Studying at ECA gave Farah the opportunity to build on the knowledge she had previously acquired in her career as an architect.
Upon graduating she had planned to pursue her dream career as a teacher but utilising her newfound knowledge and experiences from her time at ECA, Farah has been working on an initiative to create a platform for Palestinian designers who have the talent but lack the resources and an organising body to achieve their potential. Farah has also begun teaching at the Arab American University in Palestine.
Why I chose to study an MA at ECA
I chose to do my master’s degree at Edinburgh College of art for several reasons. The first was the magic of living in a city like Edinburgh. The greatest attribute of living in Edinburgh for me was the fact that I could walk the same streets for a little over a year and continue to be mesmerized each time. The great heritage of the city itself was for me, as an architect, a major factor in making my decision.
As for the college, it was never a question about the quality of teaching or the education itself. It has been the best experience attending such a legendary college, with a remarkable history.
The University of Edinburgh was among the first universities established in Scotland, a country us Palestinians hold very dear. With the amazing staff of educators behind it, there is no better programme than the one it offers.
My time at ECA
My time at ECA was full of wonderful moments, sometimes it was hard; however, each moment was enriching in a variety of ways.
I was part of a cohort from all different parts of the world, with colleagues from Kenya and China. Our diversity was enriching for both my university education and the opportunity to learn about different cultures. We are still friends today and what they have added to my life cannot be taught in schools or universities. We all learnt about each other’s lives, the challenges our countries face, and the challenges we face as individuals. The studios of ECA were designed in a way that allowed us to meet colleagues from other design departments too, allowing us to grow with each other and learn more about the differences we have and the many similarities we share, letting us become part of this vast world.
During my time at ECA, alongside my colleagues, I participated in many collaborative projects as part of my MA degree. The programme was designed in a way that allowed for a variety of perspectives, there was no space or place for one-dimensional or narrow approaches.
For our final semester and for our thesis project we had various tasks to complete, all of which presented a new and exciting challenge. Among these tasks, we were asked to design and curate an exhibition for our college in the annual Interior Educators exhibition in London. The challenge was to design a sustainable, reusable exhibition for our allocated space, take it by public transportation to London, and to assemble and dissemble it ourselves. It was a challenge but we all successfully completed it.
The whole year was challenging, and the stress levels varied during the three semesters. Once I understood how to balance my workload, I was able to enjoy my time in Edinburgh, and everything became easier. If I could start again, I would do everything the same, but I would keep reminding myself that the difficult times will end soon, so I might as well enjoy it and feel less anxious during the last semester at least. I would also allow for more time to travel in the UK to learn more about the country and its diverse culture, possibly meet new people and expand my social network(s).