Art and architecture leaders inspire students

Published

08 March 2023

Leading figures in the architectural and visual arts industry spoke to University of East London students at two skill share and learning events.

Detour Ahead 2023

Students from our interior design courses were able to hear from some of the most influential people in the visual arts industry at a three-day ‘how to’ symposium titled Detour Ahead 2023.

Talks centred around the inner workings of the visual arts sector and aimed to equip students with the skills they would need for applying for Arts Council funding, how to use social media effectively, how to earn money for publishing works, how to work as a self-employed visual artist and more.

From art market sales to submitting funding applications, origins of DIY Punk to resisting colonial saturations, Detour Ahead 2023 was a series of moments to come together as a UEL visual arts community to explore, unpack and speak openly about the operations of the Art and Design Industry.

Said, Dr Keith Winter, Cluster Leader for Visual Arts and Pauline de Souza, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Manoeuvres at UEL.

A presentation from Ekow Eshun, Chairman of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group.

The inspiring talks featured Ashley Joiner, Founder and Director of Queercircle, a LGBTQI+ charity which champions queer art, communities and projects which aim to create long-term cultural change. Ashley delivered a speech on the importance of an open community and how networks are key to any organisation’s growth.

Niamh Coghlan, Director of the Richard Saltoun Gallery, advised students about the inner workings of the art market, sales and how galleries realistically work with artists.

Ekow Eshun, Chairman of the Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group which oversees London’s most significant public art programme, spoke to students on the history of colonial art.

Hannah Conroy, from Arts Council England, encouraged students to think outside the box when applying for funding grants, highlighting that most successful applications go to artists who can show new ideas and different ways of working.

A presentation from Ashley Joiner, Founder and Director of Queercircle

Sen Alfawicka, BA Illustration and Animation level 4 said: "I was really interested to hear from Osbert Parker and felt very grateful to have a one-on-one talk with him about my work. I was able to get a lot of great ideas an inspiration from him on how to storyboard my work.

"These events are so important as we get to hear directly from the people who’re working in the industries that we want to enter. It is great to hear about their own artistic vison, what challenges they have overcome and what changes they have had to make as that will help us on our own journeys.

"I want to go deeper into animation and developing my art. I really enjoy comic book art and will continue to explore what different storyboards I can create in that style."

A presentation from Detour Ahead 2023

For more information see Visual Arts at UEL.

Open Studio Event

Coinciding with Detour Ahead 2023, architecture students attended a two-day event titled Open Studio, where they were able to present their work and hear keynote speeches from four leading designers.

Speeches included Ramsey Yassa, a UEL alumnus who is now the founder of multi-award winning architectural practise, Nooma Studio; Professor Karsten Huenck, Professor of Architecture at Berlin University of Applied Science; Saide Morgan MBE, Commissioner for the National Infrastructure Commission and Chair of the Design Panel for HS2 and Professor Robert Mull, Professor in Architecture and Design at Brighton University.

As part of the event, the students were also able to present their work to the experts and receive crucial feedback around their ideas and projects.

Ramsey Yassa, said:

"It feels heart-warming to be back at UEL as it brings back fond memories of a happy, nurturing and diverse environment which can still be seen in the students today.

"I believe that at UEL there is a unique attention to places, communities, environments and materials which informs design in a human and relatable way.

I was very impressed by the student presentations, and it is great to see their work focusing on the city. London is an incredible asset to architectural students as they are surrounded by so many different cultures and have opportunities to join the many fast paced architectural regeneration projects around the city.

For more information see Architecture and Physical Design at UEL.