Our exciting, practical, studio-based programme teaches you to design thoughtful, fresh and exuberant work demonstrating originality and innovation. The department is small and friendly with a big international reputation as one of the UK’s leading programmes in the field. We incorporate a multitude of visual research methods such as drawing, painting and printing elements as a foundation for successful creative practice at all levels.
We will teach you to work with, and explore the use of, a broad variety of materials, including precious metal, plastic, textile, enamel and stone. We have a reputation for maintaining a high standard of hand skills and original design work, with a commitment to helping you to develop a clear and original creative voice through your drawing and making.
The department philosophy encourages a wide range of approaches, from the traditional Gold and Silversmiths’ trade, to the contemporary influences of art, craft, design, product, fashion, technology and science.
We have old and new approaches to traditional craft techniques with innovation, exploration and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The objective is to design critically informed work that integrates ‘thought’ and ‘practice’ to contribute towards the ever-evolving creative industries within and outwith the discipline. They enable students to design and create personal, individual pieces of work that push the boundaries of the subject.
The department is fundamentally concerned with instilling knowledge of materials and making practices. They use materials experimentally. They express ideas through materials and seek out new ways to apply them.
Staff do not encourage a department ‘style’, but rather challenge the students to develop their own creative voice through translating visual research into 3D forms.
