Fine Art
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Gemma Rogers – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Canterbury
John Conner – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Farnham
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Foreword Claudia Miller – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Farnham
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As the number one specialist creative university in The Guardian Good University Guide 2018 and the Complete University Guide 2018, we’re proud to offer you an inspiring learning environment here at UCA. The Fine Art courses in Canterbury and Farnham offer our students ambitious and professional approaches to the discipline, enabling our graduates to thrive in their chosen paths. Fine art’s unique approach to self-directed learning equips our graduates with exceptional collaborative, networking and leadership skills, supporting them in pursuing a range of high-powered careers in the art market and beyond. We’re extremely proud of our graduates and their achievements. World-famous artists such as Tracey Emin and Simon Starling are among our alumni, and more recently Jack Lavender, who graduated in 2009, is one of several successful alumni to be given a solo show in a major London gallery.
Our Fine Art courses at UCA Canterbury and UCA Farnham are rich in their own distinctive cultures, each benefiting from a specific regional and global creative dynamic. Our presence at UCA Canterbury is based on close relationships with the region’s creative institutions and networks, including work placements and internships at the Turner Contemporary in Margate. This enables us to both reach out to our local communities but also develop global networks through these internationally renowned institutions. Students at UCA Farnham benefit from being located close to the vibrant London arts scene. Relationships with regional museums and galleries include Watts Gallery, where graduating students regularly undertake residencies. We also have a thriving visiting artists programme which has seen us linked to a variety of respected names in the art world such as Gavin Turk, Gustav Metzger, Martin Creed, and Bob and Roberta Smith. You’ll be able to make use of our impressive facilities and excellent resources when you study at UCA, enabling you to aim high with what you seek to achieve. Workshops, for instance, span subjects ranging from bronze casting to time-based practices, and are supported by highly-skilled technical teams. A number of our academics are renowned artists, including Nicky Hamlyn, Andrew Kötting and Kathleen Rogers. Staff work is also exhibited regularly at prestigious venues including the Royal Academy, Hayward Gallery and Tate Modern. The Director of the School Research Centre, curator Jean Wainwright, has led several high-profile UCA staff and student projects and exhibitions to prestigious international venues such as the Venice Biennale (2015) and Athens during Documenta 14 (2017). By offering you a wide range of opportunities including studio spaces, digital, technical and material resources, and curatorial and exhibiting initiatives, we aim to give you everything you need to fully explore and develop your own creative ideas in an entrepreneurial and professional context. Dr Terry Perk Associate Head of School, Fine Art & Photography
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Find the right course for you
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We offer a range of courses in Fine Art and Illustration.
Tuesday Logan – BA (Hons) Illustration UCA Farnham
BA (Hons) Fine Art (3 and 4 year routes available) – UCA Canterbury
BA (Hons) Illustration (3 and 4 year routes available) – UCA Farnham
Fine Art at our Canterbury campus is a self-directed degree course which will encourage you to experiment and develop an independent art practice informed by a theoretical and critical understanding of fine art.
Our long-established and renowned Illustration course has a strong reputation for visual narrative and storytelling, underpinned by an understanding that the best illustration is based on exciting, original ideas. You’ll investigate these concepts through drawing, text, sequential design, book production, moving image, printmaking, three-dimensional craft and creative writing.
Using our extensive facilities and dedicated studio spaces, you’ll have the chance to explore a range of media such as painting, sculpture, installation, photography, film, sound, performance, animation and printmaking. This experimentation will take place in an environment where creative problem solving and thinking through making are actively encouraged. We’re passionate about equipping students with the confidence, motivation and ambition necessary to pursue your own artistic activities.
BA (Hons) Fine Art – UCA Farnham
Based in studios equipped with high-calibre resources, you’ll also have access to an extensive range of facilities on campus for printmaking, book production, animation, ceramics, digital printing, 3D design, textiles, photography and video, reflecting the evolving nature of contemporary illustration. The course benefits from a wide range of industry links, with the likes of the Association of Illustrators, Ambit Magazine, The V&A, The Pound Shop, The Folio Society, Philosophers Magazine, BABE Artists Book Fair and Far Far Away Books.
Our Fine Art course in Farnham reflects the attitude of contemporary art practice, promoting critical engagement with society, culture and politics. Whilst on the course, you will successfully self-initiate real-time opportunities, exploring how art is disseminated through live projects, exhibitions, curatorial exercises, work experience and at exhibition or project spaces. Within workshops and studios, you’ll discover the ways in which artists sustain a profile, become employable and promote themselves in the wider world. The course aims to create a productive and lasting transition from graduate to practitioner through expert support and key industry links, all within a dynamic and exceptionally creative environment.
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Michael Harley Forrister – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Canterbury
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We create careers
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Kieran Rook – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Canterbury
Our Fine Art degrees create opportunities for you to discover diverse artistic practices that will propel your creative vision and help you choose a future career path. By exploring your artistic desires and discovering a range of disciplines, from painting to illustration, you’ll be able to apply your new skillset to any future career. UCA has built a strong reputation in the creative industries and has excellent connections with top brands and recognised institutions from the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Saatchi Gallery, the Turner Contemporary, the Tate Modern and the Henry Moore Institute. You’ll have access to competitive work placements during your studies where you’ll get to make important industry connections, gain recognition and learn from top academics who have worked with world renowned artists and creators. You’ll also produce beautiful portfolios and have the chance to exhibit your work. Many of our alumni have gone on to become artists as well as: – Filmmakers – Publishers – Designers – Animators – Museum curators – Photographers – Art historians – Gallery owners and many more. UCA is the number one specialist creative university (Complete University Guide 2018 and The Guardian University Guide 2018), and we have a proud tradition of supporting students and equipping them with everything they need to thrive in the workplace. 94.6% of our students find employment or go on to further study within the first six months after graduating.
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Portfolio advice
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Catherine Doherty – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Canterbury
Think of your portfolio as a statement about your work – it should exhibit your creative journey, thought processes and influences. Don’t be afraid to be bold and appeal to the viewer, keeping their attention and leaving them feeling excited about your creative potential.
Make sure your portfolio is well presented. Remember, our tutors will only have a short amount of time to look through each portfolio, so you need to organise your work intelligently. Generally, we would recommend that you include between 10 and 25 pieces of work in your portfolio, neatly mounted on white or off-white paper in either landscape or portrait format (not a mixture of both). Put some of your most attention-grabbing and interesting work at the front and lead the viewer through your journey by exhibiting pieces of work that showcase a variety of skills, materials, techniques and influences – this might include paintings, drawings, photography, digital pieces, storyboards, animation images or written work. If you include moving image work, we would recommend a maximum of two minutes’ running time. Highlight your favourite pieces too, and indicate what or who inspires you.
What should my portfolio include? –
Find out more –
Your portfolio should feature examples of your research and show the development of your ideas and projects – this should be highly presentable and well organised. It may be useful to arrange your work into themes, styles or chronological order. This will demonstrate good organisational skills and your own artistic awareness.
The course pages at uca.ac.uk provide clear guidance on what we’d like to see in your portfolio for each of our courses. We’ve also put together a set of videos talking you through the process:
What is a portfolio? – A portfolio is a collection of your work that demonstrates a range of skills and creative talent. It’s your opportunity to showcase your individuality, creativity, inspirations and artistic abilities, and is a useful way for us to evaluate your suitability for the course you’ve applied to. It might contain design work, drawings/art projects, photographs, films, sound work, music composition, or examples of creative writing or essays.
uca.ac.uk/study/portfolio-advice
It should exhibit your creative journey, thinking processes and individual personality, so we can assess your potential. It’s also important to show both your inspirations and aspirations, as your portfolio should say a lot about you and your creative identity, as well as the course you’re applying to. Documenting the development of your ideas in a sketchbook is a great way to show us how you approached the task of creating your work, allowing us to gain insight into your creative thought processes and approach to your subject, and demonstrating a clear rationale. 11
Student profile After doing my pre-degree at Canterbury UCA, I decided to do the internal progression scheme and come to Farnham. This meant that I could move away to university, whilst knowing that at UCA I’d be well-supported by the lecturers. I also really liked the studios at Farnham as they’re fairly big and open compared to other places I’d seen. I came to an Open Day and went to the course talk. It definitely helped my decision to come here as I felt more excited by visiting the studios and seeing the work. I chose fine art as it meant the possibilities of what I could make were open and I can work and research in a way that is true to my own interests. My advice is to go to an Open Day and talk to the students! I found that as an applicant I could think of a lot more questions whilst talking to students than whilst talking to the lecturers. Also, before you start, follow the course on Instagram or look at the UCA Farnham Art blog as you get to know what goes on.
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We get a lot of opportunities to see what students in all three years are making, which is good as you can start to create links with people. We regularly get to meet with staff and have tutorials with them and with visiting artists. Everyone you speak to will say something different about your work which is good as it opens up your thinking.
Annie Murrells – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Farnham, 2018
As well as having my own studio space, there are also test spaces in fine art where you can photograph your work and set things up to see them outside of your studio. I’ve used the cinema to show a film I had made and performed in, it’s something I want to use more in my third year. Sometimes Farnham can seem quiet but the students make the town. There’s a sense of belonging that comes with knowing everyone’s at a creative university and it’s easier to make friends. Farnham is only an hour from London so it’s close enough to go and see exhibitions, too. I have changed a lot since starting at UCA; not only has my work changed, but I have become a lot more confident in speaking and writing about it. I struggled to get into researching but now I feel more engaged with what I am doing – the research goes hand-in-hand with my practice.
Alanna Proctor – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Canterbury
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Course leaders Jane Cradock-Watson – BA (Hons) Illustration UCA Farnham Jane Cradock-Watson leads our BA (Hons) and MA Illustration degrees at UCA Farnham. Prior to this, Jane was Associate Dean for our School of Media and Culture. Jane has worked successfully as an illustrator since graduating. She has worked on commissions from a wide range of clients in the areas of editorial illustration, packaging design, publishing, TV and advertising. Her specialist fields include packaging and non-fiction publishing.
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Jane’s personal research focuses on the production of limited edition hand-made artists’ books. Much of her work uses photography and printmaking. She has exhibited regularly since 2009. Several of Jane’s books are in major national and international collections, such as the Tate Britain, the Victoria and Albert Museum and
the Yale collection of British Art. The selection of paper and material of the book, its texture and physical properties, are a primary consideration in her work. The metaphor of the garden and nature have been a major theme in the creation of her books, providing an intimate and sensory experience with nature, and engaging the audience in reflecting on the garden as a metaphor for life. This explores the transience of perfection, order and disorder, and the tensions between the cultivated and the wild which exist within it. The initial ideas for Jane’s work come from considered observation, supported by research through reading. Reading, both fictional and theoretical, initially supports the work, which is then developed visually through recording and structural experimentation. From this point, the development is often organic and intuitive, to develop her underlying narrative and visual poems.
Paul Vivian – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Farnham Paul Vivian leads our BA (Hons) Fine Art course at UCA Farnham. Paul studied Painting at Chelsea College of Art and Design (now Chelsea College of Arts), and has an MA Fine Art from Norwich School of Art and Design (now Norwich University of the Arts). Solo exhibitions include ‘Power Down’ at 45 Park Lane, Mayfair; ‘Sartorius Islands’ at ARTGENE, Barrow in Furness; ‘The Tardiness’ K6 Gallery, Southampton; and ‘SUPER-NAT-U-RAL’ at A Space, Southampton. Group shows include ‘The Tomorrow People’ Elevator Gallery, London; ‘Dead Famous’, HA HA Gallery, Southampton; ‘Doors in the Wall’, BEARSPACE, Bermondsey; Wirksworth Festival in Derbyshire; and the Tulca Visual Arts Festival, Galway, Republic of Ireland.
Paul has recently spoken on the subject of collage, and its relationship to trauma and territory at conferences in Oxford, Prague and Berlin. Contributing to ‘Trauma Theory and Practice’, published in 2017, Paul has also recently contributed to Q Art’s survey of Professional practice in HE Art education. In Paul’s most recent work, the status of images and their recorded subject’s ideological content play a key role within his research. He uses iPhone souvenir snapshots from museums, recording classical sculptures which are then printed and set in contrast to everyday utilitarian objects through propping, positioning and support. These two elements form a cooperative yet uneasy relationship. Paul’s work explores a number of wider themes, including the application of gesture, ideology, ruin, modernism and myth. He has a particular interest in how images denote and receive meaning through philosophical, historical and social framing.
Craig Fisher – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Canterbury Craig Fisher is a practising artist who makes paintings, objects and large scale sculptural installations using various fabrics and textile techniques to question representations of violence, disaster and macho stereotypes. Ideas of filmic or cartoon violence are juxtaposed with decorative motifs and craft techniques; the sense of saturation at play in the work makes it easy to miss the horror, due to the seductive nature and materiality of the artwork. Craig’s current practice is concerned with exploring the pictorial, sculptural and ‘site specific’ boundaries of art practice. The work situates itself by exploiting and employing contradictory methods, referencing both ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture and juxtaposing the pictorial with the sculptural as potential spaces of slippage, which allow for discoveries beyond confined and referenced fields of art production.
Craig curates ‘Mrs Rick’s Cupboard’, a project that presents the work of contemporary artists in exhibitions in an unconventional gallery setting – a walk-in cupboard in his current studio at Primary, Nottingham.
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We create space
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When studying Fine Art at UCA, no matter which campus you choose, you’re provided with an individual studio space and specialist workshops include painting, printmaking, woodworking, metalworking, bronze foundry, plaster casting and mould making, laser-cutting, digital printing and moving image editing.
Canterbury – UCA Canterbury provides purpose-built studios, workshops and lecture theatres for nearly 1,000 students studying fine art, graphics, illustration and animation, architecture and interiors. We promote a culture of creativity across all our courses and you can use all the facilities regardless of which programme you’re on. These facilities include: – Laser cutting, 3D printing and CNC routing – Digital Media rooms equipped with PCs and Macs, and a range of industrystandard specialist software – A specialist shop on campus for art supplies, materials and equipment hire – Wood, metal, casting and printmaking workshops, and a photography studio and darkrooms to support the widest possible range of making.
Farnham – UCA Farnham has extensive purpose-built facilities for over 2,000 students studying a wide range of creative arts subject areas including film, animation, graphics, illustration, fine art, photography, textiles, journalism and advertising. In the same way as for Canterbury, you can use all the facilities regardless of which programme you’re on. Some of these include: – Industry-standard video production equipment, editing software, sound editing software, digital media software and CGI software – A fully equipped wood and metal workshop with facilities for vacuum forming and welding – Photography studios and darkrooms – Glasswork, metalwork and ceramics facilities. For UCA Canterbury and UCA Farnham, the painting workshop includes wax encaustic, gesso, fresco, egg tempera and oil, handmade paper for casting, and the photography suite; film and digital cameras, dedicated film scanners, chemical darkrooms, and alternative nonsilver processes.
The James Hockey and Foyer Galleries – The James Hockey and Foyer Galleries present a broad range of exhibitions and events, acting as a focal point for UCA’s creative talent in promoting research and experimentation across numerous disciplines. These include fine art, design, film, animation, and craft and design.
Fine Art studios UCA Canterbury
Please note, access to each campus and its resources can sometimes depend on the campus you choose to study at (for example, if you study at one campus, you may be using the facilities at that campus but not always at others – this depends on your course).
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Student profile
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Catinca Malaimare – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Farnham, Year 3
Career development and workplace experience are built into the course programme and are things I have been encouraged to try from the beginning of the course. Through the work on the course, I could participate in different areas of exhibition-making, fundraising events, work placement opportunities, internships, workshops and so on. I focused on the opportunities I could create for myself with the confidence given by the course – I have achieved a lot of work experience in the industry, including working as a mediator for Laure Prouvost, Turner Prize Winner in 2013, as part of the first edition of ICA Art Night, and as a curator assistant at The Koppel Project in London. My work was exhibited at the opening of the new Tate Modern and following this exhibition my practice grew into video and performance art. I have performed live at Enclave Lab and Royal College of Art in London – all of this just in my first year!
The British Council organised a University Fair in my hometown in Romania and my school partnered with UCA to deliver a series of talks. After that meeting, I got the chance to visit Farnham and familiarise myself with the facilities and the tutors. Meeting and speaking with UCA staff on both occasions consolidated my decision to apply. The course is shaped by the permanent staff of practising artists, with internal and international artistic experience, as well as the continuous flow of influential figures in contemporary art. I can seek help and support from any of my tutors through tutorials and we are encouraged to reach out to other artists and organise our own talks and lectures. There are many opportunities to gain practical experience while on campus. I started working at the James Hockey and Foyer galleries as a gallery assistant. I install new exhibitions and work with the gallery technician and the curator to gain skills that will translate into my own practice.
This year, I have developed an interest in exhibitions that explore a model of research-based practice and am currently assisting at Tenderpixel gallery in London as an intern. Earlier in the year I curated a public performance with Venice Biennale artist, Roxman Gatt, and published a written reflection on the MA Whitechapel curatorial platform, Curating the Contemporary. I am now involved with a PhD symposium at the Royal College of Art and an experimental performance art project in partnership with the MFA Curating course at Goldsmiths University. Fine Art students at UCA gain a range of practical skills that can translate into exhibition-making and curatorial programmes, and I plan to apply to postgraduate programmes that are specifically related to curating and Fine Art practices after I graduate.
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Student profile When I was choosing a university the league table results were important in some way, but really I chose UCA Farnham based on how I felt the course related to me and my way of working. Attending an Open Day at UCA certainly helped in the decision making – once I had seen the campus and learned more about the course, I felt very confident in knowing UCA was best for me. With Fine Art, you will be asked to challenge your ideas and be open to new things and confident in doing so. I have always been interested in exploring different styles and mediums in my work and so I felt Fine Art was the most suited course for me – it allows me to challenge my ideas and my practice, and I am able to explore many different ways of working and presenting these ideas. I really enjoy the way the tutors encourage us to engage in different workshops and activities that challenge our ideas and ways of working to push us outside of our comfort zones. For me, this aspect has allowed me to grow as an artist and take more risks.
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The staff on Fine Art all differ in terms of ideas and practices. I feel this is good in helping us as there is variety in feedback and suggestions – you have different and more comments to work and develop from. Having a set studio for us to work in all
Jasmine-Paris Bartlett – BA (Hons) Fine Art UCA Farnham, Year 2
the time is very convenient and we are encouraged to use it as much and as often as possible, as we have constant opportunity to use the space to our advantage and make work. We also have the woodwork, wax and metal workshops in the department available for us to use all the time which means we are not limited to materials. I think UCA, and especially my course, has certainly allowed me to grow as a person. Meeting so many new people has helped me socially and I’ve become quite interactive with people from other courses and their work. I think the course has done this for me too; the encouragement to challenge my practice and my work throughout my time on the course has allowed me to expand my knowledge of art and become more confident and independent. My biggest achievement was the opportunity to work with several MA Students from the Royal College of Art in a collaborative performance project in Folkstone. Having this opportunity allowed me to blossom as an undergraduate amongst many postgraduate students and I was able to participate with them in a live performance representing UCA. This helped my confidence and encouraged me to want to make my work known.
Next steps
Contact us – If you’ve got any queries regarding the admissions process or your application, please contact the relevant admissions team: UK/EU admissions: T: +44 (0)1252 892 960 E: admissions@uca.ac.uk International admissions: T: +44 (0)1252 892 785 E: internationaladmissions@uca.ac.uk
How to apply – The course you choose determines how you apply – this could be through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) or directly to UCA. uca.ac.uk/study/how-to-apply ucas.com/apply
Connect with us –
@UniCreativeArts facebook.com/ucreativearts @unicreativearts @unicreativearts youtube.com/unicreativearts unicreativearts.tumblr.com blog.uca.ac.uk social.uca.ac.uk #WeCreate Disclaimer –
The information in this brochure is believed to be correct at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to introduce changes to the information given including the addition, withdrawal, relocation or restructuring of any programmes. The information in this brochure is subject to change and does not form part of any contract between UCA and the student and his/ her sponsor. For up-to-date and more detailed information on any of our courses and studying at UCA, please go to: uca.ac.uk
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