Spatial & Product Design
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Director’s Message ‘Distinct’. This is the focus of the 2019 edition of the MCAST ICA Festival, a creative arts festival which builds on the achievements of my predecessors, and which this year has been extended to span a full month between 4 July and 4 August. ‘Distinct’ is represented by a stylised fingerprint - the mark that distinguishes one individual from another. Such is the work showcased during this festival; students from the same cohort having followed the same programme of studies and therefore having experienced a similar formation are showing that which distinguishes themselves from their peers. Moreover, through this festival one can also appreciate the various idiosyncratic outcomes reached through the diverse areas of studies within the creative arts – Fine Arts,
Photography, Game Art & Visual Design, Interactive Media, Graphic Design, Creative Media, Journalism, Spatial & Product Design, Fashion & Retail, Performing Arts, and Cultural Heritage. Our learners have gradually developed an identity, facilitated by the experiences afforded them along their journey within the Institute for the Creative Arts. We did not walk this journey alone. Supported by our mother institution MCAST, an institution that also has a distinct identity within the field of further and higher education, and in partnership with numerous stakeholders in the industry, such formation has taken shape in a unique way that rightly deserves to be celebrated.
The context of this year’s celebration is Spazju Kreattiv – Malta’s national centre for creativity - which provides a meaningful platform to further bridge the gap between student life and life within the community and industry. Within the heart of Valletta, last year’s European Capital of Culture, it acts as a fitting venue for ‘Distinct’. Sincere thanks go to ICA staff and students who have worked tirelessly to make this event possible, colleagues within MCAST for their support and contribution, and industry partners who have been key players along the way. I trust that the result of this collaborative effort will translate into a truly distinctive experience for each one of you.
Dr Martina Caruana
Erika Borg Student Bio: Erika always had an interest and curiosity within the design and construction industry. After graduating secondary school, she immediately entered Mcast Art and Design to start her studies and currently she is conducting her final year in Bachelor of Arts, Honors in Spatial Design. Erika is always looking for new opportunities and challenges, she seeks for new work experiences. During the course she developed an eye for detail and obtained different skills, including the creation of realistic visuals that enhances her design projects. Her two main passions are traveling and gastronomy, both interests are highly reflected into her design works. Erika has a particular flair for projects related to leisure, retail, landscape and residential.
Abigail Pace Student Bio: Abigail had a keen interest in art, design and towards her father’s carpentry career at an early age. By following this interest, Abigail got her start in the design career by attending at the Institute of Creative Arts. She has recently finished her studies for Degree in Spatial Design. Abigail is promptly looking ahead for new opportunities and challenges with design firms and creative clients. She aspires to cater for high-quality creative projects, being either a residential or commercial space. Her ambition is to provide a custommade and collaborative approach that transform a bare space into a unique experience. While she is not designing, Abigail can be found admiring nature, cooking and traveling abroad to explore and experience different cultures and traditions.
Ainsley Vella Student Bio: Five years ago, Ainsley started Mcast at level 4 with few skills such as drawing and crafts. Being exposed to machinery and manufacturing techniques he developed working skills, using different types of materials to produce products, where he started showing interest in product design. From Mcast he explored different knowledge such as using software, which helped him design and present his work in a more professional manner. A geometric design style is illustrated in most of
his products which can also be seen in his logo design. He is enthusiastic when challenged to design anything related to product design. Along his design process he uses computerised machines such as 3D printers and CNC machines to create prototypes and test his ideas. In his designs he is aware of the environment pollution problem and thus uses sustainable or waste material which is usually discarded.
Christian Grech Student Bio: Christian Grech is a final year student in B.A. (Honours) in Spatial Design at MCAST. He always had a keen interest in Art and Design. During the first years at MCAST he had the opportunity to explore different disciplines in creative Arts. He chose to specialize in Spatial Design to be able to create spaces which not only reflect their organization and function, but also to generate an aesthetically pleasing environment through different artistic elements. For this reason, he aspires to continue specializing in the residential design sector. He mostly gets inspired from the client’s interests which guides him to come up with effective design solutions.
Christian believes that working in such a segment will give him the opportunity to truly create spaces and enhance the user experience through a variation of interesting design implementations. Specializing in Spatial Design offered lot of interesting challenges. However, he managed to progress and evolve from one year to another and within less than a year he will be celebrating one of his greatest achievement as a graduate in B.A. (Honours) in Spatial Design.
Clayton Falzon Student Bio: Clayton Falzon is a student within the Institute of Creative Arts, currently studying for the title of bachelors in degree for Spatial Design. He wishes to focus on residential interiors, retail and landscape design, with an interest in producing visual material and detailed construction drawings. Through experience he highly values the process that leads to the final outcome, as a designer he deems brainstorming and development techniques as crucial communication tools. In terms of other interests he highly appreciates visualsation techniques, therefore he seeks to improve his visualisation skills which could help him start up his career with a strong portfolio.
Lara Marie Bonanno Student Bio: Lara Marie Bonanno has been attending MCAST Institute of Creative Arts for the last seven years. She started from Foundation Level 2 and has now finished her degree in Spatial Design. Throughout these years, she has learnt about, and acquired various skills in, both product design, through experiences working hands-on in workshops, and spatial design, through the use of software programs for 3D modelling and rendering. She excels in understanding client requirements and expectations, as well as the project brief. With that information she then proceeds to sketching and hand
rendering, and lastly, presenting her final renders through visuals, including postproduction visuals, to her clients. Lara appreciates Contemporary Design and has a preference for neutral and pastel colours. Lara believes that the fundamental part of any design are the minor details that most people might not immediately notice. She believes that these details are what makes a project complete.
Lydia Spiteri Student Bio: Lydia Spiteri is currently conducting the final year of her study for BA (Hons) in Spatial Design. She started this educational experience as a mature student which made her more determinate and attentive in decision making. Lydia has a passion for history and encourages individualism, her design identity is characterized by frankness and simplicity. However, a hint of controversiality and irony never fails. She often is involved in creating design combinations and compromises with the aim to generate experiences for users. Retail and leisure projects increase her design enthusiasm, consequently, she focusses to specialize in this sector advanced in her work experience.
Maria Galea Student Bio: Maria’s journey at MCAST began 6 years ago when she decided to start pursuing her career as an interior designer. The first 3 years of her studies where loosely based on discovering various roles in the vocational industry. During these 3 years, Maria had the opportunity to learn various skills such as working with stone and metal while broadening her textile design knowledge. Incorporating all these skills into her designs to translate her knowledge on the properties and elements of various materials to make interesting and functional pieces. Later, she decided to continue her studies in something broader. The decision to take up Spatial Design was challenging. However, incorporating Design with her visions and ideology was difficult at first but once she got the hang of it, this was easily shown throughout her projects. She strongly believes that a good Spatial Designer must keep studying and inspired.
Marta Sabrina Fenech Student Bio: Marta Sabrina Fenech had always been interested in design from an early age, she was always fascinated by architecture and in interior design. Consequently, at a later stage she began studying at Mcast from level 3 in art and design and achieved 2 diplomas. Currently, she is finalising her degree in Spatial Design. During these years of study, Sabrina discovered an interest for historical buildings, she highly believes in building conservation and had developed design ethics which enhances their beauty.
Philip Caruana Student Bio: Philip is a young designer who gives importance to detail, research and meaning. Every single element plays a role in his spatial design. The elements Philip chooses to incorporate are chosen after a comprehensive research is done in order to justify his intentions. The designer tries to incorporate symbolism so that the users can relate to the space even more and educate them on particular topics. Philip considers a positive
user experience as an essential factor of a space. This is because he tries to think how his design promotes inclusivity and a memorable sensation. Philip is always eager to learn new things and take on challenging design projects. His perseverance and project management skills always help him create the best possible space in a timely manner.
Philippa Formosa Student Bio: Philippa Formosa is a final year Spatial Design student, through her design and work presentation, she shows lots of different design interests; such as lighting, sustainability and detailing amongst many other areas. Pippa is a motivated student and gets her drive to be creative through working within a team and bouncing off ideas between peers. Culture, civilisation and geography are all aspects that effect and altar architectural decisions and evolution. Just like past societies discovered new creative alternatives through foreign inspiration, Pippa did so during her 3-month internship in Barcelona. She believes that gaining new experiences will open up a whole new world of design. Whilst recognising that Malta is rich in architectural heritage, travelling and
discovering new cultures has helped expand her knowledge and offered her the opportunity to dive into new techniques and procedures. Pippa feels that her work shows the understanding of Maltese heritage, whilst pushes boundaries on how not to disregard past architectural heritage, but learn to build on it.
Raisa Thornley Student Bio: I’m in my final years at Mcast Creative Institute of Arts I have been studying in design sector around seven years. Throughout my studies I have been developing the sketches skill to communicate better. When coming to design the first thing that I will make is by asking the clients what they want. The past few years I had a unit to design a residential kitchen and I started looking at other kitchens to get inspiration. Then I will start making sketches by using felt pens, small papers and to add colours I will use makers. True the development of the sketches there will be a lot of design process that one need to consider before choosing to design. I really enjoy my studies in Mcast which in couple of months they will be finished to start a new experience in life.
Shirley Baldacchino Student Bio: Shirley-Anne Baldacchino has always had a passion for both art and design from a very young age. After getting a diploma and higher national diploma in art and design, she decided to pursue further her passion in this industry. She chose Spatial design because it appealed to her as a good career path and the idea of designing a space for others to live, work or use daily is something that excites her. Shirley was motivated to read for a degree in the spatial design profession because she aspired to design habitable spaces which will affect her prospective clients in a positive way. Her final year project is exploring the benefits of designing a dementia friendly ward. Her research consists of studying in depth how colours, materials lighting and the overall layout of the space can promote orientation, encourages communication between patients and
staff and help both mentally and physically the people using the space. Shirley-Anne is planning to specialize in altruistic design projects in order to be of use to others, although she is also interested in designing residential and commercial spaces.
Supported by
Prospectus Academic Year 2019/2020
The Online Application periods for the upcoming academic year 2019/20 will be as follows:
Monday 22nd July till Sunday 04th August Monday 02nd September till Sunday 08th September Friday 27th September till Wednesday 02nd October 2019 Access to the online application portal will be through the MCAST website, as from Monday 22nd July. Those who will be submitting an Application and are in possession of a National ID Number need to have a valid E-ID in order for them to apply for an MCAST full-time courses. Prospective applicants who do not have a National ID, will also be able to apply online. Further information about the online application process will be available by the second week of July. The conditions for application are found in the MCAST prospectus – an online version of which can be accessed through: https://www.mcast.edu.mt/mcast-prospectus-2019-2020/