University News Last updated 07 December 2016
Three final year Visual Communication students from the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media (ADM) have jumped at the chance to study in Thailand – and one has just had her work published.
Madison White and Molly Moran (both Illustration students) and Keira Harvey (Graphic Communication) are spending the semester at the Silpakorn University International College (SUIC) in Bangkok.
Staff from the School of Visual Communication have worked closely with the partner institute and BCU's International Office to set up this collaborative initiative.
Professor Annie Lu, Associate Dean International (ADM and BLSS), recently met the students on a visit to the institute and was impressed by the exchange opportunity.
The partnership arrangement, launched originally in 2007, is a Franchise Dual Award, where the final year of the four-year Thai course is equivalent to BCU’s level six/third year. It also builds on Visual Communication’s Thailand field trips, where six to 12 students visit the country for six weeks.
The exchange has proved fruitful for Madison, who has had work published. “My friend was looking for placements here and found a man who was advertising for an illustrator so I got in touch with him and he liked my work. So far I have made one book with him which is now on Amazon and the second is almost complete,” she says.
“It's a lot easier to get work here as people are more willing to work with students. People here seem to base it on our work rather than our experience which is good for people just starting out. I have now made a contact that will provide me with a few more projects as he has already asked me to illustrate a second children's book and a few more adult colouring books which is fantastic for me.”
Molly says that the exchange has had a positive effect on her work. “For the first time I've been able to put all my time into my work, where as at home I have a job and it can get hard sometimes trying to juggle both work and university,” she says.
“Here, however, for the last three months I've had so much more time to put into my illustrations and I feel like it's helped me so much more, I've been able to develop my work and experiment a lot more.
“It's also a whole new experience in itself living out here and taking in all the culture and ways of life that's different to back home. And in many ways just living here in a completely different country has had a positive effect on my work and motivated me to cherish every moment a lot more.”
Jackie Norton, Director of Academic Partnerships (ADM), praised the exchange. “We want to provide opportunities for our students which can enhance the student experience and broadens their global perspective through design education as well as providing students with potential life-changing experiences,” she says.