Testing Responses to Turbulent Times: School of Communication Work-in-progress at White City

‘Our Work-in-progress Show is an opportunity,’ explained Dean of the School of Communication Professor Neville Brody. ‘For visitors it’s an opportunity to glimpse the future innovators, practitioners and pioneers in the world of communication. For second-year students in the School, it’s an opportunity to experiment in a live situation and to try out some radical ideas ahead of their final Show; and to imagine how a response to our current turbulent world might be envisaged.’

Head of Visual Communication Dr Rathna Ramanathan described what to expect from the show: ‘The Work-in-progress Show promotes a critical practice, one in which we see ourselves as human, evaluate and embrace our values and priorities and ask how we contribute to the world. This is not just about making work within an academic context or for public viewing, but to task ourselves with crucial questions through work that is grounded in making and is situated in the world rather than simply providing a critique.’

Dr Ramanathan continued, ‘Our ultimate aim is to seek new audiences outside the academic context, to understand how to translate and create impactful communication. We do this by speculating, imagining and dreaming, in order to create work and graphic practices for the kind of world that we wish to live in.’

Second-year IED students will use the WIP exhibition to present the research, material experiments and prototypes that will feed into their final projects, which range across moving image, sound objects and experimental interactions.

The IED programme at the RCA focuses on transforming information into experiences, using diverse modes of presentation from interactive and immersive installations, to sound, moving image and smell. The students share a critical interest in data, design and making to produce experiences that effectively communicate information, be that quantitative, qualitative or numerical data, personal narratives, or socio-political issues.

Animation at the RCA consistently produces award-winning animators, with graduates excelling at prestigious awards from the Royal Television Society Awards to the Premier Plans Festival d’Angers. Students lead the field with technically accomplished films across documentary, narrative and experimental approaches. At the WIP Show visitors will be able to experience the research and testing of ideas that feed into the animations, from sketches and initial models to animated shorts.

‘Animation students present a range of experimental responses to topics that vary from personal memories, social issues, sensual exploration and engaging storytelling,’ explained Head of Animation Dr Birgitta Hosea. ‘Issues raised include family dynamics, gentrification, sexuality, disability, religion and horror. Expect to be challenged, amused or dazzled – or all three.’