from
retail packaging to website overhauls. The past year
has been a great one for the small team at Pencil.
They’ve not only seen their Watmuff & Beckett
packaging hit the shelves of supermarket giant,
Asda. They’ve also picked up a couple of national
design awards for their recent project with the
National Trust, which Sulli was heavily involved in.
Sulli was also responsible for the design and launch
of the new company website earlier in the year.
Sullivan Gardner
BA (Hons)
Graphic Design
Farnham 2004
32
What advice would you give
to students or other alumni?
I think it’s important to value
yourself. When starting out try
and cover your basic costs at
the very least. Designing stuff
for friends and family is a great
way to get a real life working
portfolio together (university
projects are good but don’t
always carry enough weight).
Make sure you get yourself out
there early! Knock on design
agency doors if you have to and
eventually someone will give
you the break you need/deserve!
Sulli Gardner Q&A:
Why did you choose to come
to UCA and what have you
done since graduation?
I chose SAID/UCA because
it had good links to London
whilst also having the small
town feel I was used to in
Cornwall. It made the transition
from country to city living very
smooth and comfortable. I’d
also read great things about
the course, its lecturers and
the social side of university life.
How did UCA prepare you for
your career?
We were always given projects
that carried some sort of real
life perspective. We were given
lots of freedom but at the same
time we had to think about the
functionality of what we were
doing/designing. This kept
our feet on the ground and
helped with the jump from the
classroom to the work-place.
Providing a work experience
module in our final year also
helped realise our potential
and show the final destination
after three year’s hard work.
What if they want to work
outside London?
The further from London you go,
the less money you’ll get (but
not by much). If London isn’t
your thing, there are plenty of
great agencies dotted around
the south west and further up
the line. It’s all about your work/
life balance. London is great
when starting your career even
if it’s for one or two weeks work
experience (it carries a lot of
CV clout). Working outside the
city has many advantages and
you shouldn’t consider it as
a second-rate option. I work
for a small design agency in
Somerset and we’ve won a few
design awards recently, beating
off the London competition!
It’s not where you work, it’s
how you work! A good, positive
attitude will take you far in life.
A little fact that might warm the
heart is that Sulli married Freya
after meeting on the same
Graphic Design course and they
have a little baby girl, Bonnie.
33
Advice
Advice
Queen
Fit for a
Ivonna Poplanska writes for
Creative Update.
Ivonna Poplanska is from Riga
in Latvia though now considers
herself an acclimatised
Londoner. She has recently
designed a brooch that was
worn by Her Majesty the Queen.
I chose UCA as I particularly
admire Stephen Webster’s
eponymous couture jewellery,
and he was a UCA graduate.
Also, knowing the fact that UCA
has won the College Trophy
at the prestigious Goldsmiths’
Craftsmanship and Design
Awards 20 times in the past
22 years was encouraging.
UCA graduates design
is worn by Her
Majesty the Queen
Ivonna Poplanska
BA (Hons) Silversmithing,
Goldsmithing & Jewellery
Rochester 2009
advice
34
Since graduation I have mainly
concentrated on commercial
work, which I often can’t speak
about. One I can tell you about
is a range I am designing for
Samara James. It’s an expansive
luxury range and part of a great
relationship I have forged with
the company after meeting its
owner at a diamond trade fair
in Antwerp. Most of my career
opportunities have come in this
way. In business you really have
to market yourself to get noticed.
Creative Update | Ivonna Poplanska | The Queen’s Brooch
In my niche the Queen is the
ultimate client. When the BJA
announced the nationwide
competition to design a Diamond
Jubilee brooch for her, I thought it
would be wonderful to get involved
in such a project. I spent three
weeks designing and working on
the concept and tried my hand.
It has been an incredible journey.
the project I liked the idea of
the dove taking off from Charles
II’s Sceptre after 381 years and
landing on the Queen’s lapel.
The silhouette of the dove is
adorned with the four national
flowers of the United Kingdom
to represent the unity. Doves
are also symbols of spirituality
and peace, which I see as being
an important element of monarchy.
I am currently working on new
collections for prominent
jewellery houses who have
hired me to design their luxury
jewellery collections. I hope
to continue doing just that as
well as creating bespoke pieces
for my own clients. Perhaps
one day I will create a luxury
jewellery collection under my
own banner. Watch this space!
When I saw the Queen was
wearing my design it was very
flattering. For me as a designer
it is a huge deal. It means that
Her Majesty really likes it.
Like it’s progenitor, my design
symbolizes the spirituality of the
monarchy. As such, it was really
fitting that Her Majesty chose
to wear it to church.
It’s a luxury doing what you love
and feel passionate about. Being
a creative is a lifestyle choice
and becoming successful in your
area requires a lot of dedication
and hard work. There’s a lot
of competition, so you must
continuously evolve and refine
your style.
I had a great time studying at
Rochester. I was an overseas
student who didn’t speak much
English when I first arrived.
Everything was new to me.
I had fantastic tutors who really
cared about my progression.
The biggest inspiration was
my course leader Brian Hill.
He would stay late with us
every day and make sure
he saw everybody’s designs.
He really cared. That is rare
and I hope all students can
have truly inspiring tutors too.
The brooch is inspired by an
existing crown jewel ‘Sceptre
with dove’. When I visited the
Tower of London to research
The Queen’s Brooch | Ivonna Poplanska | Creative Update
35
50
Update
years
on
“
What a wonderful
re-union we had
Medway College Reunion
in Rochester. Being
together where
we spent our time
Had the group of art students
who attended Medway College
of Art in the late 1950s and early
1960s come across another group
of former students from 50
years earlier, they would have
been astounded to realise that
the group in question had been
students before the Great War
and before the first flight across
the English Channel and before
RMS Titanic had been launched.
as art students
was very special
update
Sybil Wheelerw
Update
”
On 14th September 2012,
former students descended on
Rochester to mark the passing
of 50 years since they had left
the college to make their way
through the world. During those
50 years man had landed on the
moon, motorways had appeared
in the United Kingdom and the
world had become digitised.
Armed with a National Diploma
in Design, signed by the Minister
of Education, they left the Medway
Obituary
Michael S. Debell ARCA sadly passed away in
London 23 January 2013. He attended Medway
1958 - 1962 and he went on to the Royal College
of Art. Five of his classmates attended his funeral
in East London on 8 February.
College of Art gratefully aware
that they had been privileged to
have undergone superb training
provided at minimal cost by
a government which could
differentiate between the price
of education and the value of
education.
With the passing of the years
very much in mind, 24 former
Medway College of Art students,
together with spouses and guests,
were very kindly welcomed and
entertained to an afternoon
reception at the Rochester
Campus of the UCA. Surprisingly
the alumni staff of the UCA
had unearthed a scrapbook
of happenings from their days
at the college. Yellowing and
showing signs of the passing of
time (the items in the scrapbook,
that is) to amazement and delight
the pages revealed so many young
faces and memorable events
recorded and preserved from
those far-off days.
The group of veterans explored
the former Rochester Museum
building at Eastgate House and
the former Medway College of
Art building. This particular visit
stirred up clouds of nostalgia
and reminiscences. The day
was rounded off with an evening
buffet supper in one of the
Rochester High Street Hotels.
Considering the Medway College
of Art was only one of several
small art colleges and schools of
art in Kent, it was very satisfying
and surprising that so many
former students managed to
come together, indeed, many
had travelled considerable
distances, and one crossed
the Atlantic especially for
the occasion.
The reunion was organised
by Leonard McDermid.
Leonard McDermid
Intermediate & NDD
Rochester 1962
Medway Reunion | 50 Years | Creative Update
37
Update
Update
Alex Lampe
Alex Lampe
BA (Hons)
Graphic Design
Epsom 2000
Design Council competition winner is UCA graduate
Alex Lampe, who studied BA (Hons) Graphic Design
at UCA Epsom, was lead designer on one of the five
winning projects set the task of bettering the lives of
dementia sufferers and their families in a competition
by the Design Council and Department of Health.
Alex, founded brand consultancy A+B Studio, and
his team’s winning idea is a web-based service
called ‘Trading Times’ which helps family carers
find flexible, paid work with local businesses.
These opportunities help them to earn money
and stay connected with society.
Alex said: “The competition was a great experience.
We worked with the team to help give them more of
a design-lead ahead of their pitch to the judges - a
week later it was announced that our project had
been selected, so we were delighted.
38
Creative Update | Alex Lampe | Graduate Update
Alex
Mattsson
Fashion graduate displays collection in Selfridges window
“Aside from the financial advantages that our project
gives carers, one of the most powerful things that hit
me was the sense of isolation that they experience,
so being able to participate in employment for a few
hours a week connects them back to society and an enormous sense of self-worth.
“One of the carers we spoke to said that working
on a Deli counter for a couple of hours was the
highlight of their week - these are the opportunities
we want to create.”
Last year the ‘Living Well With Dementia’ competition
was created by The Department of Health. The
Design helped to bring about new ideas and
practical solutions for those living with the condition.
Each selected idea won funding and support through
early development, and is now showcased on a
dedicated website, with promotional films created
by influential design agency Why Not Associates.
UCA Epsom Graphic Design lecturer Mike Nicholson
– an experienced illustrator/storyboard artist
and one of Alex’s previous tutors – was brought
in to help bring these films to life.
Mike, said: “Many people believe that design is
only about commercial ideas and making money
but initiatives like this show the public that design
can help facilitate important social change
and help make our lives better in other ways.
“The Graphic Design course at UCA Epsom always
promotes the social potential of design, so it’s
fitting to see this on a large scale, and especially
with a former student playing such a key role
in one of the winning projects.”
For the videos, and more about Trading Times
and the other winning projects, visit:
www.livingwellwithdementia.com
Alex Mattsson
BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Rochester 2007
One million people a week are seeing
the work of a fashion graduate from
the University for the Creative Arts
(UCA) at Rochester having been given
his own window display at a world
famous department store.
Alex Mattsson, who graduated in
BA (Hons) Fashion Design in 2007,
is one of 15 emerging designers
recently named one of Selfridges
Bright Young Things for 2012.
As well as showcasing his collection
in the famous Oxford Street windows
until the end of February, Alex has also
been given the opportunity to sell his
work in store and via Selfridges’ website.
Alex, who is from Gothenburg, Sweden,
said: “I feel very privileged to win this
amazing talent project.
“The purpose of the Bright Young Things
project is to give young designers like
me a big break and to help raise our
profile - I now have my collection being
seen by millions in the windows of one
of the world’s best-known department
stores as well as on sale in the shop
and online.
“The publicity has already given me
a huge boost – just days after I was
announced a winner, I had a doublepage spread in The Metro, which
really shows the scale of this project
and the potential benefits involved.
Alex plans to continue developing his
own fashion label from his East London
studio with this new exposure but
remembers where he learned his craft.
“During my degree at UCA, I went
from knowing nothing about garment
construction or design, to making
a graduate collection which I’m still
proud of. The guest tutors we had were
really inspiring and part of the reason
I have got to where I am now”, he said.
You can see more of Alex’s collection
on his website www.alexmattsson.com
Graduate Update | Alex Mattsson | Creative Update
39
Update
Hilary
Champion
Hilary Champion
BA (Hons)
Fine Art (PT)
Farnham 2009
Ronnie Bowers
& Victoria smith
A big congratulations
Congratulations to Ronnie Bowers and Victoria
Smith both Alumni from UCA Farnham who
have recently got engaged. They met at UCA
and became good friends.
Recycled Military Equipment Used For Orchestra
Old military equipment has been harmoniously
recycled into musical instruments. Fine Arts
graduate, Hilary Champion BA Hons Fine Art
2009, performed with her ensemble, The Post War
Orchestra (PWO) at the Orchestra in a field festival,
at Glastonbury Abbey.
The PWO signifies Hilary’s artistic response to the
wars, conflicts and violence prevalent in the world
today. Hilary said: “Several years ago I began
imagining a utopian era when xenophobia, warmongering and terrorism had ceased and weaponry
was therefore no longer needed. I thought about
how the military artefacts could be recycled and
came up with the idea of turning them into musical
instruments. All civilisations from time immemorial
have had some form of making music and it is
something which every race, creed, culture and
age group enjoy. As Longfellow said, music really
is a universal language.”
They became a couple in May after getting back in
contact via Facebook. They have chosen May 2013
for their wedding and are getting married near
Farnham. They will start married life together
in Oxfordshire, on the RAF base at Benson where
Ronnie is based.
Soni
Marquez
BA Fine Art 2009
Creative Update | Hilary Champion | Graduate Update
Soni said: “I knew my dream was to set up a print
studio, but I didn’t think it was going to happen
so quickly.”
With the help and support of this family, friends,
and technicians, Soni opened his fully equipped
screen print studio in Peckham Rye in June 2012.
The instruments were displayed as an installation
at a recent degree show.
40
40
Sonsoles Marquez was accepted on to an MA
Printmaking course at the Royal College of Art
the same year he graduated with a BA in Fine
Art from UCA Canterbury, 2009.
Last year, whilst working in a clothes shop near
his home in Essex, Soni started researching how
to set up his own business. A few months later,
he paid a visit to our Canterbury campus and
met up with Pete Goddard, a UCA print technician.
Offering his help and advice, Pete encouraged
Soni to pursue his dream.
During her Fine Art course in Farnham, Hilary created
her ensemble taking Lee Enfield rifles and turning
them into Native American flutes, or making a lyre
from a WWII steel helmet and field radio components.
She brought new life to a rocket launcher which now
acts as a theremin, and constructed a percussion
section from shell cases, steel wheels from an army
lorry and ammo boxes.
To contact the PWO and Hilary please visit:
www.thepostwarorchestra.co.uk
News
He says:”We are ready to welcome anybody that
wants to learn how to screen print or who wants
to join us as a member and use our facilities.”
Soni Marques
BA (Hons) Fine Art
Canterbury 2009
Graduate Update | Ronnie & Victoria + Soni Marquez | Creative Update
41
Bob Godfrey MBE
Search the Alumni
Directory for:
• classmates
• friends
Manage your
personal profile:
• view the information that
we have for you
• publish a brief description
about yourself and what
you are doing now
• upload and publish images
of your own artwork
• publish your professional
details and career history
The Exclusive
Online Portal
For UCA Alumni
Visit the alumni-online pages to request your account
login details.
www.ucreative.ac.uk/alumni-online
Your full name
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If you are not registered with the Alumni Association you can do
so at the website.
alumni news
Future Plans
In the future we are planning to launch an online Professional
Mentoring programme later this year.
42
You will be able to search an online directory of alumni
who are prepared to offer advice and mentoring in the
creative industries.
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Creative Update | UCA Online Portal | Alumni-Online
Despite his success, he found
the time to teach and established
the BA (Hons) Animation course
at UCA Farnham, then West
Surrey College of Art & Design,
in 1972. His interest was not for
the purely industrial process of
animation but in encouraging the
curious to break down barriers.
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skills to future generations of
animators. We are proud that
his legacy will continue through
UCA’s animation degree.”
Bob produced scores of critically
acclaimed animated films but
was best-known for the children’s
classics Roobarb and Henry’s
Cat in the 1970s.
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Known as the Godfather of
British Animation, Bob Godfrey
was Britain’s first Oscar winning
animator (Great, 1976).
Dr Simon Ofield-Kerr said:
“We are all saddened to hear
of Bob Godfrey’s passing.
“He was not only a talented,
ground-breaking animator but a
passionate educator who wanted
to pass on his knowledge and
He also presented The Do-ityourself Film Animation Show
for Children’s BBC with guests
including Terry Gilliam and
Richard Williams. The series
has been acknowledged
by a generation of animators,
including Nick Park, as
a significant influence on
them making animated films.
1921 - 2013
Obituary
Following the closure of his studio,
Bob loaned his collection of
artwork, cells, storyboards and
films to UCA Farnham. It includes
419 boxes of original artwork
and artefacts that illuminate the
creative processes of pre-digital
animation processes.
The physical materials in the
Bob Godfrey Studio Collection
reveal the artistic spirit and
essence of a witty, rebellious
and ground-breaking animator.
Bob was awarded the first
Lifetime Achievement Award at
the Bradford Animation Festival
in 2007 in recognition of his
distinguished career. He was
co-chairman of the Education
Commission and a director of
the executive board of the
International Animated
Film Association.
He won a total of three BAFTAs
and was appointed MBE in 1986.
Bob Godfrey MBE, born 27 May
1921, died 21 February 2013.
...................................................................................................................................
David Wentworth
David Wentworth an alumnus of the part-time Fine
Arts course died in October 2012 after a short illness.
David was a successful artist, selling and exhibiting
his work at many exhibitions - solo shows and the
Affordable Art Fair in Battersea, for example. He
shared studios in Chertsey. His work was mostly
painting, and he showed drawings and 3-D work
as well. After UCA, he went to Wimbledon for an
MA, and then trained as a teacher while working
at Send Women’s Prison, where he worked with
the therapeutic groups.
1942 - 2013
Sandra Monks, David’s sister said, “David’s funeral
was held at Woking Crematorium on Friday
2 November 2012 and afterwards at No Naked
Walls (formerly Windsor Street Gallery) in Windsor.
David loved his work at Send prison who opened
the chapel so that people could light candles.
At one point the queue stretched right around
the building. The governors closed the education
department so that staff could attend the funeral.
The prisoners held a service at the same time
as a tribute to a very special person”
Obituary | Bob Godfrey & David Wentworth | Creative Update
obituary
Alumni News
43
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www.ucreative.ac.uk/alumni-online
The range includes t-shirts, mugs, jumpers
and graduation teddy-bears.
To view the full range visit:
www.ucreative.ac.uk/alumni/merchandise
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