Before I joined the BA (Hons) Modelmaking course, I did a HND in Package Design; I was also a window dresser, a gift wrap production manager and package designer. For 13 years, whilst my children were growing up, I was a teaching assistant at a primary school just opposite AUB. During that time, I often looked longingly over the road and wished I could return to being a student, so that I could enjoy the privilege of being taught by experts and encouraged to push the boundaries of my creativity every day – it seemed like an unobtainable daydream at the time.
Then a change in circumstances led me to re-evaluate my life. I wanted to find out how creative I was capable of being. I also needed to up-skill because I had fallen behind with creative technology – in particular, CAD. After reading Anaïs Nin's famous quote – "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage" – I decided to be brave and apply. I didn't know that it was possible to study Modelmaking before I looked at the available courses – it seemed like too much fun to be a degree subject. Throughout my life if anyone ever asked me, “What would your dream job be?” I would always say, “Working in theatre or film, set design or prop making.” So, on discovering the course, I realised it was the one for me.
Feast's Fantastical Bonbonerator is a multi-sensory experiential marketing aid, designed to be used in a sweetshop to promote the brand and encourage repeat visits.
For my final major project, I wanted to make a model that was interactive and intriguing. It was inspired by Wonka’s case as featured in the recent Wonka movie. I have always daydreamed about working on a film like that – to be involved in the creative process that goes into making a film that has the potential to bring joy to millions of people would be amazing. Who wouldn’t want to see their name in the credits at the end of a film?
The model was a challenge to design because of the combination of elements that had to be brought together and presented in an eye-catching, stable and user-friendly way. These elements include a Thaumatrope, a Phenakistoscope, an optical illusion wheel complete with spinning sweets, and a pop-out sweet-dispensing compartment. It also incorporates Victorian fairground music and lights. In order to achieve this, I made a six-gear mechanism, which had to be precisely aligned. I found it challenging because I hadn’t done any of these things before.
That’s what’s brilliant about the Modelmaking course. If you are up for the challenge, the amazing tutors will encourage you to go beyond your comfort zone to acquire knowledge and master new skills in a hands-on environment that primarily involves learning through making. Targeted briefs teach you the basic principles of making; then if you have a particular passion or skill, you are able to specialise. Or if, like me, you are a generalist and interested in everything, you can spend three years being inspired and encouraged to experiment and feed your brain, whilst learning how to use a wide variety of techniques and industry-standard equipment.
There are so many processes to learn and many different applications, industries and opportunities for a career in Modelmaking. By the end of the course, you are aware of the techniques and equipped with the ability to go out into industry and become whatever kind of creative you want to be.
The Modelmaking degree at AUB has been an amazing, life-changing experience, which has enabled me to realise my creative potential and worth. When I arrived, it felt like I had found my people. A marvellous mix of kooky, introverted, focused, somewhat obsessive, wonderful, funny and kind individuals, all united by their drive to create.
By the end of the course, we had all learned so much more than how to make models; we had gained confidence in our own individual talents, capabilities and passions. We have also become part of the AUB creative family, which is an exclusive club and something to be proud of for the rest of our lives.
