Abby Colquhoun & Beatriz Gonçalves
27/03/2020
“The very first time I met Margareta, she ordered a Guinness in the pub I work at, as she was attending her fortnightly knitting club. I could tell, instantly that she seemed to possess the most compelling and vibrant
character. We were looking for storytellers and conversationalists, and the ladies of the knitting club in the Clapton Hart Pub, were as anticipated, the perfect candidates.”
Full film available on https://vimeo.com/401291677
Mabel (Xiaotong) Chen
27/03/2020
“A tangible information experience design project that uses data analysis of the environment and human emotion to create smart furniture for better connecting the users and the world around us. Image one: A rock-shape, light blue, bioplastic chair designed for stressful meetings in GCD Studio. Image 2: A waterfall-shaped, bright purple, bio-plastic chair designed to inspired
creativity in Barbican Center.”
Rajiv Arjan
26/03/2020
“I spent the first month of this term travelling throughout India conducting a photo series focusing on Indian design culture and documenting the people that habituate these areas. I was drawn to India because of my upbringings and my time there as kid and a teenager.
Through my experiences in India, when I used to come back home to England i saw a lot of similarities within design, how Indian business owners would travel to England to set up shop but wouldn’t conform to the western ideals of design but rather take inspiration from what they know back home. I was interested in this and how it can take one man or woman from a different country to set up shop in an area and this then attracts more people from their country thus creating a community, something I saw happen in my area, Belgrave, Leicester.
This project is still a work in progress, and I am focusing on portraiture and landscape photography.
The reason I was drawn to portraiture because of the stories people have attached to their experiences while living in these areas, the images that I am choosing to show right now are of workers that work for my grandads tailoring shop that I used to run around in as a child and these workers and the environment of the shop played a big part of my upbringing and how I view design to this day.
Look forward to sharing the finished project with you guys soon.”
Rosie Stephenson
26/03/2020
“The rate at which deforestation is taking place across the world is unprecedented; trees hold a vital function in helping offset our CO2 emissions and ultimately are our partners in fighting Climate Change. Looking at the sublime beauty in the protected forests of the south, I aim to spark a feeling of joint responsibility for all forests globally.
For my printing process, I will be using the DNA of these landscapes, such as tree ash, as a form of pigment to screenprint onto 100% recycled paper.
Days before COVID-19 caused CSM to close down, I planned to print a montage of my photographs onto 4 metres of paper, but unfortunately ran out of time. Here are some images of my process from that week, and what is the start of my final outcome."
Olivia Alexander
25/03/2020
“I’m enjoying a bizarre feeling of freedom as we settle into this new temporary way of life. I’m taking more time to focus on my wellbeing and trying to take a break from university work. As a designer I like to think about a project a lot before I actually create anything, ‘thinking through making’ doesn’t come naturally to me when there’s the pressure of time constraints. So recently I’ve been executing those quick ideas that come into my head and enjoying the results, even if they’re not what I planned, or don’t work."
Dun Lee
25/03/2020
“Poetic & Physical Hyperlinks of Fluid Graphic Design Practice (I know it’s way too long for a title) attempts to re-programme the interfaces of the textual ecosystem of my dissertation. Deconstruct the report into words, modularise them and mash them up to explore the poetic potential of words. By remixing words and generating subjective hyperlinks brings me a new insight into writing.”
Ellen Powley
25/03/2020
“I’ve been looking at comfort food as a form of self-care, so when the pandemic struck I decided to use it to my advantage. I’m in the process of making a recipe book/journal which documents the comfort foods I’ve been making and eating during this time. The publication is also an opportunity to express any thoughts, feelings and anecdotes that arise, using food as the conversation starter.”
Amelia Tovey
24/03/2020
“I’ve been exploring the important role narrative plays within environmental activism. Natural environments are closely linked to our cultural identities, which are informed and reinforced by a long and deeply ingrained history of storytelling. My most recent project, ‘Folktale for the Future’, aims to narrate our current climate crisis through the voices of future generations, looking back. This was also a chance to explore environmentally conscious image-making methods, as resources will increasingly become scarce.”
Yukari Ono
24/03/2020
“I am investigating the importance of hands-on activities in today’s digitalised world. In my first project, I documented our current behaviour (always on the phone) in order to show our dependence on technology and how we use our hands today. For my second project, I was going to run a series of origami workshop for children. But unfortunately, the class is cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak, so I decided to offer online activities to entertain kids during quarantine.”
Zac Goodenough
23/03/2020
“When I'm stuck on a project, I make these small animations to clear my head so I don't go nuts. I usually make about 50 of these a day.”
Leila Wallisser
22/03/2020
“In Nature nothing can be lost, nothing wasted, nothing thrown away, there is no such thing as rubbish. – John Stewart Collis. Current studies on finding beauty in decay from my ongoing investigation into the relationship between humans and nature. By capturing the aesthetics of this part of an objects life cycle, the goal is to shed a positive light on decay, being a vital part of renewal and growth.”
Jess Li
22/03/2020
“I have been looking into human’s (our) over-adaptive behaviours in interacting with the smart devices. It is simply because I found that not only myself, but people around me are on their phones while they are actually being with each other. And when we are alone, this behaviour of using the phone becomes even more notable. (It is tricky for this timing though, during this quarantine time, some of us probably have no choice but the devices to connect with the world) :O”
Ning Yan
21/03/2020
“404-not-found is a typeface that is designed to create messages when people want a more discreet way of expressing their opinions, or when circumstances do not allow them to do freely. It comes in thin, regular and a handwritten version. The thin and regular version, when used without space, it emerges into a pattern with the message hidden in plain sight. Messages and opinions do not always have to be bold and loud, it can also be sensual and performative. For people like me, sometimes I just want to whisper something through typography, so hopefully, this typeface can help you feel lighthearted and safe.”
Maya Kubota
21/03/2020
“Not until recently, I realized that I love collecting. I have a collection of everything including unused/old notebooks, postcards and boxes. In unit 9, I made paper out of old screen prints, junk mails, and my old notebook. Right now I’m collecting lost& found objects and sentimental belongings. I wanted to repurpose and celebrate these objects through curation and printing.”
Kate Wixley
20/03/2020
“For the past few weeks I've been investigating how visual communication can be used in print and interior design, to communicate a story, or create a juxtaposition. It started with wondering what 'the good old days' would look like in the context of a home. I then focused on themes of technology and nostalgia and designed a range of wallpaper patterns, taking obsolete technologies from my own childhood. The key element of my investigation is: if our home is a reflection of our identity, then why not use visual communication to tell the story? In a period when we are constantly stuck at home, wouldn't you like to be surrounded by something that tells a story, rather than just looking pretty?”
Georgia Pizzala
20/03/2020
“For me a lot of self doubt comes with photography, with the influence of smartphones and easily accessible technology with amazing auto settings, everyone can be a photographer. Therefore this comes with what feels like so much competition and feeling that your work is never as good as the next person. For my own creative development I've had to learn that this "competition" is just inspiration. Photographs my be similar but no one can capture the same split second as someone else. Ever since I was younger analogue cameras have fascinated me, there was so many factors and concentration that went into taking a single shot. I loved the fact that one picture could never be replicated and was engraved forever on a long strip of plastic. The whole process of developing and printing is so calming, so rewarding as the final outcome is all your own effort and time.
This project I have been working on is called "Manners don't cost a thing" I looked at how table manners can represent social status and class. But not in the way you might think. Focusing on Britain as a country and how the influence of immigration has had on the food culture scene. From my studies I found that with the influence of money you could pay people to be polite for you. Those that work as waiters and waitresses learn the ins and out of silver service. Those that come from a lower class have gown up to say their please and thankyou's, not to eat with their mouth open, no phones at the table, elbows on the table so that they don't be seen as rude or any less than others (due to the fact they are already seen as less because of money). It was also a chance to make a light of this situation through clear stereotypes. That there would always be one aspect within my final larger photograph that people could relate to in some way.”
Beatriz Gonçalves
20/03/2020
"Nurturing a special affection by old people since I remember was the main reason to address this question and create a project where I could get them involved. When observing my own family, I can acknowledge how lonely and sad my older relatives feel. Our fast-paced lifestyle gets us distracted from everything and in times makes us forget about their existence.
Growing up being part of a patriarchal society enabled me to observe both perspectives and recognise women’s value and influence on our families. My grandmother and great-aunts were a big part of my childhood and they made me become a strong and independent woman. Back then, my great-aunts were forced to leave school at the age of 9 in order to help their parents with cattle raising and farming. As young ladies, they were expected to get married at a young age, raise children and take care of the household. None of them has ever owned an “important” job and given that, they are diminished by high society. My great-aunts represent power and hard work — in a society led by men, they raised their voices and fought for independence and equality. The matriarchs of the Portuguese society are the strongest and most inspiring women, who have shown us what kindness and simplicity are.
I intend to provide insights on the last analogue generation of my family, in the form of an investigative documentary. I found in here a great chance to celebrate these women, by making them feel valued and worthy. I want to capture the stories and wisdom they have to share with a younger, contemporary generation by raising awareness on the consideration of such important women. Despite the personal relationship between my aunts and I, this project is also a portrait of my own relationship to the place I call home."
This whole situation with the COVID-19 made me quite demotivated in continuing this project, especially because they advise us to stay away from older people. I hope I can go back at it soon as make it happen!”
Ruby Hughes
19/03/2020
“The idea being - to do something I’ve never done before and embrace all the mistakes it creates. Still trying to knit this jumper, no idea what i’m doing. Yet being in isolation means it might get finished, Writing down every time I pick it up, and how i feel about it.”
Bobbie Galvin
19/03/2020
“This brief I have been working on has been to find the most effective way for a brand to discover its ‘Brand Personality’ through approaches of research led as well as a systemic practise within my work. Through my research and process I had toIdentify as well as define one the different theories within the umbrella of ‘Brand Personality’. It was important to understand each of these discoveries within my research. I also had to think about not just where these theories came from but also why they are a success as well as failure. How they can be measured? How could it be conceptualised and why a brand should use each of these theories? Here I have been experimenting with how I could conceptualise the brand archetypes in a human form. Also, what would their habitat look like? I have been focusing on making things exciting and engaging.”
Abbie Lilley
19/03/2020
“I have been undergoing an investigation into the ways in which we interact with art and in the gallery space. I plan to create a responsive critical publication, based upon real-life actions. My project began at a very slow pace, generating an enquiry into how physical interaction and behaviours can be translated through the printed page. Here are some initial spreads of playing with type entirely in B&W, trying to regain the fast, instant and responsive nature my work normally communicates. Very rough, but always gotta start somewhere!”
Indiya Tupe
19/03/2020
“Returning to France last December, away from urban turmoil, I found myself longing to re-unite with the Sea of Ice; iconic glacier ruling over the Alps.
Once brought back closer, I bowed over the edge of the belvedere. A tremendous pain took over me.
Lying ahead was a startling spectacle; an unfamiliar descent to the glacier’s entry, bearing four hundred and thirty metal steps. This new prosthesis re-modelling the experience, obstacle to instinctive interactions, hideous alteration, seemed to move me into a tragic play. As I began walking down to frozen vestiges, veracity, immediacy and emergency made me shiver more than any winds. I was hearing the glacier crying. I knew that nothing was more real than natural tragedies; the Beautiful turned into the Sublime.
Of Ice and Tears is a project, initiated as an ode to the Sea of Ice’s grandiosity, thought as a response to environmental tragedy, experienced as a meditation on modesty between imperilled environments and ourselves Beyond epic images, beyond idyllic representations, this project uses graphic communication design as a system of visual narratives translating and empowering the unheard and forgotten voices of the land. This re-modelled visual experience therefore aims to set a frame for a richer, deeper experience of the niveous landscape. Through organic processes and a sensitive approach to material, the series lying in balance between fragility and movement, intends to expand perceptions and increases sensibility to the land’s past and present story.
In moments when a deceleration and confinement become a global urgency, I am bound to contemplate the glacier burning under the Spring sun, from my window.
Still yearning for vivid interactions and responsive contributions, I painfully acknowledge the need for an interlude. Reminiscing my intentions to call for hope and empowerment in this project, I will now be taking this time indoors, to let go of nostalgia and regret, and cultivate instead patience and determination. If physical distancing from the outdoors is a fatality today, I believe it is my duty as a designer, advocate of tightened relationships between the self and the environment, to promote alternative encounters and adaptive manifestations of the glaciers.
For now, Of Ice and Tears, flows on our universities concrete steps.This particular activation in situ evidently recalls the 450 metal steps necessary to experience the glacier in real life. Implicitly, it becomes a serendipitous metaphor for elevation or descent.”
Lili Phillips
19/03/2020
“I have been orchestrating informal interviews with women in the book arts. So far, I've spoken to four individuals, all with totally different approaches and practices. I shall now be making a series of books (that's if the printers are open) that reflect our conversations. My prototype starts to challenge the joyous flow of reading. The text is only legible when the reader folds the page.”
Ruth Pickering
18/03/2020
“Written on ephemeral technology (typewriter) the words become naturally distorted through the act of writing. The connection to input and output is an instant dynamic transaction between the person and the production.
The repetition of these powerful statements challenges perception and reception of the messages and the piece as a whole, the distortion of the text is a visual mimicry of how communication gets distorted through conversation, interpretation and production alike. The piece becomes bittersweet.
The tactility of the soft cotton material, on which the text lies, ruffles and shifts in contact with human interaction, altering its visibility and readability with every motion and movement. As the viewer moves the words move with it,
creating a beautiful action and reaction dancelike motion.”
Gianni Antonia
18/03/2020
“The last few weeks I have focussed on the exciting journey to learn how to design generative fashion prints – with javascript – for textile production, using people’s identity as data. I’m at the stage, finding out that it’s quite difficult to balance the various aspects of my enquiry, being different disciplines and techniques I'm jumping into for the first time. I think the major difficulty right now and I guess the challenge with the COVID-19 virus, is adapting our approaches to be more accessible to turbulent times. How can we make sure to still produce our prototypes if there’s no access to workshops, delivery times are longer or manufacturers are not delivering at all? – hence my textile mockup. How can we still interact with our audiences, facilitate workshops for our projects, if we cannot physically meet them? I guess this virus is going to urge us to come up with new approaches and help our practice to be more generative. What do y’all think?”
Mabel (Xiaotong) Chen
18/03/2020
"A multi-dimensional map that visualises the stories, the vibrancy and our life in the graphic communication design studio in Central Saint Martins. The design was generated from a series of data analysis in the studio space, including environmental and emotional data, and by visualising data in layers and physicality, it opens up a new perspective for the audience to get a sense of the narratives in the space and also reveal the unnoticeable small moments to us.
I am so glad that I can use design to capture out life at that point of time and glorify those small moments, cause I realise things change so rapidly, especially in this tough time, those memories and experiences we had are things that keep us positive and look forward.“
Sophie French
18/03/2020
"When your whole project is fucked so you have to improvise with "fake" models.“
Lewis Fry
17/03/2020
"This project is inspired by the book the 'the velvet rage' which discusses the development of shame and the invalidation gay men face growing up in a heteronormative environment. It was also inspired by the erasure of LGBT+ education in schools and the recent protests in places like Birmingham where there were parents protesting against teaching surrounding LGBT family. I wanted to design a platform that not only provides essential queer education and guidance but also creates a sense of community for those who may not have one.
My target audience is teenagers from around 14 spanning through their adolescence. This is where the concept for 'Same' came in: originally names 'category is' as a nod to ballroom culture, the app consists of 5 Live shows covering differing educational categories: Sex, Queer history, Current Queer news, General advice and Queer stories. The app was called changed to the name Same as I felt the name was approachable and welcoming, more instant and had a more empathetic tone that nodded to the idea of community. The Live shows provide a live, living breathing sense of community and these shows would have interactive elements whereby the user can interact with and engage with the show.
This project was quite a challenge as the topic education was so expansive and took me into unknown territory whereby I had never designed an application (which the survey response from the age group overwhelmingly voted for as a medium) or animated before. It also made me confront a part of myself that I tend to have trouble with: being gay.”
James Duhan
17/03/2020
"These are images of my experimentation and research on the documentary I am currently making for my final project. This project so far, has genuinely been an unpredictable rollercoaster. I'm about month three into making a documentary now, and throughout the whole process, nothing has been certain or steady. I'm at the point now where I realise the real work it takes to create a film all by yourself, especially when it requires locating, contacting and organising other people. I assumed that a simple email would go a long way. However, it is all about building relationships and trust before even entertaining the idea of filming. As well as this, there is an extensive amount of research and experimentation which goes into every other element of the project, and there is never a point where this stops. After meeting with one person, about several others are suggested; therefore research, inquiry and contacting happen all over again. With a deadline approaching, this endless cycle never seems to stop. There have been points during this project where no one was coming back with a response which would lead to filming. Making the whole outcome fall apart, and just when they all responded, and you feel secure, COVID-19 pops up. Now potential interviews and filming days are compromised once again. I'm just trying to discover a way to complete this film before the final hand in, without jeopardising mine or others health. Obviously, this was unpredictable, but it sure is devastating.”
