Personal Statement

Design is a field I like to embrace without limitations. I am finding great motivation in developing an interdisciplinary practice. I have focused in areas of Graphics and Fashion, but I want this to grow in my future; I want to learn more about Product, and Moving Image Design for example, to integrate this into my work. In addition to the Visual, I have become deeply engaged with Music Production in the last year, and want to further explore my ideas in sonic and audio design. While I respect each discipline in its own form, I want to find new ways to integrate them.

 I am excited by technology and the potential it opens up for Design, the ability to glide between visual and audio platforms. I draw inspiration from studios such as Adult Swim, and collaborations between Designers such as Adam ‘lilfuchs’ Fuchs and musician Flying Lotus; this group of Artists shows a balanced consideration for both visuals and audio. Finding a harmony between the two is something I want to continue to explore more deeply.

Alongside the digital, I enjoy working with fabrics to create wearable outcomes. Katie Eary uses synthetic colours with a sense of Baroque inspiration, in loud and bold prints and patterns that come out of a digital palette. I aspire towards Eary’s confidence when translating digital prints into 3D garments, something I would like to pursue in the future. I also appreciate historical sources for my work, for example Boris Bilinsky’s posters for the original Metropolis Film with its use of sharp selective colours.

I am interested in artists that acknowledge darkness and social problems to form concepts, but also take joy in aesthetics and the potential to create new visual worlds in Art and Design. Paul Noble’s drawn landscapes have been very important to me. His precision and technical approach to drawing shows a Design influence within Fine Art, which I find enticing. The work of Jean Giraud as Moebius has recently become a strong inspiration for me, he is able to create entire new worlds with aesthetic brilliance.

I want to further experience Design to build bridges between thought and construction. We are all immersed in Design, and it touches every part of what we do. I want to understand how to work across different Visual fields. Although I look at contemporary Art and am excited by some of its ideas and meanings, the potential in Design to apply those ideas to everyday spaces is something that really motivates me. I have been exposed to a lot of contemporary Art and International Visual cultures and I draw on this, but I have been raised in South London, I am really immersed in the local South London music scene and gain a lot of energy and ideas from this also. Being Mixed Race, I have a diverse cultural experience and I want to reflect this in my work.

I have work experience at Manalo and White Architects and Glastonbury Festival. It was interesting to see Design ideas coming into light at very different speeds. Stage Design works very fast, whilst buildings and interiors emerged very slowly. I worked with Manalo and White whilst they were designing the interior of Focal Point Gallery; some of my best experience was seeing the project go from screen to space.

I am currently studying a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma at The Brit School. The department runs a Student Leadership Team, where a group of students can also work on artistic projects and plans. My Co-Director Shanti and I run open screen-printing sessions on Fridays, this allows us experiment with how we print Designs and what we print on to. I enjoy working in effective teams, and managing one is new for me, but driving. I am finding the Design module of my BTEC positively challenging and it has helped me decide which field to pursue.

I am also working with a variety of other students (Musicians, Artists etc.) outside of my School life. I thoroughly enjoy generating new ideas with them. I want to study Design at BA level to learn more about Design processes and ideas, and to work with other students and tutors to really open up my knowledge and skills. I would rise to the challenge of working experimentally but would also enjoy bringing the ideas to a brief or application. I have a lot of energy and dedication and believe I would bring these to the course.