Three BA (Hons) Visual Communication students have had their work selected to be part of an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. The project was a collaboration between Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) and Marketing Communication with Advertising students at Bournemouth University (BU).
AUB students Flora Searle, Millie Smith, and Vanya Vasileva were selected alongside eight BU students to have their work exhibited.
“The students were tasked with presenting an ad designed to communicate to citizens what a good life would look like in the future if we adopted more sustainable, climate-friendly ways of living,” explained Stuart Armon, Senior Lecturer in Marketing Communication at BU.
Stuart went on to reveal that this is the first-ever collaboration between his course and AUB’s BA (Hons) Visual Communication programme.
“Students from BA Advertising are very much focused on the development of strategy and concepts,” he said. “We don’t teach production or design skills.
“Consequently, having AUB Visual Communication students help bring their ideas to life in a more professional way benefitted them.
“Likewise, AUB students enjoyed working with ‘strategists’ and helping to refine ideas in order to make them more visually impactful.
“The experience very much mirrored what happens in industry, and the benefits of this approach are evidenced in the great work that was produced.”
Richard Hurst, Senior Lecturer on the Visual Communications course, added:
“We always encourage our students to do elective projects alongside their taught curriculum, and this was a great opportunity for them to collaborate with BU.
“This collaborative approach is echoed in industry, and initiatives like this help them to prepare for their careers. The students really engaged with the project and, despite the short timeline, produced some great work.
“We look forward to exploring more opportunities to collaborate with Stuart and BU in the future.”
The collaboration came with other rewards for some students. Flora Searle's poster, which she worked on with BU students Gabriella Fisher and Beth Harris, was awarded the Gold Prize off the back of the project.
The poster was themed around how the team envisioned the future in 2030. More specifically, "A 2030 where we've stepped out of the burdens of a digital idealised self," as Flora explained.
"My thoughts to stepping away from such burdens, was the reintegration of nature and human connection in our everyday lives.
"I recently transferred from BA (Hons) Illustration to BA (Hons) Visual Communication and was lacking confidence," Flora continued. "But working on a live brief allowed me to put my illustrative skills into practice, and I'm grateful to my tutors who've provided me with these opportunities."
The work was displayed on Tuesday 25 April in the Purpose Disruptors exhibition, part of the Tate Modern’s Earth Day Advertising Summit. In addition, the winning students attended a masterclass at the gallery that same day.
“The masterclass was designed to support those interested in reimagining a new future for the advertising industry,” Stuart said. “One that supports citizens in their quest for a ‘good life’ that aligns with the need to consume more responsibly.
“It'll provide insights into how to instigate change and real climate action in the organisations our students enter. Our students entering industry in the coming years will be the ‘change-makers’ that are required.”
