Here’s a challenge for you, what do these three things have in common: a cornflower blue hat worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales, sun drenched swimming pools in California and the most celebrated unmade bed on the planet?
All are manifestations of the creative minds of some of the RCA’s most venerated alumni. From Tracey Emin’s crumpled mattress to David Hockney’s alluring American skylines to Philip Treacy’s regal headwear, these are the seismic impacts that just three of the RCA’s former students have had on the worlds of art and design.
Named this year as the best institution in the world for art and design for the ninth year running by the QS World University Rankings by Subject (which compares 15,000 university programmes at more than 1,500 universities in 93 countries), there are myriad attractions to studying a postgraduate course at the RCA. But don’t take our word for it – look at what three students have to say about the reasons they’d recommend it to others …
Collaboration
With more than 80 nationalities represented in its student body, a core part of the experience of studying at the RCA is learning from fellow students with a variety of cultures and practices.
“I have found that everyone is so generous with sharing their knowledge and skills,” says Sophie Longwill, who is studying for an MA in ceramics and glass. “We learn so much from each other and it is lovely to be able to bounce ideas and troubleshoot together.”
It’s a sentiment illustrated by Myles Ikenna Igwebuike, currently studying towards a design products MA. “Not long ago, I ran into this awesome painter, Joey, from Lebanon. I happened to be holding this object I’d just created in the metal workshop. We got to talking, and I couldn’t resist asking him: ‘What does this make you feel?’ He got very emotional and shared how my piece brought back memories of destruction and sadness during the Beirut explosion in 2020,” says Igwebuike.
“This moment was such a game-changer for me at the RCA. Everything just shifted from there, and we ended up collaborating on an installation. It was showcased at an RCA event, and over 400 people showed up!”
Technical services and facilities
An array of qualified technicians and world class facilities help creatives realise their visions and develop their skills, says Taylor Cheng, who recently moved from Hong Kong to study towards the arts and humanities MFA (master of fine arts) at the RCA. She enthuses in particular about the librarians and her EAP (English for Academic Purposes programme) tutor.
‘‘The library induction wasn’t just about showing me how to use research tools. It also opened my mind up to ways of thinking and visualising my research. And the EAP workshop wasn’t just about improving our English skills. It taught us the thinking behind communicating our creative practices and ideas.”
Longwill is currently working with the RCA’s tech gurus to hone her glassblowing skills on campus. “I’m still very much a beginner in terms of skill,” she says. “Yet the technicians are so encouraging, they really inspire confidence. I also have been learning how to weld for the first time and I can’t wait to try more new things with all the amazing resources here.”
Scholarships
Scholarships at the RCA are geared towards ensuring those from under-represented backgrounds and those requiring financial assistance are able to realise their potential.
Longwill is a recipient of the Märit Rausing scholarship, which she believes has been life changing. “There is no way I could have afforded to come here without it,” she says. “I have dreamed of coming to the RCA for so long. Years ago I helped make a wishing tree art installation at a music festival. I wrote ‘to study at the RCA’ for my wish and tied it to the tree – I guess it worked!
“The Märit Rausing Scholarships are the most generous scholarships available at RCA and are worth £35,000. I pinch myself every day because I still can’t quite believe it. It really is a dream come true.”
Alumni success
The RCA can open doors to careers in the creative and cultural industries, as its glittering alumni and recent graduate successes demonstrate. As well as inspiring the current crop of postgraduate students, the network of alumni creatives is something students become very much a part of.
“I’ve got some major love for [designer] Tord Boontje and [artist and writer] Victor Burgin, who are legends in their field,” says Igwebuike. “Speaking of inspiration, there’s an environmental artist and architect called Yussef Agbo-Ola who also studied at the RCA. Their environmental work has had a massive impact on my own practice.”
Location, location, location
The RCA’s trio of London locations take in the historic surroundings of Kensington, the future-thinking hub of White City and the cultural quarter in Battersea – putting students on the doorstep of some of the UK’s top cultural institutions, from Tate Britain to the Serpentine Gallery and the V&A. It makes for an inspirational backdrop to study, according to Longwill.
“It’s such a great location being close to all the museums, I can’t resist popping into the V&A whenever I’m near it, as well as the mineralogy collection at the Natural History Museum. I’m still getting to know my way around London but being a part of the RCA is like having a magic key, it’s so well known and renowned for talent and a high standard of artistry.”
From animation and architecture to fashion and fine arts, find out more about how you could unleash your creative passion and boost your career at the Royal College of Art
