Futurising

Camden Town Unlimited and the Futurising winners

2010-07-16T10:06:48+00:00

Camden Town Unltd were offering three lucky Futurising graduates/graduate company's the amazing change to win six months free office space and mentoring in the heart of Camden. After initial pitches both prior to Futurising and an afternoon of 2 minute pitches from attendees. Camden Town Unltd met with their shortlisted candidates to discuss their work further. It was a difficult decision but on 30th June in the early evening sunshine, three very lucky companies were given (literally) the keys to the door!

Said Matthew McMillan of CTU 'We were both surprised and delighted by the calibre of applications, and the quality and passion of the individuals driving these ideas. We received a staggering range of creative proposals, and we believe the future of entrepreneurship in this country is bright if this is representative of the quality of individual coming through LCC and other creative universities. It was a very difficult task to choose the eventual winners, but what made them really stand out was the business acumen they demonstrated to make their business proposal become reality. If there was a key tip to other applicants, we would say go back and develop the finance side of their ideas and stay in touch!'

And the winners are!

Artgap – A bi-lingual magazine edited in the UK, produced in China and carrying articles from leading commentators from both countries that promote a cultural dialogue between London and China. With a serious creative pedigree, Harry, Cindy and Hao have a track record of attracting high level investors and developing innovative new partnerships. Can Artgap please contact Matthew at matthew@camdentownunlimited as CTU don't have your contact details!!!!

Good Living – A new ethical fashion/homewear label that will provide a straightforward route to market for creative individuals, selling products through websites, in pop-up shops, and department stores. The products will be sourced and sold globally - sweatshop free and made with love. Hannah and Natalie are serial entrepreneurs and will bring a well developed network of industry contacts to all tenants in Collective.

Business Inheritance Projects Ltd - A young non-profit curatorial organisation dealing with issues of historicity and heritage through contemporary art, music and performance. We focus on the juncture between what is perceived as historical and the contemporary and how the two can or cannot be determined. Already boasting an international reputation, Claire and her partners have just won a major contract with the National Trust and need a base to develop their business plan.

Camden Town Unlimited is committed to making Camden Town London’s most supportive location for creative activity, and have a major new creative centre to exhibit and support the capitals most interesting and innovative ideas. Read more about their work here and if you would like to know more, please contact collective@camdentownunlimited.com.

Unltd Winner Announced at Futurising

2010-07-16T09:27:09+00:00

The winner of the fantastic UnLtd competition at Futurising has been announced!

Futurising partners UnLtd were offering an award of up to £5K to the best idea for positive social change. The short-listed ideas were then pitched before a live audience on the final day of Futurising.

The winner was Eva Bayford, who runs the Bootleg Bar and Bus, a combination bar and cinema housed in old Routemaster bus. Eva will run filmmaking workshops for young people in deprived areas of London. She will then run a big screen showing of a blockbuster film, with the short films screened before the main feature to showcase the young filmmakers’ work.

Guri Hummelsund, UnLtd Development Manager, said ‘We were thrilled with the interest from the attendees at Futurising. We reached out to many people that had never heard about UnLtd and we are sure to have more dealings with them in the future.’

If you'd like to find out more about UnLtd and they support they provide to young social entrepreneurs then head to their website and find out more!

Futurising - A Personal View

2010-07-01T15:12:01+00:00

New graduate Dan Sawney has been working with us tirelessly as our Futurising Journalist. These are his thoughts on how Futurising went and what it meant.

The shutters might be down and the building locked up, but the ideas and creative energy inspired by Futurising mean it will never really end.

There were some strange and wonderful sights along the way; a multicoloured woolly dome, a double-decker bus serving up frozen cocktails and a building turned into a giant rabbit’s head.

And, of course, there were the creative students and graduates who converged on Shoreditch from across the UK to talk and listen to a dizzying range of professionals from all sectors of the creative industries.

This was much more than a careers fair. It was an event bursting with character, imagination and giddy excitement, and provided a vital meeting point for creative minds at all stages of their career.

Coming from many different backgrounds, the speakers represented the finest of the UK’s thriving creative culture. Journalists, graphic designers, artists and countless others all gathered to give advice, answer questions and put a human face to professions which to the outsider can all too often seem like a closed shop. Neither did they come just to speak, but to learn themselves from a generation studying at a time of constant technological change and evolution.

Futurising was a powerful antidote to doom-mongering and nay-saying. Although there were some hard truths and tough realities to face up to, the message sent out was that anything’s possible if you put your mind to it. The packed talks and lively stands showed that creativity doesn’t shrink in the face of challenges but thrives on them, and that each obstacle is an opportunity to explore a new way of thinking, doing, and making.

Two days is a drop in the ocean of the future, but the relationships built at Futurising are going to lead to amazing things for years to come. The ideas and imaginations of those walking around the Nicholls & Clarke building will shape the cultural world of tomorrow.

A lot of incredibly hard work went into Futurising, and there were a lot of tired people come Wednesday night. But knowing that somewhere a door had been opened, a possibility highlighted and an idea sparked made it all worthwhile. As the sun set on Shoreditch it was rising on the future of a whole new generation of creative professionals.

On to tomorrow.

Words: Dan Sawney/ Images: Ana Escobar

Blueprint Magazine

2010-06-28T14:05:31+00:00

Defining good design is a tricky task. For some people it’s all about how something looks, for others how it functions. For Peter Kelly, editor of Blueprint magazine, it’s all about ideas.

‘It’s always about the idea; about what it means when people use it, what outlook it implies for the way people live and the way they could live in the future. It’s simply a way of trying to contribute towards life getting better.’

‘We always look into the social factors that influence a design, not in the sense of using it to make people behave better but in the way design makes life better for people. It’s a really interesting thing to write about and to read about.’

This emphasis on the positive social value of design has been at the heart of Blueprint’s journalism since it was started by architect and journalist Peter Murray in 1983. Though its primary concern remains architecture, its articles cover all areas of the world of design and pay particular attention to the way ideas cross the borders between different practices.

‘Architects are influenced by artists, graphic designers and furniture designers and vice versa. It’s always been a traditional strength of design. It’s an attitude to the world, and a new way of looking at a problem that can be transferred across different practices.’

‘Sometimes it can be more practical, maybe a specific technique. We recently did a story on an engineer who builds machines for printing prototypes of buildings, but it can also be used for product design. It goes back to the fact that design should be rooted in a good idea and then that idea is transferable across all different disciplines.’

Given this flexible editorial approach, its not surprising that Blueprint attracts a wide readership from across the design world. Rather than a dry trade journal, it acts as a platform for creatives, whatever their specific background or interest, to read about the ideas shaping the world around them.

‘We try and treat our readers like rounded and intelligent human beings. Hopefully they read the magazine for pleasure as well as just to catch up with what’s going on professionally. Originally the magazine was aimed at architects and it still is but because of the approach it’s appealing to all sorts of different people. That way you end up attracting a much broader set of readers – you get photographers and artists and other people who are curious about architecture and design.’

'You have to play to your strengths'

As a design magazine, Blueprint practices what it preaches. Open up a copy and you’re immediately struck by its large, detailed photographs, playful graphics and stylish fonts. It revels in the printed format and is testament to why, despite countless melodramatic eulogies, print media remains very much alive and kicking.

But what advantage does Peter feel print has over its precocious online cousin?

‘There’s a definite appeal to our readership of something physical. There’s a certain pleasure in cataloguing the issues, having them out on your table and sharing them around the office.’

‘With print, you can publish projects in a really lavish and hopefully less formulaic way then you sometimes have to on a website. That’s not to say we’re claiming superiority, but you have to play to your strengths. We’re not set up to do a lavish website, but we are set up to do a good magazine.’

Despite this, there’s no ignoring the changes in audience expectations that the internet has brought about. Interactivity and up-to-the-minute news have gone from novelty to the norm, and Peter tells me it’s hard, if not impossible, for print to compete in these areas. But he remains optimistic that print can offer a unique and relevant experience, and is not just a nostalgic throwback to a less ethereal age.

‘You just have to think about what you have more time and freedom to do, which is respond to things in a more considered way and get a group of people to work together and develop something which they can’t always do on a website.’

Blueprint’s own website exists to draw readers towards the print edition, and for now is viewed as a complementary tool rather than an intrinsic element of the magazine’s brand. Peter admits that this relationship could change in the future, particularly with the evolution of platforms such as the much-talked-about iPad. I ask him if Blueprint would consider it’s own iPad app.

‘Yeah, it’d be brilliant!’ he answers, ‘But it’s something you’ve got to do properly. You can’t do something like that shoddily at a design magazine because it’s quite a savvy audience.’

'Pursue what you care about and it will lead to something'

Our talk drifts towards Peter’s own career. He has only recently stepped into the editor’s role, having started with Blueprint’s publishing company after leaving university. Has he felt any tension between wanting to explore his own ideas as editor, and needing to respect the magazine’s considerable history?

‘I’ve never felt much opposition, because Blueprint’s history is about critical writing and excellent journalism. I never feel strait-jacketed by its history, it’s something to aspire to.’

Is his own background in design practice?

‘No, I studied history! I had an enthusiasm for design which then fed into writing about it. But it wasn’t an academic background. You learn so much doing the job and it’s up to you read up on it and learn for yourself really.’

His own advice to graduates hoping to break into design or design journalism is to get as much experience as possible, while making the most of the ample opportunities for self-promotion offered by the Internet.

‘The key thing is to try and pursue what you really care about, and it’ll probably lead to something. You should set up a website and show your work, try and meet interesting people and work with them because you just don’t know when something is going to feed into a really interesting opportunity.’

We return to the subject that started our conversation, the principles of good design. I ask Peter what his favourite building is and the reason for its appeal.

‘The Barbican. Partly for sentimental reasons - I grew up going there because my Dad used to work there. It’s quite an idiosyncratic building; it’s big and ambitious and slightly intimidating but it’s also bewildering and eccentric. It’s got this huge ambition, this oddness that you warm to.’

So good architecture, and by extension design, can be as much about the emotions that a building or object elicits as much as it is about form and function?

‘Yeah. It’s tied to a whole view of the world. The Barbican is this very open, very public idea of having this huge arts institution and combining it with housing. People can just hang out there, you see them sleeping on the sofas.’

‘It’s not just the architecture. It’s tied into a whole outlook which is why it’s so appealing.’

Peter Kelly is chairing the Futurising talk 'How to...Self-publish: online vs. magazine - gloves off!'

Words: Dan Sawney/ Image: Holger Zscheyge

Meet the Futurising Student Ambassadors

2010-06-28T11:10:47+00:00

For the last couple of months, our tireless team of student ambassadors have been working to spread the word about Futurising at universities across the UK. After responding to our call for help, they were sent a rather snazzy Futurising t-shirt along with as many postcards and posters as we could cram into a parcel. The energy, enthusiasm and imagination that they brought to their task has been incredible to watch, and reflects the qualities that we think makes the creative world such a special place to inhabit. But don’t just take our word for it, read the profiles of our ambassadors below and see for yourself the dedication and hard work that they’ve put into making sure Futurising goes off with a bang.

Sheryl Agyemang: 21 year-old Sheryl studies BA (Hons) Advertising and Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University. She can’t actually attend Futurising herself, but has kindly passed the free events that she earned as an ambassador onto a friend.

Anthony Magee: Anthony is 23 and studied BA (Hons) Business Administration at Coventry University. He made full use of the web to promote Futurising to students at Warwick and Coventry, as well as filling every available space he could find with posters and postcards. You can find Anthony on LinkedIn.

Ashleigh Culver: Hailing from Rugby, 23 year-oldAshleigh studied BA (Hons) Community Arts and Drama at Manchester Metropolitan University before taking an MA in European Cultural Policy and Management at the University of Warwick. You can follow Ashleigh on Twitter.

Tina Remiz: Originally from Riga, 21 year-old Tina Remiz has been studying BA (Hons) Photography at the University of the West of England in Bristol and is preparing to move to London this summer. Tina has arranged to bring a coach load of her fellow students cross-country to London for Futurising. You can view her work here.

Emily Finn: Emily graduated in BA (Hons) Printed Textiles & Surface Pattern Design in 2007 and is now a Research Fellow at Leeds College of Art. She also works as a freelance print designer and is in the process of setting herself up in a full-time capacity. You can see her work here and find join her very own Be Creative network here.

Frances Brown: Frances is 25 and studying MA Design & Creative Enterprise at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee. You can find her website here and follow her on Twitter.

Fiona Fung: Fiona, 23, is from Brunei Darussalam and is studying MSc Audio Production at the University of Salford. You can read more about Fiona on her blog and follow her on Twitter.

Katie-Louise Herring: Katie is 22 and has just finished her degree in Creative Advertising at Buckinghamshire New University. Rather than taking a well-deserved break, she’s launched herself straight into a Marketing and Communications internship with Oxfam in her hometown of Oxford. You can find out more about Katie on her blog, and follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Get the Knack at Futurising

2010-06-25T15:29:07+00:00

Have you got the Knack? Futurising certainly does. The Knack will not only be providing Futurising attendees with a tailor-made magazine, but also bringing you the very best of the goings on from both days in a frenzy of live-blogging, tweeting and interactive online content. What’s more, you can get involved by using Twitter to let the world know what’s really grabbed your attention at the festival. Simply finish your tweets with ‘#Futurising’. The best tweets and twitpics will be featured in an online magazine sent out after the event.

Innovation and collaboration are what the Knack is all about. The project brings together students from across a variety of disciplines in the name of celebrating the brightest and best that the UK’s community of creative students and graduates has to offer. As well as reporting on the festival, they’ll be giving you the chance to put your self-promotion skills to the test in their video booth, where you can fashion and film a live-action business card.

Such an energetic project needs an equally tireless manager, and the Knack has one in the shape of MA Publishing student Egle Strockyte. Not content with having interned for Haymarket Publishing and the Baltic Times, she's taken on the role of making sure the Knack lives up to its potential. We managed to catch her in a rare moment of quiet to ask her what makes The Knack such an innovative and exciting project.

What's the thinking behind Knack?

Knack is an interdisciplinary student-led project from the Faculty of Media at LCC that creates an opportunity for students to learn from one another while creating a holistic series of media events and packages. Part of the experience is to recognise and evaluate the challenges that a team of people who have not worked together before, and come from different disciplines, might face. It gives us a chance to work together, which is a fantastic experience for real-life employment, while helping the college understand the possible implications of organising interdisciplinary collaboration.

Who's behind it?

The Knack concept was developed by MA Publishing director Desmond O’Rourke, as a way of road testing interdisciplinary student projects. O’Rourke now leads the project, with other course directors lending support. The people actually running Knack are students studying publishing, public relations and journalism. Though these people remain at the core of the project, we have expanded to include students from other programmes as well. As the magazine and live publishing event grew and more content was commissioned, we’ve recruited students from the MA Interactive Media and MA Photojournalism programmes.

Who's it for?

Knack is placed at the core of Futurising, a two-day festival supporting the career development of students and graduates in the creative fields. Knack invites Futurising attendees to express who they are while participating in the creation of an interactive digital magazine and blog. Participants will have an opportunity to display their talents and contribute ideas and works to a larger audience.

Open access computer points will encourage a multi-media approach to career networking, and attendees will also have the opportunity to create “video business cards” for themselves using the Video Booth. A live feed from the video booth will be projected onto a nearby wall, and the taped material may be used on the Knack at Futurising blog, and in the digital edition of Knack magazine.

What's the purpose of the video booth?

The video booth is a tiny, 1m squared private space that will provide a fun, interactive way for students and graduates to express themselves and their work. The booth will allow them to get creative, making a video business card for themselves, the idea being "two minutes to sell yourself." The filming is silent, but there are no parameters, so participants are free to enjoy the space, whether it’s showing an eye for style, an extensive knowledge of literary references or some killer dance moves!

What makes Knack different?

It is an entirely progressive way of learning in which a lot can be gained from the various successes and failures within the project. It is inevitable that bringing together students from different perspectives and approaches will come with its fair share of problems, but everyone involved is committed to interpreting these and overcoming them. While studying it is so easy to become immersed in your own circle, without breaking out; this project is a fantastic opportunity to work with talented people from other disciplines!

The live aspect is also really interesting. Lots of graduate events are nothing more than a series of stalls from various employers, which is often daunting and tiresome. Knack is offering a practical way for attendees to give live feedback and present themselves in unique ways outside of the traditional handshake and ‘brief bit about myself' routine. Graduates have never had it tougher. We’ve been labeled by some as the 'lost generation' and it’s about time we started defining how we want our futures to look.

What can be expected from Knack?

In addition to the video booth, Knack will be distributing its free print magazine. We'll also be blogging about Futurising, live from the Shack. Additionally, we're commissioning reporters to gather content throughout the two days. This will include a series of reviews and summaries of speakers, as well as video and written interviews.

What will you be doing at FUTURISING?

Probably running around making sure everything is going smoothly! It’s been stressful, but I’ve already learnt a lot. It actually hasn’t been too scary though. We’ve become such a close team, so I’ve always known that I’ve got great support, and everyone is willing to step in when problems arise.

What has your experience been like working on Knack?

Knack at the Shack project has been the biggest, but the most rewarding challenge I’ve experienced this year. Within a short given timeframe myself and a bunch of students from courses had to come up with a concept for celebrating creative minds. Although the scope of the project seemed big, multidisciplinary team proved to be helpful in overcoming any challenges.

And finally, what do you have a knack for?

Multitasking, if you can call it a knack?

Words: Kate Rintoul/ Images: Christian Anderson

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Graduate of the Week: The Girl Who Ate Ink

2010-06-25T08:56:14+00:00

Tell me who you are and what you do?

My name is Sarah Cai and I have just graduated from the BA Graphic Design course at Central Saint Martins. Although trained in graphic design, I have a strong interest in screen-printing, bookbinding and animation. I work across various disciplines, but all with a hands-on approach. To me, making is thinking, and doesn’t just come at the end of a project. I need to get my hands busy creating before I can further my conceptual developments.

You operate under the name ‘The Girl Who Ate Ink’. How do you use you brand to promote yourself and your ideas?

It’s an odd name to go by, I admit! Having said that, people tend to remember it because it is a little strange and comes with a story. I often sketched with a nib pen and a container of water to wash my nibs in, and a cup of tea nearby as well. Needless to say, I end up dipping my inky nib pens into my teacup and occasionally ingesting some ink…unintentionally of course! I also like the idea of being intimately related to the materials I work with, which I feel is very important as a designer maker.

As someone with a multi-disciplinary practice how do you go about marketing yourself and create an audience for your work?

I have a strong interest in human rituals and behaviour, which I feel provides a solid foundation to my work despite the different disciplines it falls in. I create my projects with an intention to communicate a clear and meaningful idea across. Materials are a vital factor of my work and I spend a lot of time getting it to feel right, be it simply paper or texture of the covers. My work is very interactive, I want people to pick up my work and feel it instead of just looking at it on a wall. I feel that people who have a tactile awareness are attracted to my work.

You are currently an artist-in-residence at CSM, tell me more?

It is a one-year residency based in the printing and bookbinding studio at Southampton Row. It is a fantastic and meaningful opportunity to use the space before CSM’s big move to King’s Cross next summer. As an artist-in-residence, I have the opportunities to develop my work with the facilities available, while helping technicians and collaborating with lecturers to participate in the projects happening in school. I will also have the opportunity to give talks and conduct workshops and shows throughout the next academic term.

How did the residency come about?

I had spent the last two years working furiously in the screen-printing and bookbinding area. I began to take care of the studio as if it was my own. Soon I had a few drawers of my tools and papers, and then I brought in a little kettle and some mugs for my tea breaks. I felt like I was sneakily “residing” in the studio already when Douglas Bevans, the printmaking and bookbinding lecturer asked if I would like to take up the residency.

What have you gained from taking up the residency at CSM?

The residency has just begun, but I love helping out with other students’ projects and offering them some practical advice on constructing their books. It is a great joy to get involved and I always learn so much from conversations with students or fellow practitioners.

I see you have done a few internships whilst studying. How have these helped you and what did you learn from them?

Internships are great for developing your skills in real time. They are also good opportunities to meet people, not just contacts in the industry but also people who are passionate about the things that they do. My internships have helped me immensely as I can see how my work can be applied to a certain market, and how procedures in a company take place. I learnt immensely on how to work with others in the field, and also how to deal with challenging situations when you have to meet deadlines.

When it comes to freelancing it can be all about specialisation. Do you see there still being room for those who straddle disciplines and work in more than one area of art and design?

Definitely. In this economic climate, I believe that clients are looking for people who can get a variety of jobs done at the same time. It is vital for designers to specialise in a variety of skills they are interested in. This doesn’t mean to say that one should be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, or that we should get paid less for doing more work. There should be a balance between developing a range of skills and specialisation. I feel that people who work across disciplines might find it more risky and challenging to do so, but will be handsomely rewarded by the interactions they discover within the disciplines. In this modern day society, design is needed not just for print, but also for products, moving image, campaigns and online media.

What do you make of the current trend within art and design for a more tactile, handmade approach to both graphic design and illustration?

I wrote my dissertation on skin hunger, and spent months talking to psychologists, designers, artists and printers, asking them the exact same question. My take on it is that there is a resurgence of heritage and crafts as a reaction to the overload of computer graphics and techniques. Because of modern technology and our way of life, we lack the sensorial pleasure we derive from interacting with a variety of textures. Our senses are dulled down by the minimalist choices of textures we encounter in our lives. Many people are going back to the basics as they feel that they need some sort of a tactile experience, be it working with the tools or touching and feeling materials. Although it is clearly a trend, I think that there is an underlying response to the way we work and how aesthetics in art and design is defined. I wouldn’t just label it as a trend, but also as the start of a new era where the boundaries between art, craft and design become beautifully blurred.

Are you conscious of trends within art and design?

Yes I am, but I stay away from them as well. You have to know what is going on around you, but whether you want to join in the crowd or not is a personal decision. A quote from Mark Twain: "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."

What tools do you use to let people know about what you do?

I use screen-printing a lot and also construct books from an odd variety of materials. I’m developing interesting ways to make paper for the covers of my books as well. People are attracted to the strange imperfections of a print or a surface and they will often question how it is done and the techniques involved.

How important is networking in getting noticed and making contacts?

It is important to a large extent as it helps to build up a network of people who are useful to each other when the need arises, be it applying for an internship, a job or an exhibition space. However, I think it is just as important to simply have great conversations with people about your work and what you are interested in without having the “networking” cloud hanging over your head. I find it a much more sincere and genuine way to “network”, and it is more meaningful as well!

As a bookbinder, where do you see the future of physical books and printed media?

Technological advances like the iPad and the Kindle are not books. Physical books are classic and timeless, and will be around for a long time! A book is something that doesn’t need electricity or batteries to be alive. Michael Johnson wrote recently in an article “if print is dead, then this is a very long goodbye.” With the combination of technology and traditional crafts, the future of books and printed media is very much exciting and vibrant.

You graduate from CSM this year, what have been your highlights in your short career as an artist so far?

I won an opportunity to design the cover for puffin post, which is a popular children’s magazine revived from the 1960s. I was also awarded the Queen’s Scholarship Award for a grant, which I used to investigate touch and tactility in art and design. The main highlight in the last few years was holding my first solo show in Warsaw, Poland, where I showcased my illustrations and animations in an underground café gallery. I hired an accordion player on my opening night and provided wine and vegan snacks to everyone who came. It was a lovely experience.

Long-term are you looking for representation from an agent?

I’ve always thought that representing myself is the best way to go but you’ll never know what lies ahead!

What are your plans for the future?

I am looking for work in a design studio, while creating my books, holding shows and workshops in my free time. At some point in my life I would like to start a studio on a canal boat! Whatever I do, I want to keep on learning and experiencing.

Sarah’s work can be seen at www.thegirlwhoateink.com

Words: Adam Hayes/ Images: Sarah Cai

Camden Town Unlimited Competition Shortlist Announced!

2010-06-24T15:24:06+00:00

After an unprecedented response five lucky companies have been selected for the selection interviews for 6 months free office space in Camden Town in central London. Those shortlisted are:

Good Living - Hannah Carnell & Natalie Campbell
Fox and Squirrel - Penelope Sacorafou & others
Business Inheritance Projects - Claire Louise Staunton
Youth Moves -Luke Hippolyte/Alex McWhirter
House - Dilini Nanayakkara & others

However, don’t worry if you didn’t get picked or didn’t have a chance to enter – you will have an opportunity to join the competition on the day. Between 1.30 – 2.10pm on Wednesday 30^th June, CTU will be on hand to listen to a 2 min pitch and will allocate interview space for 3 companies later on in the day (results announced at their stand at 2.30pm, pitches between 5– 6pm). Places for this two minute session are first come first served, so come early to ensure you get seen! CTU will judge the applications based on:

The quality of your business idea
Your attitude towards collaborative working and ability to work with others in a dynamic and open space

To find out more about the competition, and to read an interview with CTU's Matthew McMillan, click here.

Woolly Thinking

2010-06-24T13:57:50+00:00

The Shack at Futurising is set to play host to a unique installation that will pit the various creative practices against each other in a contest of wool and weaving! The Geodesic Dome by H&P design is going to be created by you, the Futurising attendee. You'll be given a piece of wool colour-coded to represent your practice, which you'll then weave through the spokes of the dome until it is covered in a colourful coat of yarn. There'll be 20 different colours used in total, representing the incredible diversity of disciplines that all contribute to make the creative industries so special. Which colour will win out? Let's just hope a giant kitten doesn't show up and spoil the party…

Words: Dan Sawney

Wyatt-Clarke & Jones

2010-06-24T12:04:03+00:00

The debate about art versus commerce has raged for centuries, and will no doubt continue long into the future. One company taking a new approach to it, however, is Wyatt-Clarke & Jones, a photographic agency that sees no reason why creativity and commerce have to be mutually exclusive. They take on photographers who would traditionally work outside of the mainstream and get their work featured in a wide variety of advertising campaigns, with stunning results – many of the images represented by Wyatt-Clarke & Jones will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s been near a magazine, billboard or bus in the last few years. John Wyatt-Clarke, founding partner of the agency, will be speaking at the Futurising talk 'Bringing creative talent and business together - working in commissioned photography' on Wednesday 30th June. We spoke to him to find out more about his work.

What’s the idea behind Wyatt-Clarke & Jones?

We find photographers from outside the mainstream of advertising photography, and manage a career for them in advertising, while enabling and encouraging them to develop their careers as artists, photojournalists, filmmakers alongside what we do. So I get to work in an industry I enjoy, with photographers that I'm proud of.

What qualities do Wyatt-Clarke & Jones look for in a photographer?

I could write a list of important qualities, and anyone could guess what they’d be: vague words about skill and vision. But in the end we make our choices by instinct and by a gut feeling for someone’s work. We’ve learnt to trust that when we get a shiver down our backs, so will the people we show the work to.

What makes a great photograph?

A great photographer. Haha.

How can creativity be reconciled with commerce?

Creativity has always been entwined with commerce. They’re not opposites, and I think commerce has stimulated creativity more than it’s inhibited it. Historically, the people that pay for art have been pivotal in directing its course, and should be better recognised for their artistic contribution. Artists in fact often find they work better when their options are limited. They’ve always sought self-imposed restrictions for this reason; composers still write sonatas, poets still write in classical meters, somehow being hemmed in can produce heightened creativity.

How did you get started as an agent?

I was working at Magnum and saw a massive gap that wasn’t being catered for. Back then there wasn’t the same interchange between different sectors of photography and it seemed obvious to me that art buyers and art directors would like to work with a wider range of photography. I wanted to do it with Magnum but the London bureau weren’t up for it, so I did it on my own.

What are the biggest changes in photography that you’ve seen during your career?

There have been too many to choose from. Digital technology and post-production has changed the way we work, but hasn’t really changed what we do with photography. I think the fact that everyone now carries a phone camera with them all the time will end up having a bigger effect, people making work in different ways, playing with picture-making, finding new uses for their photos.

What’s the most enjoyable aspect of your work?

The people in advertising are great. Students never believe me when I tell them that advertising people are really nice, but they are. The most satisfying thing is seeing my photographers producing valuable art as a result of the income and resources I’ve helped provide. There’s work that I love that wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for me, which is almost as good as making it myself.

What’s your advice to photography graduates looking to get noticed?

Don’t try to get noticed, try to get better.

Why are Wyatt-Clarke & Jones at Futurising?

Why wouldn’t we be there?

Wyatt-Clarke & Jones are leading on the Futurising talk 'Bringing creative talent and business together - working in commissioned photography'

Words: Dan Sawney/ Images: Adam Hinton (top), Nick Georghiou (bottom)