UWTSD Art and Design Foundation students showcase work as part of International Creative Exchange
Art and Design Foundation students at Swansea College of Art UWTSD have taken part in an international creative exchange project in collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) in Ahmedabad, India.
Communities of Choice is an India-Wales project devised by Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation, India, in partnership with Ffotogallery Wales and supported through the India-UK Together Season of Culture Program by the British Council.
The exhibition at Kochi Biennale features the work of 10 artists from India and Wales. Students were invited to respond to a given theme through text, photography, video, illustration, audio, and any other formats they chose.
The results can be seen on the project website communitiesofchoice.org
Five universities from India and Wales participated as part of the Student Community.
IIT Madras, RLV College of Music and Fine Arts - Kochi, Art and Design Foundation Swansea, a literature program from Wales, and CEPT University.
UWTSD was invited to take part following a recent visit to the Kotchi Photography Biennale India by Programme Manager Katherine Clewett.
Katherine Clewett said: “The CEPT Students were tasked to source an element of work around the idea of ‘space’ in the context of ‘community’. This provided inspiration in the form of text prompts and images for the students of the Art & Design Foundation Swansea to respond to through their chosen discipline which included fine art, textiles, ceramics, product design, crafts, illustration, graphic design, and photography.
“I am extremely pleased with how the collaboration has worked, and I am very grateful to Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation and Ffotogallery for hosting us.
“The prompts sent by CEPT to capture our student’s responses were conceptual and process driven. These challenged our students’ creative outcomes which were both thought-provoking and carefully considered. Both sets of students worked to a strict timescale, highlighting their ability to work both imaginatively and professionally.
“This project has set a precedent for future international collaborations between creative and educational institutions in the future.”
Caroline Thraves, UWTSD Academic Director (Art and Media) said: “We are delighted our Cert HE Foundation Art and Design students have been able to participate in this International project and exhibition. At Swansea College of Art we stretch students to achieve the highest standards and this International exhibition is a wonderful demonstration of this achievement, we are very proud of our students”.
Further Information
Rebecca Davies
Executive Press and Media Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: rebecca.davies@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07384 467071