Over the coming weeks we have organised a series of opportunities for our students to have their work reviewed by leading practitioners from the creative industries.
Here is a rundown of what we have planned:
22nd April. Shortlisted students to visit Bear. 25th April. Studio visit to Pearlfisher. 27th April Portfolio reviews by Jonathon Hedley Debut Art 27th April. Portfolio reviews for selected students by Sean Murphy. Creative Director, Moving Brands. 28th April. Portfolio Reviews by Sam Blunden.
We are also waiting on a confirmation of dates from David Breen, Design director at Sampson May and two local agencies C&Co and Marmalade on Toast
We will post these dates as soon as we find out. Meanwhile, some work by the practitioners we have coming in is featured below…
On Wednesday the 2nd of March Supermundane (Rob Lowe) came in to talk to the BA Graphic Arts students about his work, process, thoughts, and research. Not only did Rob talk through lots of interesting and exciting work, the students were treated to an exclusive, never before seen in public, treat at the end of the talk. Rob played a casio keyboard, in front of a video of himself dancing, whilst reciting a poem about the future. What a talented man. After the talk/dance/performance Rob went into the studios to answer questions and look through students work. Lots of tips, and advice was passed on. It was an inspirational day, with music, laughing, and dancing.
Photographer Toby Smith will be visiting WSA on Wednesday to deliver a visiting practitioner talk in LTA starting at 10am.
Toby embraces a range of
traditional photography and innovate video techniques tailored to the subject
matter. Moving between large format photography for exhibition
and print, full production video for broadcast and also Ultra HD Time Lapse or
animation for web and new-media usage. Toby also has a special interest in the
online mapping and geo-location of his research leading to grants from National
Geographic, The Royal Photographic Society and partnerships with NGO’s on
numerous field trips.
His work is exhibited
internationally and editorial clients include National Geographic, GEO, The
Sunday Times Magazine, TIME, Fortune, The New York Times, Guardian, Intelligent
Life and Stern. Broadcast credits include the BBC Natural History Unit, Al
Jazeera, Sky News, BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service. Notable exhibitions and
awards include the V & A Gallery, The Barbican and PDN
On Wednesday 17th February, WSA teaching fellow, Andrew Lister will be talking about a new journal he has edited, designed and produced with Matthew Stuart, ‘Bricks from the Kiln’.
BRICKS FROM THE KILN #1 Edited by Andrew Lister & Matthew Stuart 170 × 224.764mm, 138pp. + 2 inserts Edition of 700, ISSN 2397‐0227 TTC‐090, December 2015, London
FRAGMENTS OF A CONVERSATION WITH RON HUNT Andrew Lister, Matthew Stuart & Ron Hunt (pp.1–20)
RALPH RUMNEY: THE SHAPE OF HEADS TO COME Natalie Ferris (pp.21–34)
THE LEANING TOWER OF VENICE Ralph Rumney (pp.35–38)
OBSERVATIONS FROM A FIXED POSITION James Langdon (pp.39–44 & insert #1)
VAPEGAZE Mark Owens (pp.45–55)
WORDS FALLING FROM THE SKY LIKE BLOSSOM Jamie Sutcliffe (pp.56–64)
WESTERING Iain Sinclair (pp.65–88)
PICKING UP, TURNING OVER, PUTTING WITH Traven T. Croves (pp.90–107)
“STAY HUNGRY. STAY FOOLISH”, SAID THE ACADEMY AND FED US TO
THE LIONS. OR: STARVING WITH A LOT OF LOVE IN YOUR STOMACH Parallel School (pp.108–117)
MUSIQUES D’AUTREFOIS, ÉCHOS D’AUJOURD’HUI: A STUDY ROOM ON
THE WORKS OF PIERRE FAUCHEUX Catherine Guiral (pp.118–136)
GRAND COUPES Max Harvey, He Pianpian & Li You (insert #2)
ASIDES TO OUR TIME AND TO OUR CONTEMPORARIES Andrew Lister & Matthew Stuart (inside cover folds)
ASIDES
TO OUR TIME AND TO OUR CONTEMPORARIES
(An
Afterword from the Editors) Between
1917 and 1921 Ret Marut published thirteen issues of his anarchist, satirical
magazine Der
Ziegelbrenner
(The Brick-Burner or The Brick-Maker). It was ‘the size, shape and colour of a
brick’,1 and appeared at irregular intervals from Munich (and later
Cologne) before Marut escaped to Holland, London and eventually Tampico in
Mexico, where he would become the elusive author B.Traven. As former BBC
Television Managing Director turned literary detective Will Wyatt notes, ‘the
bricks were fired by Ret Marut to comment upon the corrupt society in which he
lived and to begin the rebuilding of a new and better world.’2Der Ziegelbrenner included ‘sporadic laconic
news glosses’,3 which were listed on the cover of the second issue
under the heading, ‘Ziegeln aus dem Brenn-Ofen: Randbemerkungen zu unserer Zeit
und zu unseren Zeitgenossen’ (Bricks from the Kiln (or Combustion Furnace):
Asides to our time and to our contemporaries).4
For us,
‘Bricks from the Kiln’ implies something in flux and liable to crack. A piece
of a larger structure. A part of a sum. Fittingly, many of the bricks included
here stem from larger bodies of work and ongoing research. Some are chapters
lifted from forthcoming books, or investigations begun but forced aside. Others
are unrecorded talks, or previously unpublished autonomous editions in their
own right.
In
preparing BFTK#1 we were keen not to arbitrarily hang the issue on an
overarching theme before the fact, but rather to adopt a more responsive
approach, allowing connections to develop organically through both the
editorial and design processes. In particular, the conversation with Ron Hunt
that opens the issue, has begun to shape much of our thinking, and here a
number of threads and recurring characters begin to emerge.
Guy
Debord and the Situationist International loom large. Explicitly in Ron Hunt’s
lapsed anarchism (pp.1–20) and in Natalie Ferris’ essay on the ghostly presence
of the artist Ralph Rumney (pp.21–34). And more tangentially in the rural
psychogeography of Westering (pp.65–88), in vaporwave’s
détourned ‘music optimized for abandoned malls’ (pp.45–55) and in ‘photographs
of grand coupes and synthetic sweets’ captured on dérives around Beijing (insert
#2).
Ron
also identifies a preoccupation with the peripheral and the overlooked,
touching on the difficulties of recuperation. Again, this sentiment seems to
run throughout these pages, peripheral characters and locales a constant
presence. Marut, Rumney, Breakwell, Viollet-le-duc and Faucheux. Langcliffe,
Hastings, Newcastle, Changsha, Dorset, Uxmal and Brno. A ‘necessary otherness’,
as Iain Sinclair puts it.
An
interest in ‘the picking up, turning over, and putting with’5 is
discussed in more physical terms in our own talk from the Brno Biennial
(pp.89–136) and also extends to some of the structural considerations for the
issue as a whole. An initial plan had, in fact, been to produce the issue a
signature at a time, as and when money was available.***** A production model
not dissimilar to that adopted in Phil Baber’s first Cannon Magazine or Dieter Roth’s Copley Book: ‘a kind of visual diary
squirted out during three years of spasmodic labor’.6 But as the
inevitable financial holdups, printer bankruptcies and editorial concerns
played out, this model seemed less and less appropriate to our needs. In this
first collection of bricks we have thus attempted to maintain some of the
‘oddities’7 and specifics of original contexts, whilst still working
within a cohesive structure. From Westering
by Iain Sinclair, produced to exist as a standalone edition for publishers Test
Centre, and to be bound into the issue as signatures I, J and K. To the
decision to allow the formatting of footnotes and references to alter from
piece to piece, in keeping with their original settings.
Of
course, there are precedents for this kind of exploration of the periodical
format that have come before and greatly inform our approach. The likes of Typographica, Icteric, Dot Dot Dot, Dieter Roth’s Collected Works and Jacqueline De Jong’s Situationist Times being of particular note.
Perhaps the strongest affinity for us, though, is with Theo Crosby’s Uppercase, which ran for five issues
between 1958 and 1960.
Crosby
was facilitator-in-chief for a specific brand of post-war British design and
architecture, initiating the hugely influential exhibition This Is Tomorrow in 1956 and later
co-founding the design studio Pentagram. He published Uppercase whilst working as Technical
Editor for Architectural
Design under
Monica Pidgeon, and would subsequently take the editorial reins of Living Arts: a ‘documentary magazine’8
published out of the ICA in London. Despite its short lifespan and modest
format (close to pocket size at 5.5″ x 7″), Uppercase
intended to ‘deal with the whole field of visual communication’.9
Striking a balance between historical research and current work—and drawing
connections between the two—it featured the work of Crosby’s own cast of
recurring characters, including among others, Edward Wright, Richard Hamilton,
William Turnbull, Eduardo Paolozzi, Kurt Schwitters, John McHale, Magda
Cordell, Nigel Henderson and Alison & Peter Smithson. Each issue was, as
Crosby put it, ‘an experiment in type within the same overall format’, an
attempt at translating ‘a mass of material from an artist’10 into
the specifics of print production.
Ultimately,
and perhaps selfishly, BFTK#1 presents a collection of texts and projects we
simply wanted to read and see more of ourselves, and that we felt would benefit
from wider circulation. The hope is that it finds an audience of likeminded
readers and that this first iteration provides a platform upon which to build.
Inevitably—in the same way that Crosby notes in his introduction to the inaugural
issue of Uppercase—‘it will be tentative,
incomplete and inconsistent.’11
AL
& MS
Notes
1. Wyatt,
W., ‘Introduction’, in Marut, R., To the Honorable Miss S… and other stories by Ret Marut a/k/a
B. Traven,
1981, Cienfuegos Press, Orkney, p.viii. 2. Ibid. 3. Carr,
G., ‘Lion’s heads—or just bricks and tiles? On satirical motifs and chance’, in
Rasche, H. & Schönfeld, C. (eds.), Denkbilder: Festschrift für Eoin Bourke, 2004, Königshausen &
Neumann, Würzburg, p.188. 4. Marut,
R., Der
Ziegelbrenner,
Heft 2, 1 December 1917, cover, in Marut, R. / Traven, B., Der Ziegelbrenner, facsimile, 1976, Verlag
Klaus Guhl, Berlin, p.23. 5. Lichtenstein,
C. & Schregenberger, T. (eds.), As Found: The Discovery of the Ordinary, 2001, Lars Müller
Publishers, p.8. *****
The signature marks included at the bottom of the first page of each 8-page
signature (eg. BFTK#1—A) are a remnant of this initial model. 6. Hamilton,
R., ‘Introduction: Diter Rot’, in Roth, D., Copley Book,
1965, William and Norma Copley Foundation, Chicago. 7. This
approach to typographic detailing and phrasing is particularly well exemplified
in Richard Hamilton’s Collected
Words,
(Hamilton, R., Collected
Words: 1953–1982,
1982, Thames and Hudson Ltd, London) of which there is a more in-depth
discussion in our talk from the Brno Biennial (pp.100–102). 8. Crosby,
T. & Bodley, J. (eds.), Living
Arts no.1,
1963, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, p.1. 9. Crosby,
T., ‘Introduction’, in Uppercase no.1, 1958, Whitefriars,
London p.1. 10. Ibid.,
p.2. 11. Ibid.
Dem from
ustwo, and Steffan and Louie from Moving Brands visited WSA. They started the
day with a talk that touched on everything, from how they met and their journey
into industry to what they’ve worked on in their first 18 months and the side
projects that keep them sane. The three then ran through some key points on
stuff they’ve learned along the way – a one liner on screen, they
discussed their interpretation of the point and how it could help students into
industry.
After a Q&A
session, the afternoon was about helping the students explore their ‘creative
core’, with the objective of informing their online presence / self-promotion.
The guys asked the students to choose an artefact (which they described as
literally anything – an object, story, picture) that would help them
articulate why they wanted to be a creative.
In
attempt to destroy all signs of ‘I am a graphic communicator’ on new designers’
websites, the informal brief encouraged students to think less about the title
of their jobs, and more about the purpose of it. The group then sat and chatted
through their artefacts, asking questions and discussing why they’d chosen
those particular things – it was an eye opener for the students and the
three ‘professionals’.
One
student spoke about how a series of images helped her articulate the power of
photography, another student read the manifesto of Japanese design agency Nendo. One student used an origami fortune teller to discuss playfulness.
The last
destination was the Mucky Duck, where a more informal workshop continued over a
few beers…
Since the
day, the discussion on Twitter has been positive and encouraging – many
email addresses were exchanged so stay in touch! Their inboxes are open doors.
A new semester dawns for the BA in Graphic Arts at
Winchester School of Art and we have another exciting schedule of events for ‘Insights
from the Field’. As our year 3 students approach graduation, we have tried to
tailor the programme to support this process, offering opportunities for
students to talk to key industry professionals to help them shape portfolios
that meet their needs.
Sessions will be on Wednesdays from 10 to 12.00 in LTA and
many will be followed by a workshop in the third year studios.
Here is the full programme;
03rd Feb. Dem and Steff, recent graduates working at Moving
Brands and ustwo respectively share their post graduation experiences.
10th Feb. Programme Leader, Derek Yates, provides tips on
developing a professional Portfolio.
17th Feb. BA GA teaching fellow, Andrew Lister, talks about
the development and publication of his new critical journal, Bricks from the
Kiln.
09th Mar. A specialist photographer, to be
confirmed.
16th Mar. Typographer Tom Foley, from international
typeface designers, Dalton Maag, talks about his work.
After the Easter break, we will be running a series of 1:1 portfolio
surgery days run by some previous contributors to the Insights programme. These
will include the likes of Tim Beard, one of the founding partners at Bibliothéque,
Russell Holmes strategy partner at ico, and representatives from Heart, Debut
Art and Mr President.
These sessions are open to students from all pathways on the
BA Graphic Arts programme.
Graphic designer, curator,
researcher & writer, James Langdon will visit Winchester School of Art on
Wednesday 9th December to deliver our last Insights talk of the
year.
Here is an extract
from his biography:
‘As one of six
directors of Eastside Projects—an artist-run exhibition space dedicated to
promoting cultural growth in its home town of Birmingham, England—Langdon
designs and edits many of the organization’s publications and is responsible
for creating a series of experimental manuals that explore its mission through
ideas as varied as urban renewal, adhocism, and public engagement. In 2013,
Langdon founded the itinerant School for Design Fiction, working with students
to investigate the storytelling inherent in the design process, the emotions
embedded within an artifact, and the benefits of living in
speculative worlds.
As a curator,
Langdon organized Arefin
& Arefin: The Graphic Design of Tony Arefin, an exhibition celebrating the
overlooked but highly influential British graphic designer; Book Show, exploring the form of the book; and a
restaging of Norman Potter’s In:quest of Icarus
at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. Langdon has been guest lecturer at schools
around the world, including Werkplaats Typografie (Arnhem), Jan van Eyck
Academie (Maastricht), and Konstfack (Stockholm). He is the recipient of the
2012 Inform International Award for Conceptual Design, presented by Galerie für
Zeitgenössische Kunst, Germany.’
BA Graphic Arts welcomed Illustrator Rose Blake today to Winchester School of Art, today. Rose gave a brilliantly open and honest review of her own work, as well as providing insight into the world of working freelance. Rose talked us through her working process, interactions with clients, life after university, and what it is like today working freelance. Rose mentioned the importance of keeping a visual diary to help you understand your view of the world, and to practice your interpretation and communication skills. In conversation with the third years she advised “ When working freelance you get out what you put in, the more you put in the more you will get out. You must persevere, and keep trying until you succeed. Do not give up. Be professional and polite, PUNCTUAL, and friendly and people will use you again.”
After her talk Rose answered questions from students in the studios, as well as looking at their current project work. Rose said she was ‘very impressed with the quality of the work’ she saw, as well as taking home one of the posters designed by third years Joe and Joe from Sundae School. During a quick tea break Rose was questioned by students visiting from Sparshot College, who were so impressed and excited to meet her that some had their pictures taken with her! Rose has left a real buzz and excitement in the studios as she heads back to her studio in London.
As a change to the advertised Insights programme, we
will now be joined by Alexandra Lethbridge for our 25th November Insights.
Here is her biog:
“Alexandra graduated from the University of Brighton
with a Masters in Photography. Previous education has included Winchester
School of Art and the International Center of Photography in New York.
Her work has been exhibited widely with an upcoming
group show in Portugal as part of Encontros de Imagem Festival, in China
as part of Pingyao International Photography Festival and in India as part of
PhotoUKIndia.
In 2014, she was shortlisted for the Paris Photo
Aperture Foundation First PhotoBook Award for her first publication, The
Meteorite Hunter and was awarded the Professional Choice winner of the Danny
Wilson Memorial Award in association with Brighton Photo Fringe.
Most recently, she has been selected for Fresh Faced
and Wild Eyed 2015, as well as being selected as a winner for Flash Forward
Magenta Foundation 2015 and a finalist in the Renaissance Photography Prize
2015.
In 2015, The Guardian recognized her as ‘a rising star
of British photography’ with her work featuring in magazines and online
publications such as HotShoe, Source, Der Grief, Photoworks, Self Publish Be
Happy, Pik magazine, Float magazine, Introdex magazine, Wired Magazine
and The Telegraph online.
Between working on personal projects and commissions,
Alexandra also works for photography development agency, Photoworks.
Students on BA Graphic Arts were lucky enough to experience
a fantastic presentation from leading data experience designer Max Gadney on
Wednesday 4th November and in an hour packed with insight, humour and
extremely useful reference points he let us into new areas of design that are
emerging and evolving as a result of the growth of big data.
Data design he said
was about “Showing not telling” and “Exposing what is actually there” He talked
about the importance of content & function “Its not just what the thing
looks like, it’s what the thing does”
He showed the work of Palantir who create experiences
related to security intelligence data. He talked about the growing importance
of digital products and how designers increasingly need to create films that
explain their projects rather than simply making the projects. He urged
students to learn to sell and read, ‘Why do we buy’ by ‘Paco Underhill. He
stressed the importance of contextual research and learning how to talk to
users. Designers he pointed out should “Be ignorant of the problem and have
humility. Be curious.” And there should be “zero creative distance between the
technology and the designer”. Like many of our speakers he stressed the
importance of learning to use digital technology, asking the simple question,
“If not digital why not?” He talked about selling, coding, risk & reward,
T- shaped designers, designers needing to ‘understand what they like and are
like’, working within parameters, drawing and the “need for designers to keep
the dignity of themselves in what they do.”
After the lecture he kindly gave 1:1 critiques to students
working on the National Air Traffic Control live brief. As he set off back to
London, all agreed that it was an extremely enlightening and insightful
morning. Insights now takes a short break for reading week but will return with
the visit of illustrator Rose Blake on the 18th November.