In this episode, we sit down with Chris Mitchell, Deputy Director of Academic Development at the RCA, to explore what sets creative education apart from conventional learning methods. We delve into the dynamic shifts in education and how the RCA adapts to an ever-changing world. Discover the nuanced journey of individual students and the transformative role of teachers in fostering creativity.

Learn more from www.rca.ac.uk

Creative education through uncertainty

In this episode, we dissect the multifaceted concept of communication with Dr Barbara Brownie, Assistant Dean (School of Communication) at the RCA. We journey through the challenges of pushing disciplinary boundaries and unravel the relationship between the body and designed objects in sci-fi movies.

Learn more on www.rca.ac.uk

The boundaries of communication

In this episode, we take you on an enlightening journey through the Venice Biennale, where the theme of "The Laboratory of the Future" spotlights Africa as a pivotal force in decolonization and decarbonization. We explore how architecture has historically shaped colonialism, racial capitalism, and carbon economies.

Join us in questioning the importance of thinking locally in architecture and gain valuable insights from Thandi Loewenson, Senior Tutor (School of Architecture), on how the Royal College of Art is engaging with these thought-provoking topics.

Learn more on www.rca.ac.uk

Doing, undoing, and imagining futures

Welcome to the Royal College of Art Podcast, exploring the world of art, design, and research at the Royal College of Art, the World Number 1 for postgraduate artists and designers worldwide.

In this episode, Benji speaks to Dave Webster, Assistant Dean (School of Design), where they delve into the essential topic of inclusive research methodologies, emphasising the importance of inclusivity at every stage of the research process.

Benji and Dave reflect on the evolution of design over the past 15 years, focusing on its relative merits and its role in shaping our future. Discover the complexities of defining research data and the critical role of research design in students' academic journeys.

Learn more on www.rca.ac.uk

Addressing local and global design challenges

In a special episode for International Women’s Day, this week's episode focuses on InnovationRCA - the Royal College of Art's centre for enterprise, entrepreneurship, incubation and business support.

In the last five years, companies supported through InnovationRCA’s incubator programme have been valued at more than £305 million, with 52% of the 116 founders being female, and 34% of founders from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Part 1: Introducing InnovationRCA with Dr Nadia Danhash
In the first part of this two part episode, we hear from Director Dr Nadia Danhash, who has been leading the way in championing diversity amongst a cohort of start-up businesses.

Dr Danhash is interviewed by Dr Melanie Flory - Associate Director of Research at the RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design.

Dr Flory is a psychologist and neuroscientist whose research enquiry is at the intersection of inclusive design, systems thinking, and cognitive neuroscience. 

They discuss:
- the ways InnovationRCA is fostering inclusion, driving diversity, and empowering women
- how InnovationRCA’s new Design & Impact S/EIS Fund is supporting female founders

Part 2: Meet the founders
We hear from extraordinary RCA graduates who have journeyed through InnovationRCA's incubator themselves:
- Eleanor Nadimi (RCA MA Textiles, 2010), Founder of ⁠OneNineEightFive⁠
- Tashia Tucker (RCA MRes, 2017) Founder of ⁠Olombria⁠
- Urshita Gautam (RCA MA Critical Writing in Art & Design, 2019), Co-founder of ⁠Revive Innovations +⁠

In a conversation led by ⁠Annetta Snider⁠, InnovationRCA’s Entrepreneur in Residence, they discuss:

- their journey navigating the entrepreneurial ecosystem
- the ways they’re driving change in their companies

Learn more about InnovationRCA: https://www.rca.ac.uk/business/innovationrca/

Investing in women: Entrepreneurship at InnovationRCA

In this episode of the Royal College of Art Podcast, host Benji Jeffrey delves into the fascinating world of public toilets with guests ⁠Gail Ramster⁠ and ⁠Professor Jo-Anne Bichard⁠. As part of the RCA's ⁠Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design⁠, they lead the Public Toilet Research Unit, exploring the crucial intersection of design, inclusivity, and public spaces.

From the challenges of finding a decent public toilet to the broader implications on business and public life, Gail and Jo-Anne share insights into their research and experiences.
The conversation spans topics like:
- the neglected design of public toilets
- the cultural significance of these spaces
- policy challenges hindering the improvement of public loos

Gail and Jo-Anne discuss the serious and humorous sides of their work, emphasising the need to break the taboo around loos and integrate them into broader discussions on urban design and accessibility.

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on why toilets matter, how they impact our daily lives, and the quest for 'Loo-topia'—perfect public toilets for everyone.


Learn more on ⁠the RCA's website⁠: www.rca.ac.uk

Find out more about the research and activity mentioned in the episode:
- ⁠Toilets Innovation and New Knowledge Exchange (TINKLE): https://tinkle.rca.ac.uk/
- ⁠⁠The Great British Public Toilet Map https://www.rca.ac.uk/research-innovation/projects/great-british-public-toilet-map/
⁠⁠- Public Toilets Research Unit⁠⁠ https://www.rca.ac.uk/research-innovation/research-centres/helen-hamlyn-centre/public-toilets-research-unit/
- The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (HHCD)⁠ https://www.rca.ac.uk/research-innovation/research-centres/helen-hamlyn-centre/

Loo-topia: Designing Inclusive Public Toilets

In the latest episode of the Royal College of Art Podcast, Emily Moore and Ekua McMorris discuss initiatives to support the RCA’s Black community.
Host Benji Jeffrey was joined by Emily Moore (Painting MA, 2020) – co-chair of RCA BLK, the association of Black Students, Alumni & Friends – and Ekua McMorris (Photography MA, 2009), former RCA Student Union President and current tutor on the Graduate Diploma Art and Design at the College. 
From an online support network to scholarships and socials, Emily explains the origins of RCA BLK and how it has evolved to support the needs of Black RCA students, past, present and future. 
Ekua shares her experiences of curating the 2011 RCA Black exhibition, which showcased the work of RCA artists and designers from throughout the College’s history.
Their conversation considers the importance of solidarity, financial support, and the visibility of those who have gone before. 
Featured in the podcast is a poem by Thalia Dougourou (Visual Communication MA, 2023), which was commissioned by RCA BLK, as part of Black Star, a project creating a time capsule of artworks from the RCA BLK community to be sent into outer space. Thalia’s practice dismantles Eurocentric perspectives on African history through word and image. Discover her ⁠RCA2023 graduate work⁠.
The music in this episode is from Andrew Pierre Hart (Painting MA, 2019). It’s taken from a mix he created to accompany his exhibition ‘The Listening Sweet - 3 - Lagos’ at Tiwani Contemporary in Lagos Nigeria. The work he exhibited explored the dialogue between painting, sculpture and music – a fundamental part of his practice. You can discover more about Andrew’s work on ⁠his website⁠. 
More information:
RCA BLK
You can find out more about RCA BLK ⁠on their website⁠.
You can also get in touch with RCA BLK through⁠ their Instagram ⁠or contacting them via email. rca-blk@rca.ac.uk
Further details of The Frank Bowling Scholarships, open to Black students, can be found ⁠on our website⁠. 
The Yinka Shonibare residency in Lagos, Nigeria, that was mentioned is an opportunity for the extended RCA BLK community: email rca-blk@rca.ac.uk for the open call information pack


RCA
You can find out more about the RCA on ⁠our website⁠.
If you are interested in studying here, you might want to check out an Open Day.
Details of the Graduate Diploma in Art & Design, can be found here.
You can also find out more about the wider Student Support offered by the College.


RCA Black exhibition
The RCA Black exhibition featured 23 artists from the RCA’s history. You can read more about it in ⁠a Guardian interview⁠ with Ekua.


The RCA alumni Ekua mentioned in the podcast were:
Barrington Watson 
Frank Bowling
Joy Gregory
Charlie Allen
Faisal Abdu'Allah

Other artists mentioned in this episode
Emily talks about artists featured in Frieze art fair and 154, including:
⁠Lubaina Himid⁠
⁠Jadé Fadojutimi⁠
⁠Shaquelle Whyte⁠

She also mentions ⁠Jarelle Francis⁠ (Curating Contemporary Art MA, 2023) who established Meadow Gallery, with an exhibition of work by ⁠Roisin Jones⁠ (Contemporary Art Practice MA, 2023).
Ekua discusses Black female artists Lubaina Himid, ⁠Marlene Smith ⁠and ⁠Claudette Johnson⁠

Behold our power - celebrating the RCA’s Black community

In this episode, Benji Jeffrey chats to Christoph Jones and Melanie King from the Working Class Collective (WCC).

The WCC is a student-run society, founded by Jennifer McMillan and Cristoph Jones in 2020 with an aim to uplift and provide solidarity for working-class students at the RCA.

The WCC acknowledges and celebrates the varied lives and experiences of working-class people through talks, events, exhibitions and social gatherings, and has produced two triumphant summer shows.

At the time of recording, Melanie King is the Interim Chair.

Listen as Benji, Christoph and Melanie discuss:

The formation and growth of the society
What it means to be ‘working class’, intersectionality and cultural identity
How being working class influences artistic practice


About the guests
Christoph Jones is an award-winning conceptual artist based in London. He graduated from the RCA with an MA Contemporary Art Practice in 2023. During his time as a student, he co-founded the RCA Working Class Collective with Jennifer McMillan. His practice encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including 3D digital design, video essays, painting, sculpture, performance, installation, and speculative fiction writing. With a focus on recontextualization, aesthetic abstraction and geographic relocation, his current work explores the transformative power of these processes on ostensibly axiomatic ideological, political and social concepts.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_christophjones/
Website: https://www.christophjones.com/

Melanie King is a working class artist and curator, originally from Manchester, and is now based in Kent, UK. She is a practice-based PhD Candidate in the School of Arts & Humanities at the Royal College of Art. Melanie is co-Director of super/collider, Lumen Studios and founder of the London Alternative Photography Collective. She is also a Lecturer In Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University. She is represented by the Land Art Agency.
Instagram: https://www.melaniek.co.uk/research 
Website: https://www.instagram.com/melaniekatking/
Learn more about the Working Class Collective
Instagram: @RCAWCC
X (Twitter) @RCAWCC
Website https://www.rcasu.org.uk/organisation/6281/ 

Mentioned in the episode
Jacob Talkowski @jacobtalkowski
Zofia Skoroszewska @zofiaskoro
RCA2022 & RCA2023 curated collections:
RCA2022
RCA2023
Working Class Artist Network Collective Instagram
Article: ‘Impostor syndrome’ is a pseudo-medical name for a class problem, Nathalie Olah
Book: Chavs by Owen Jones
Book: Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber 
Essay: What’s the point if we can’t have fun? David Graeber
Resource: Working Class Creative Database
Resource: White Pube Successful Funding Application Library

Learn more about the Royal College of Art
Visit: www.rca.ac.uk
Find out about scholarships and funding available: https://bit.ly/3mEaQjv

RCA Podcast: Being a working-class creative

How can we integrate sustainability into arts and design education to empower students to make an impact?

In the latest episode of the RCA Podcast, Dr Nick de Leon explores this question with representatives from the Sustainable Markets Initiative, the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (UAE), the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad (India) and the Rhode Island School of Design (USA).

Following on from the global success of the 2022 edition, the RCA is partnering for a second time with the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Design Lab - a competition to discover student led, high impact solutions to the climate crisis.

This year’s Design Lab has expanded its reach to also partner with Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (UAE), National Institute of Design Ahmedabad (India) and Rhode Island School of Design (USA).

In this podcast episode, leaders from each of these institutions come together to consider:
How we can integrate sustainability into higher education
The value of multidisciplinary collaboration, and collaborating between academia and industry
Taking an entrepreneurial approach to learning and design
Making an impact through international partnerships
The Terra Carta Design Lab and Sustainable Markets Initiative

Host & guests:
Nick de Leon is the RCA’s Academic Lead for the Terra Carta Design Lab. He is also Executive Education and Knowledge Exchange Lead in the RCA’s School of Design, where he leads the development of the School's research and knowledge exchange relations.

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, M.V.O., MBA is Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, a global organisation that mobilises the private sector to put sustainability at the heart of global value creation. His Majesty King Charles III, a champion of sustainability for over 50 years, launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative (when he was Prince of Wales) in 2020.

Touba Ghadessi is President Provost of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), setting a visionary path for student learning and academic affairs. Of Iranian ancestry and raised in  Geneva, Switzerland, Touba embodies a commitment to diplomacy and cultural dialogue.

Hani Asfour is Vice President of Innovation and Institutional Partnerships at Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). He is a founding member of DIDI, playing a pivotal role in shaping its curriculum, developed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and The New School's Parsons School of Design.

Praveen Nahar is the Director of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, India. His leadership extends across various departments and committees within NID, with a focus on areas such as Sustainable Design and Systems Thinking. 

Learn more about the Terra Carta Design Lab on the ⁠RCA website⁠: https://www.rca.ac.uk/business/terra-carta-design-lab/

Find out more about ⁠studying at the RCA⁠: https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/

Discover the ⁠RCA’s Scholarship and funding opportunities⁠: https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/application-process/funding-your-studies/

Designing the future - educating for sustainability in art and design

https://www.rca.ac.uk/news-and-events/rca-podcasts/

Loo-topia: Designing Inclusive Public Toilets

The Royal College of Art Podcast

Related tracks