For Ashley, graduating from ECA presented the opportunity to showcase the vast array of skills she acquired during her time studying. Reflecting on her work, like she did at university, to ensure she is able to continue to evolve her design skills and processes.
Since graduating, despite the global pandemic, Ashley has continued to find work in the interior design field. The pandemic has required her to be creative with the design process due to the change in methods of communication between the client and suppliers, a lot of which she learnt during her time at ECA.
Why I chose to study an MA at ECA
I selected ECA because of its renowned array of programmes in various fields of art and design. I took time to research the college and discovered it had a rich background in various fields such as Music and Architecture. This was one factor that convinced me that this was the right choice for me.
With the University of Edinburgh being a top university internationally and having merged with ECA several years before, I felt confident that the school would provide an excellent learning space with the availability of research material, quality in the learning programmes, and diversity in the student body and lecturers I would engage with. The location of ECA was another factor that persuaded my selection. I was keen to live in a city with such a vast and deep history that I had only come across in books and other materials. The opportunity to live and experience this city and its rich history first hand was exhilarating.
My time at ECA
The first project we undertook as a class was the ‘reimagining and reuse' of the Playfair Library at the heart of Old College. The library had been designed by Scottish architect William Playfair in 1832. The University has worked to preserve the space in its original form. The library, however, is rarely accessed by students and staff, and is mainly used to host events. Our task was to create within it a new function that would have a university community use which would allow it to be used rather than having it sit as a mausoleum. The challenging questions posed by our lecturers enabled us to push design beyond what we considered the norm.
This was better represented in the work I did for the second project, when we worked on the Talbot Rice Gallery. The aim and concept of this project was to help the gallery gain a presence in the university community, who knew little about it. This task was challenging but very interesting to undertake, and I had the opportunity to share and learn from my classmates and see different perspectives and approaches to tackling a similar challenge.
In this one year, I challenged myself to take on extra courses offered at the University. I took up developmental psychology and a philosophy class on reason and passion. These were courses that I had personal interest in and had never had the opportunity and access to in my undergraduate studies back home in Kenya. The mode/method of teaching as well as its content were new and exciting to undertake. These broadened my perspective, not only in my studies but a general life view, and diversified my social interactions.
My final project at ECA was to tie together the entire experience of the year and write this in an academic format – the dissertation. I opted to tell a story through my projects highlighting the challenges and achievements I had undertaken. In one of the classes we took, I learned that design can be expressed in writing, and not always pictorial. This showed me that communication is key in the work I produce. However, this is not linear, and there are various ways of disseminating the work I produce.