Arts at UEL
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Arts at UEL
We are a dynamic university of diverse leaders, innovators, and creative professionals. We evolve and respond to the changeable world we find ourselves in, equipping and nurturing our students, to be flexible, multi-skilled, and adaptable to a changing future.
Our students participate in a wide range of high profile activities which form an integral part of the learning experience at UEL such as fashion weeks, tradeshows, performances, gigs, screenings and collaborative projects with industry partners in design, retail, styling, visual arts, sustainability and much more.
Our courses are focused on preparing students for careers in the creative industries, through a mix of skills and knowledge in production, theory, reflection, enterprise and industry engagement.
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Students learn about their industry from day one and learn to produce work of professional standard for projects, festivals, business or entertainment, working to live or simulated briefs.
Our staff are makers, practitioners in industry or they research industry trends and developments. Companies we work with include East London Dance, Urban Development (Music), the National Youth Theatre, British Fashion Council, the V&A Museum, ASOS, Amazon and Hand and Lock. As well as Zaha Hadid, London Architecture Festival, 3XN and British Land.
Interdisciplinary projects focus on the life and community of East London, bringing our courses to life through engagement with local enterprise, third-sector companies and local organisations.
Performing Arts students at our USS campus in Stratford have access to industry-standard performance studios, production spaces, and sound studios. They can utilize multi-purpose studios, The Black Box studio, music recording studios, Practice Rooms, and an Equipment Store stocked with a wide range of instruments and equipment for hire.
The Docklands campus offers fashion facilities such as pattern development and sewing studios, clothing archives, material printing workshops, and 3D printing studios with state-of-the-art machinery. Students can access machine workrooms for garment production and borrow from a historic archive of garments. Collaborative opportunities with departments like photography, journalism, games, and fine arts workshops are also available.
Production and Media students benefit from green screen, newsroom, mac labs, edit, games and animation suites, as well as a radio station. The Moving Image Studio showcases UK-based artists, filmmakers, scholars, and organizations working with the moving image. Students can hire advanced video and photographic equipment, gaming laptops, and usability and monitoring devices.
Students can access specialist training in photographic shoot studios, digital and analogue dark rooms, fabrication labs with laser cutting and 3D printers, robotics and electronics labs, painting studios, and workshops for sculpture and fabrication.
Digital and analogue TV, film, and animation studios are equipped with film processing, edit and grading/vfx suites, illustration, graphic design studios, and a mobile live production unit. Computing facilities include Mac and PC labs, laptop trollies, digital printers, and large-format printing.
Our learners are part a creative community where talent is showcased, where everyone, from all walks of life has a contribution to make. Our subject areas collaborate with each other, giving a full and broad range of experiences.
Our academic staff create a diverse and innovative learning environment that will not only challenge students but also expose them to a rich mix of culture and knowledge.
Students are supported by excellent technical and administrative staff and the courses are taught in purpose-built facilities to ensure that they have a full suite of resources available throughout their study.
We are at the heart of the cultural life of our local communities and of London itself: supplying some of the key talent, skills and ideas that will help shape the future of the UK’s creative economy.
We provide experiences that replicate how the creative industry works together as one and equip students with the skills that employers are looking for in their future workforce.
Architecture & Physical Design
We are an award-winning school that celebrate diverse cultural backgrounds in who we are and how students learn, training them to be the change makers of the industry. We have excellent links to employers globally, and over the years, developed a strong position in sustainable design. We ask questions and aim to enable answers, from the things products we touch to the building our alumni create.
Our architecture and physical design school is also amongst most diverse school of architects in the UK with 75% coming from diverse background meaning, we are a minority majority school. 68% of our students are also first-generation university goers. Our world class industry links include research, and academic partnerships with top architectural practices such as Grimshaw, and local Industrial partners Tate & Lyle. Our students are sought after and careers ready and go on to jobs and to lead practices across the globe.
Art & Creative Design
We teach and equip our students for the unknown, helping them to be multi-skilled, and adaptable for longevity and full employment. We give students the confidence and experience to develop the traditional language of visual communication, while encouraging students to think experimentally and be one of those that shape the coming visual agenda.
We pride ourselves in helping students learn to think creatively, coming up with innovative approaches to new and changing situations. Living in an emerging time of automation and artificial intelligence, we train our students to be the designers, the thinkers, and the problem solvers who will shape the world to come.
Fashion
We've developed our courses to fit today's fashion business, responding to its pace and the adaptability of its processes. Collaboration is key in our industry and our students work together from different courses, learning from each other as they achieve their goals. These collaborations result in exceptional work which can be evidenced in talented student fashion films, visual images and successful freelance businesses.
Our students have gained national and international recognition through London Fashion Week, Fashion Minority Report, Fashion Crossover and other platforms including Depop and Instagram to name a few.
Our team has a wealth of expertise in the creative and technical aspects of the fashion business. Our staff have designed or consulted for brands such as Adidas, Burberry and Louis Vuitton as well as work on their own businesses and freelance consultancy.
Media & Journalism
Media and journalism are, of course, competitive worlds to enter. At UEL, our teachers have exceptional contacts who know exactly what broadcasters and other media companies are looking for. They support with activities such as skills workshops and industry visits with a focus on entrepreneurship and employability.
Students are given a complete grounding in their specialist areas thanks to our on-site production resources that provide excellent exposure to the equipment that will be part of their day-to-day life once starting their careers.
Our graduates have gone on to work in jobs in television, film, journalism, publishing, advertising and public relations as well as careers in games design and production. The skills and knowledge we build have enabled some students to become successful freelancers or set up their own businesses.
Performing Arts
Our performing arts students take part in masterclasses and workshops with industry professionals. Thanks to our reputation, there are numerous opportunities throughout our courses to work with acclaimed professional artists, such as renowned choreographers Kenrick Sandy (Boy Blue) as well as top companies like Theatre Royal Stratford East, East London Dance and the Hackney Empire and a range of innovative producing houses across London. Our student led Festivals showcase high-quality work that students produce in dance, theatre, music or creative writing.
