Royal College of Art announces Pokémon Scholars for 2023

The annual Pokémon Scholarship for the academic year 2023/2024 provides full-fee support to two pioneering RCA students who demonstrate the potential for breaking new ground in visual arts, design and communications. As well as receiving scholarships for their 2023/2024 studies, the pair will be invited to visit the Pokémon Company in Japan.

Betty C Fan is a multimedia artist based in London and Hong Kong. Her background in architecture and design has equipped her with skills in 3D modelling, materiality, and spatial design which inform her current art studio practice. Fan explores the intersection between urban architecture and evolving global cultures, rendering architectural elements and textures from urban environments and translating them into sculptures, paintings, and immaterial artworks.

Betty C Fan (MA Sculpture) said: ‘I am deeply honoured to be selected as a Pokémon Scholar. The opportunity to explore imaginative worlds, stories, and creative technologies through this award will greatly enrich the development of my art practice. As a former designer in architecture interested in world-building, I am inspired by the Pokémon universe - its expansive storyline centred around adventure, friendship, and cultural immersion showcases creative values that I would like to share in my artwork. I thank the selection committee for this recognition. As an artist and student, I look forward to joining the Pokémon community to embrace cross-discipline opportunities in art, stories, and cutting-edge technology.’

Lucie Legrandois is a mechanical engineer and a passionate transdisciplinary designer. Motivated by fixing people and the planet, her innovative work conveys strong social and sustainable values. She is particularly interested in the relationship between humans and their environment, and delivers both problem-solving projects and open explorations through playful and educational content.

Lucie Legrandois (MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering) said: ‘It is such an honour to have been selected as a Pokémon Scholar and to join this amazing adventure, and I would even say, to join this family. This Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity that will support my work and enable me to explore new directions in contributing to positively transforming the world we must defend. I believe in playing, be it with societal norms, materials or technologies, and I feel this perfectly aligns with Pokémon with You Foundation values. Indeed, Pokémon impacts human behaviours and makes our lives more enjoyable in the long term. Pokémon’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is a real source of inspiration for me, and I hope to bring the world together as well. I am really excited to develop further this relationship and adopt in my work the philosophy of “Think globally, act locally”.’

Tsunekazu Ishihara, Representative Director Chairman of Pokémon with You Foundation, said: ‘The aim of the Pokémon Scholarship is to support students who will pave the way towards a brighter future through the power of creative art and design. This year’s winners explore new forms of expression through the combination of different disciplines and seek to change society for the better, a direction which closely resembles ours at Pokémon and strongly resonates with us. It is our great pleasure to help support these two as they evolve into even stronger "Pokémon" who will pave the way for new fields of exploration in art and design and bring change to the world.’

Professor Ken Neil, Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities, said: 'We are incredibly grateful to Pokémon with You Foundation for the generous and ongoing support they offer our students. Now in its sixth year, the Pokémon Scholarship will provide Betty with the opportunity to learn from, and exchange creative thinking with, one of the world’s most imaginative and innovative foundations.’

Professor Paul Anderson, Dean of the School of Design, said: ‘Now in its sixth year, it's clear the Pokémon Scholarships at the RCA are championing the future of creative and innovative approaches to design. The Pokémon Scholarship is an excellent opportunity for Lucie to consider her emerging practice in relation to the world’s issues, concerns and contexts.’

Click here for more information on applying for a scholarship at the RCA.

About the Royal College of Art

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world's leading university of art and design.

Specialising in teaching and research, the RCA offers degrees of MA, MPhil, MFA, MDes, MArch, MEd, MRes, Graduate Diploma and PhD across the disciplines of architecture, arts & humanities, design and communication.

A small, specialist and research-intensive postgraduate university based in the heart of London, the RCA provides around 2,800 students with unrivalled opportunities to deliver art and design projects that transform the world.

The RCA's approach is founded on the premise that art, design, creative thinking, science, engineering and technology must all collaborate to solve today's global challenges.

The RCA is home to more than 850 of the world’s leading academic and professional staff who teach and develop students in 34 academic programmes. RCA students are exposed to new knowledge in a way that encourages them to experiment.

The RCA runs joint courses with Imperial College London and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

InnovationRCA, the university's centre for enterprise, entrepreneurship, incubation and business support, has helped over 81 RCA business ideas become a reality that has led to the creation of over 800 UK jobs.

Alumni include such major figures as Dame Barbara Hepworth, Bridget Riley, Henry Moore OM, David Hockney OM, Sir Peter Blake, Sir Ridley Scott, Dame Zandra Rhodes, Sir Frank Bowling, Sir James Dyson OM, Tracey Emin RA CBE, Chris Ofili CBE, Sir Anthony Finkelstein, Francesca Amfitheatrof, Erdem Moralıoğlu MBE, Bianca Saunders and Thomas Heatherwick CBE RDI.

The RCA was named the world's leading university of art and design in the QS World Rankings 2023 for the ninth consecutive year (QS World Subject Rankings 2015-2023).

www.rca.ac.uk