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UAL showcases next generation of creative talent on a global scale

next generation of creative talent

#UALShowcase – The next generation of creative talent from across @UAL’s six world-leading colleges: @CamberwellUAL @csm_news @ChelseaUAL @LCCLondon @LCFLondon @WimbledonUAL will be showcased in one, curated space for the first time in history 

The newest names in art, design, fashion, communication, media and performing arts will be unveiled on the UAL Graduate Showcase – a digital platform created with IBM launching to the public on Tuesday 28 July (18:30 BST).

Created as a rapid response to the coronavirus pandemic, the platform will host the final collections of thousands of graduating students from all of its colleges; Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts.

The innovative platform, hosted on the IBM public cloud, has been designed to ensure everyone can explore and enjoy the breadth and depth of student work like never before.

In a digital space the concept of a collection is less fixed and more fluid with students’ work able to be surfaced in a variety of contexts – bringing unique ways to experience the skills of the next generation of creative talent.

  • Visitors will be able to curate their own experience by exploring specific disciplines, spanning fashion and graphic design, to fine art and special effects. Alternatively, they can experience the Showcase via themes as diverse as Black Lives Matter, climate change and coronavirus.
  • Visitors can also enjoy collections curated by course leaders and VIP guests.
  • For those with limited time – or who simply don’t know where to start – there will be an ‘Inspire me’ button which randomly selects a student’s work to see.

The Showcase has also been designed to encourage the live interaction normally associated with a venue event through various technologies. Members of the public and professionals from across the creative industries will be able to interact with students, buy their work and attend curated live events.

The Graduate Showcase Events Programme will run from 28 July to 7 August and give the opportunity for visitors to enjoy screenings, tours, performances, discussions, workshops and more.

Nigel Carrington, UAL Vice-Chancellor, said:

“Now more than ever we need the talent, entrepreneurship, resilience and vision of our creative graduates to reshape our economy and keep our society and culture thriving. The innovative UAL Graduate Showcase platform, which we’ve created with IBM, will bring together all of our graduating students’ final shows for the first time. The Showcase will allow people to interact with the next generation of creative talent from wherever they are across the globe by exploring and buying our students’ work”.

Grayson Perry, UAL Chancellor, said:

“Seeing what UAL students put together for their final collections is always a highlight of the summer for me. But this year, instead of spending several evenings exploring student work at each College, I’m excited to be forging my own adventure on the UAL Graduate Showcase and experiencing the collision of disciplines all under one roof. I’ve always said that UAL is the world’s biggest factory for making trouble – so visit the platform to discover the creators, rebels and innovators of tomorrow and be ready to expect the unexpected!”

Luq Niazi, IBM Global Managing Director for Consumer Industries, said: 

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector will change the tenor and substance of graduate shows forever. We are proud to be using state-of-the-art technology, building the platform using Red Hat OpenShift on the IBM public cloud, to give the world a front row seat to the UAL Graduate Showcase 2020. We all look forward to seeing UAL students’ work broadcast around the world.”

Jeremy Till, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of Central Saint Martins, said:

“The UAL Graduate Showcase provides a brilliant opportunity for our students to present their work to a global audience. What we are already witnessing is how the students have adapted to the new conditions with remarkable agility and resilience, producing exactly the sort of work which will be needed in the face of the world we are all now encountering.”

Natalie Brett, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head London College of Communication, said:

“This year has presented our students with enormous challenges. Completing a degree and developing a final major project is hard work at the best of times without a global pandemic adding extra hurdles and barriers. But they have used their resilience, creativity and flexibility to rise to the challenge. These are skills that industry and employers will be looking to harness, now more than ever.”

Roni Brown, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head London College of Fashion, said:

“London College of Fashion Class of 2020 will be forever known as the students who graduated against the odds in extraordinary circumstances. I am incredibly proud of how our students have responded to recent events, showing a level of ingenuity which ranks them amongst the best in the world. Now, more than ever, we are calling on the fashion industry to back our graduates, not only to celebrate and amplify their achievements but also to employ them and invest in their endeavours.”

David Crow, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts, said:

This year’s graduating show is undoubtedly one of the most significant shows in the history of Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon College of Arts. With all the obstacles of Covid-19, social distancing and a closed college our students have produced a quality of work that is testimony not only to their creativity but their resilience. Our visitors will find a truly international showcase which deals with a huge range of contemporary issues and themes to inspire and challenge them. We’re both proud and excited about this year’s graduate show.”

Visit: graduateshowcase.arts.ac.uk/home

Public launch: 18:30 BST 28 July 2020


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