Contents 2 Rector’s Review 8 Graduate Destinations Survey 9 School of Applied Art 9 Ceramics & Glass 10 Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork & Jewellery 11 School of Architecture and Design 11 Architecture & Interiors 12 Design Products 12 Industrial Design Engineering 14 Interaction Design 14 Vehicle Design 16 School of Communications 16 Animation 16 Communcation Art & Design 18 School of Fashion and Textiles 18 Fashion Menswear and Fashion Womenswear 19 Printed and Constructed Textiles 20 School of Fine Art 20 Painting 20 Photography 22 Printmaking 22 Sculpture Department 23 Drawing Studio 24 School of Humanities 24 Conservation 24 Curating Contemporary Art 26 History of Design 26 Critical & Historical Studies 28 Research 29 Helen Hamlyn Research Centre 30 InnovationRCA 31 Donors and Sponsors 1 RCA_RR_07.QXP 22/11/05 11:22 am Page 2 On the College’s research culture, this year and about multi-culturalism. On this last Rector’s Review saw the creation of an Arts and Humanities issue, there have been important reports Research Council which will in future sit at about why art and design as subjects are not This Review provides a survey of the many the high table of research councils within more successful in attracting applications achievements of staff, students and recent the Office of Science & Technology, and from British students from black and minority graduates in the academic year 2004/5, will no doubt lead to interesting and fruitful ethnic communities, and the College has divided up by departments. Many themes collaborations of the kind we like. Professor been contributing its own researches to emerge; two of the most important are the David Watkins of Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, this debate. Currently our students come College’s relationship with the business Metalwork and Jewellery has been among from some forty nations, which is one of community, and its fast-evolving research the first to benefit and has been awarded a the acknowledged strengths of the institution’s culture. Members of the Court may recall grant of £202,000 – the first major award concentrated creative environment. In that our Royal Charter, granted in 1967, by the AHRC to a studio discipline. Professor November 2005, the exhibition Oriki – the refers to the three main means by which Sandra Kemp, our Director of Research, title, from Yoruba dialect, means a song of the College can achieve its objectives as has been shortlisted to the last four of The praise that immortalises artists in a ‘call ‘teaching, research, and collaboration with Times Higher Education Supplement’s and response’ mode – showed work by industry and commerce’. national ‘Research Project of the Year’ students and graduates with African roots competition, with a project called ‘Future from ten departments. A key feature of this year has been the close Face’ which consisted of a major exhibition working relationship we have developed at the Science Museum (plus tour overseas), Here are some individual highlights of the with the London Development Agency – a book and numerous education projects. year, from across the College. placing us near the heart of London’s Meanwhile, many individual members of creative industries and helping us to invest staff have been awarded external research A sculpture student was nominated for the in expensive rapid prototyping technologies. funding from public and private sources. prestigious Jerwood Prize (we’ve won it for InnovationRCA, created last year to extend the past two years) and seven Printmakers the reach and focus of the RCA’s relationship The departmental entries that follow provide showed their work at the Royal Academy with the commercial world, has made a a thorough survey of the achievements of Summer Show, which was curated by our number of significant advances under the the past year, written by the Professors Head of Printmaking, Professor Chris Orr. leadership of Director Jeremy Myerson. A and Heads of Department. They reveal that Many of the top galleries such as White new research and development programme the College continues to perform its unique Cube and Victoria Miro approached painting in the area of design for disability, Inclusive role as a crucible of the ‘creative industries’, students at The Show. Two Photography Business RCA was set up. A joint innovation and to perform it well. Our latest destinations students were shortlisted for the influential fund was set up with Imperial College to statistics, covering the period 1997– 2001, New Contemporaries exhibition and Yve combine Imperial’s science and business seem to bear this out. In the Independent’s Lomax’s book Sounding the Event: expertise with the RCA’s user-centred ‘People to Watch’ survey of summer 2005, Escapades in Dialogue and Matters of Art, design skills. This initiative generated three in the ‘Art’ category most of the profiles Nature and Time was published by IB new patented devices for use in keyhole were of our Fine Art graduates; in the Tauris. In the Applied Arts, tutors from the surgery. InnovationRCA also gave marketing ‘Design and Interiors’ category, all five of Ceramics & Glass Department facilitated a and development support to RapidformRCA the designers were former RCA students major new ceramic art fair, Ceramic Art the College’s rapid prototyping centre and in the ‘Architecture’ category, a group London, which was held in the RCA galleries. which was demonstrated at the Court two of 2002 graduates were cited. As public years ago; incubated a project in the area debate becomes more and more concerned History of Design graduates became curators of sustainable public transport with Capoco with the importance of the ‘creative at the National Gallery, the Getty Centre and Design and built a collaboration with industries’ and how to sustain and enhance the Victoria and Albert Museum. Graduates contemporary retailer Heal’s to create limited them – through such developments as the from Curating Contemporary Art joined the edition collections of the work of RCA Cox Review; the Regional Development Arnolfini, the Ikon Gallery, the South London graduates. FuelRCA was launched – a new Agencies; the Department of Trade and Gallery and La Galerie in Paris. One of our professional practice programme for RCA Industry’s Innovation Review; the Conservation graduates, Emma Schmuecker, students designed to give artists and Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s won the UK Student Conservator of the designers more business skills and surveys of the arts in relation to this Year Award and Critical & Historical confidence. At the end of its first year, burgeoning sector of the economy, and so Studies admitted its own research students InnovationRCA launched its own magazine, on – the ways in which the College positions for the first time. Innovate and curated Innovation at the RCA, itself have become increasingly important the College’s first-ever exhibition of innovation as well. We are centrally placed as a At the Milan Furniture Fair, The Design projects – part of the London Design Festival crucible of innovation through art, design Museum and Sir Paul Smith curated an – which showcased the achievements of and communications – and it is important exhibition showcasing the best creative more than 60 RCA graduates across a range that this message comes over loud and talent working in Britain today called Great of disciplines from architecture, clear to the worlds of higher education and Brits: The New Alchemists. All five designers communications and textiles to furniture, industry. Various delegations from India were Design Products graduates from the product, interaction and vehicle design. These and China have in fact visited the College RCA. Professor of Architecture Nigel Coates developments were made possible by the this year, to discuss how we do it and how published his second book, Collidoscope. Higher Education Innovation Fund, the LDA such a relatively small institution manages Interaction Design Research student Tobie and the Helen Hamlyn Foundation, among to punch above its weight. Following a visit Kerridge received funding to take his others. earlier this year, there will be an ‘outward Biojewellery project – rings grown from mission’ to China in early 2006 focusing on donated bone tissue – from the lab into the The Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, research and one to the United States in public arena. Alan Johnson wrote to us of ‘the postgraduate spring 2006. exhibitions for which the Royal College of A group of students from Industrial Design Art is renowned’, praising us for our efforts Where learning and teaching are concerned, Engineering relocated to China to collaborate ‘in encouraging partners from business, the departmental reports speak for with their counterparts in Beijing and the industry, design and education to collaborate themselves. Themes of the year include new project was documented in Blueprint. The in promoting innovation’. And we contributed thinking about dyslexia support and linguistic annual Helen Hamlyn Research Centre to the Cox Review of design and innovation, ability; about our relationship with schools; Award – our most prestigious award for commissioned by HM Treasury. about parity of standards, between socially inclusive design – went to Peter departments, where assessment is concerned Brewin and Will Crawford of IDE. This was – a very complex issue in art and design; in recognition of their pioneering Concrete 2 RCA_RR_07.QXP 22/11/05 11:22 am Page 3 Canvas project, which has won a total of Among this year’s leavers were Irene McAra nine awards to date including the Deutsche McWilliam, Head of Interaction Design who Bank Pyramid Award and the New Business has gone to Glasgow School of Art as Challenge and has also been nominated Head of Design; Prue Bramwell-Davis, Senior for a Saatchi & Saatchi Award for ‘World Tutor in Industrial Design Engineering and Changing Ideas’. Jane Dillon, Design Products Tutor who has retired after a 37 year relationship with Vehicle design graduates became directors the College.