While studying at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), Aayushi Gupta embraced all of the opportunities on offer, from exhibiting her work in solo exhibitions to attending lectures by the philosophy society.

Since graduating Aayushi has gone on to study an MPhil in Visual, Material, and Museum Anthropology at the University of Oxford but she hasnt left her photography work behind. Her degree show project titled Performing the Passport Photo, was selected for both the Source Graduate Photography Showcase 2020, and Street Level Photoworks’ annual showcase Futureproof 2020.

Why I chose to study Photography - BA (Hons)

I was drawn to ECA because of the prospect of studying the Masters in Fine Art (MFA) that is offered, as part of a wider University that is not strictly arts-based but welcomes students and researchers from a broad range of disciplines. I wanted to be absorbed in an environment that would allow me to indulge in all my interests and to inform my practice, learning and personality from multiple perspectives. I was also attracted to the prospect of studying in a city like Edinburgh – a place that, in my opinion, is not too small or too big; where one can easily escape into the wild, and also be in the heart of the bustle.

Tell us about your time at ECA

My time at ECA was not only informed by my experiences at ECA but also at the wider University and the city of Edinburgh. I was determined to learn so much more about everything that fascinated me: contemporary art, art history, philosophy, literature, and theatre. To this end, I voluntarily attended many lectures and joined a plethora of societies at the University. I wrote for the Student newspaper consistently, reviewing art exhibitions and plays around the city. I frequented the lectures and socials organised by the Philosophy Society, I signed up for as many courses as my timetable would allow, and even volunteered with the Edinburgh Nineteenth-Century Seminar Series group to organise a reading group that explored nineteenth-century texts on photography.

At ECA specifically, I experimented with exhibiting my work from the very beginning of my degree. I organised my first solo exhibition, Trapped Departures (2018), at Gallery 23, and the second, A Hymn to the Muses (2019) at the Whitespace Gallery. I also partook in several group exhibitions organised by students within the ECA and the wider University. Most notably, these include Identity: An Exhibition (2020) organised by the Leviathan journal based at the University; Material Dialogue (2019) at Dundas Street Gallery, organised by students at the ECA; Through the eyes of a refugee in Scotland (2018) at The Caves, organised by Colours, a charity founded by two Edinburgh-based students; and Butter on Bacon (2019), resulting from a residency at Hospitalfied Arts. In addition to this, I also participated in and volunteered for several outreach programs organised by ECA and the Centre for Research Collections at the University. For instance, these included the Access to Creative Education in Scotland (ACES) program, and Capturing Lives in Scotland’s Communities: An Arts Award Explore Project. Finally, I also contributed to communities and projects in Edinburgh and wider Scotland by, for instance, working for the Scottish Society for the History of Photography as their Web Editor and Committee Member, and by running, as the Young Member of Board (and now Board Member), for the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow.

If given the opportunity to start again, I would probably reject it because my experiences at ECA, the wider University, and Edinburgh have made me who I am today, and I am truly grateful and proud of who I am, and of where I stand.

My experiences since graduating

I was indeed quite sad when leaving Edinburgh. Three years is a long time to spend in a city, and in many ways, it grows with you, especially when you are coming of age. It was difficult to say goodbye to Edinburgh, my life, friends, and memories there, especially without a proper ‘goodbye’ that was curtailed because of Covid. Though this meant that I could not celebrate leaving and transitioning to a different phase of life with friends and family, it also meant that I had plenty of time to reflect on how Edinburgh made me who I am, in the hearts of its hills and forests.

After only a semester at ECA, I knew that I wanted to pursue further study and research. And so, I tailored my time at Edinburgh in a way that would enable me to do so. I audited many lectures on a variety of topics and disciplines spanning literature, art history, and philosophy. My peers and mentors at every stage of my degree helped me develop the skills to think creatively, critically, and constructively. At ECA, I was also encouraged to be a blue-sky thinker, and using these skills I started the MPhil in Visual, Material, and Museum Anthropology at the University of Oxford.

In addition to embarking on this MPhil, my most cherished achievement since leaving ECA is that my degree show project, Performing the Passport Photo, was selected for both the Source Graduate Photography Showcase 2020, and Street Level Photoworks’ annual showcase Futureproof 2020.

My advice to new and current students

To someone entering their first year in September, I would suggest that they go beyond ECA and seek knowledge, creativity, and inspiration both in the wider University and the city of Edinburgh. First-year and second-year students especially have the great advantage of attending option courses from across the University. I genuinely recommend that, whether it is neuroscience, astrophysics, philosophy or literature that they wish to explore, they cherish these courses as opportunities to both surprise themselves, and explore different avenues that could inform their practice.

To someone graduating this year, I would recommend that they be open-minded, try different things within their practices, explore different interests and career options, and embrace the possibilities that the digital can offer.