Sam Chester
- Associate Lecturer
- Fashion MA
- Associate Lecturer
- Digital Narrative Arts MA/MFA
Sam is a London-based digital artist, researcher and crafts person. Her work investigates the relationships between trans-identities, folklore and digital worlds.
After graduating in 2021 from Fashion MA at the RCA, Sam immediately started teaching on the programme, later joining Digital Direction as an Associate Lecturer.
In that time she has worked with students across one-to-one and group tutorials, technical workshops, lectures, assessments and portfolio reviews.
Outside of her main teaching roles, Sam has also supported additional research projects and grant applications.
In 2023 Sam was part of the Epic Megagrant funded Beyond Human research project collaborating with Zowie Broach, Philip Delamore and Hannah Lambert.
Key details
School, Centre or Area
Gallery
More information
Practice
Sam defines her work as Digital Mysticism, a practice that shifts between digital image and physical artifact, virtual identities and folklore traditions.
Sam’s teaching and research is informed by her identity as a trans-woman, manoeuvring between technological interfaces, video game experiences & AI systems; myth, folklore and ancient crafts.
Drawn to traditional crafts Sam has utilised weaving, basketry, knitting & macrame in her work, responding to materials she has worked with willow, rattan, twine, and caulking.
Sam’s work has been featured in publications such as Dazed & Confused, AnOther Magazine, Vogue China, JÓN Magazine and Version Mag. Worn by celebrities including Björk (2017), Solange Knowles (2017) and photographed by Tim Walker (2018) and Peter Lindberg (2017).
Most recently Sam produced costumes for Studio Wayne McGregor’s production UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey premiering at the Royal Opera House (2023).
In her digital practice Sam has been working as a consultant for digital cosmetics start-up V-Metics founded by Alex Box & Philip Delamore.
Awards
WES Lunn Design Education Trust, London, 2020
Burberry Design Scholarship, London, 2019
Sally Woodward’s Award, London, 2019
Publications, exhibitions, other outcomes
Bartlett, S. Broach, Z. Chester, S. Delamore, P. and Roeck, S. (2023) Dignitas in the Metaverse. 12th EAI International Conference: ArtsIT, Interactivity & Game Creation, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-55319-6
(2021) The Disruptive Me, The Wrong Biennale NO5, Online.