Category: Alumni

MA alumna Wendy Lau talks about art residency project in Japan

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Alumna Wendy Lau (MA Design: Critical Practice 2017) recently completed a collaborative residency project in Japan, working to create a kinetic art installation with participation from the local community. The outcome was exhibited at Matsudo City Festival; find out more about the work from Wendy’s website.

Wendy shared with us a few reflections on her work in Japan and the current direction of her career:

“I participated in the creative programme PARADISE AIR in Japan with a financial grant from the Hong Kong Government. I was staying in the town Matsudo, only 30 minutes away from the vibrant and hectic Tokyo. I lived there for a month making art creations for the programme. I was impressed by the organisers’ passion and commitment to building a more vivid and cultural neighbourhood in the Matusdo City through art experience. One thing I have to mention – the accommodation and studio space I was offered was a former love hotel! The team started the programme about 5 years ago with support from the local government, and they revitalised the place into an art hub hosting international artists for residency programmes, as well as providing studios for local creatives. The concept came from an ancient tradition in that area that people paid for staying overnight by leaving a piece of art, not money. I found it really interesting and I was glad that they found a smart way to continue the custom in modern society.Read More »

Goldsmiths Graduate Design Scheme: Ash Baigent brings a new gender equality platform to the skate park

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The Graduate Design Scheme is an opportunity for Goldsmiths Design graduates to return on campus and work on their own projects:  for a fee, they can use a studio space, the workshops, and book machinery. This year, the Design department awarded two bursary places on the scheme to 2018 graduates; one of the winners is Ash Baigent, who will use her time in the workshops to continue her work designing and making unique skateboards.

Ash Baigent, photo by Aoife Baigent

Ash has been skateboarding since she was ten, and is now part of an all girl skate crew called Nefarious, who she met three years ago. There are few skateboarding women in the media, and even fewer (if any) are manufacturing their own skateboard decks. In fact, as Ash explains, skaters in England usually use decks imported from China or the US, and the designs can often be offensive or degrading towards women. The Goldsmiths graduate is keen to work on both the gender equality and the sustainability aspect of her favourite activity: she wants to bring more women to skateboarding and to encourage them to design their own decks. She’s also interested in making the decks themselves cheaper and more environmentally friendly, by experimenting with local, British wood instead of the usual American maple.

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Alumna Tasreen Rahman to run Comic Book Artist in Residence session at the Jewish Museum in London

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Design graduate Tasreen Rahman will run a Comic Book Artists in Residence session at the Jewish Museum in London on 26 August 2018 (1-4 pm). The event will be free to attend, although there is an admission charge to see the museum galleries. Attendees will have the chance to see Tasreen as a comic book artist in action.

Tasreen graduated from the BA Design course at Goldsmiths in 2017; her graduation project was a a comic book based on conversations about difficult, controversial issues. You can (re-)read our older Design Blog interview with Tasreen about her graduation project and her interest in comics here.