Foundation Art and Design

About the course

Our cohort of 150 students have undertaken an intense year of study, which has provided them with the opportunity to focus on the practical elements of the four key disciplines of Textiles and Fashion, Fine Art, 3D Design and Visual Communications, along with a solid grounding in the conceptual, historical and theoretical elements of contemporary Art and Design.

The Foundation experience provides an excellent springboard for students who choose to progress on to a range of higher education courses and institutions. This transition year ensures that they are well equipped for the academic and technical challenges that they will face as they enter the next phase of their academic journey.

Use the gallery below to explore more.

3D Design

Through the 3D Design pathway, students engage with a wide range of materials and processes through creative hubs which include ceramics, plastics, metal and wood. They are encouraged to seek a broad range of historical and contextual references to inform their studies and to experiment with form, structure and expression. Outcomes range from architecture, lighting, furniture, products and body adornments to more provocative and expressive sculptural investigations with a range of media.

Below are selected works from students who have specialised in 3D Design.

Aaron Castillo

Adrian Avellaneda, Morgan Faulkner, Harshita Singh

Adrian Avellaneda

Anna Averof

Charlotte Winfer

Hannah Coles

Eleanor Buckeldee, Teni Begbaaji, Lucy Cave

Eleanor Buckeldee

Grace Esberger

Hannah Wilkie

Ben Jones

Megan Tickner

Morgan Faulkner

Shayna Patel

Thibaud Le Calvex, Anna Averof, Alyina Rouf

Thibaud Le Calvex

Toby Wright

Viktor Turzynski

Fine Art

Within the Fine Art specialism, students are encouraged to be open and playful in communicating their ideas about the world around them and develop a personal enquiry. They are introduced to the current ways of thinking and making associated with the contemporary practices of painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, drawing, and also alternative strategies such as working with sound, words and performance.

Below are selected works from students who have specialised in Fine Art.

Amy Margetts

Anoosheh Asaf

Bryony Gray

Clara Lopez Millan

Ella Mock

Finley Wells

Indigo Hill

Lauren Heap

Luke Sheppard

Millie Weston

Niamh Dollard

Rachel Leitzell

Sarah Breuleux

Alberta Ali

Textiles and Fashion

This pathway introduces students to the incredible breadth of textiles and fashion. Challenging projects are designed to encourage independent thinking and an awareness of historical, cultural and contemporary textiles and fashion, and to introduce students to a range of practical exploration. Students investigate drawing, colour, pattern, materials manipulation and 3D structure. They are encouraged to explore alternative media, materials and processes and access workshops to introduce new techniques.

Outcomes may be fabric designs, photography, three-dimensional sculptural pieces and body applications that are diverse and individual.

Below are selected works from students who have specialised in Textiles and Fashion.

Bella Reed

Cadi Williams

Caitlin Reed

Daniella Pitto

Eliza Hughes

Elsa Dugaro

Etie Boxer

Georgia Chang-Evans

Jordan Young

Phoebe Stainforth

Ruby Smith

Studio Elsa Dugaro

Shannon Nel, Anna Pearce, Bella Reed

Jasmine Pinkard

Visual Communication

Within Visual Communication, students are given the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of processes through workshops in stop motion and digital animation techniques. They learn how to create and manipulate imagery using software including Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and will have access to a range of printmaking processes, ceramics and fine metalwork.

With a focus on target audience they will use these skills to convey their responses to project briefs which explore  illustration and layout design, creating branding and  advertising campaigns and developing characters for storytelling. Production can be broad-ranging and will include 2D and 3D approaches and the use of time-based media.

Below are selected works from students who have specialised in Visual Communication.