KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER BRINGING CREATIVITY TO BUSINESS
WHO ARE WE?
University of the Arts London, Europe’s leader in art and design education, comprises six world famous Colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (CSM), Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication (LCC), London College of Fashion (LCF) and Wimbledon College of Art. For more than 150 years the Colleges of the University have been at the forefront of research and innovation in their specialist disciplines of art, design, fashion, communication and the performing arts. We continue this tradition today with a range of strategic knowledge transfer opportunities for commercial and non-commercial partners and clients in the UK and overseas.
WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER?
Knowledge transfer is about exchanging expertise, experience, research results, skills and ideas between universities and other organisations, businesses, government, the public sector and wider community to enable innovative new products, services, technologies and policies to be developed. Knowledge transfer at the University of the Arts London can take place through a range of formats – including commissioned projects, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), collaborative research, R&D consultancy, student projects and International Knowledge Exchange
projects (IKE). Fundamentality we approach knowledge transfer as a two-way process of exchange with mutual and sustainable benefits.
WHAT WILL IT COST YOU?
The cost of engaging in a knowledge transfer project needn’t be high and may require no more than a mutual interest and a commitment to two-way exchange. Schemes such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and Research Council funded-projects also receive significant government subsidy.
INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE?
We would be delighted to hear from you to discuss your interests in knowledge transfer collaborations with the University of the Arts London. If you have any questions or would like to set up a phone discussion or face to face meeting with a member of our Knowledge Transfer Team please drop us an email at knowledgetransfer@arts.ac.uk A quick flick through this brochure shows some of the University’s recent knowledge transfer projects…
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER CASE STUDIES ACROSS THE CREATIVE DISCIPLINES Design
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Fashion
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Media & Communications
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Visual & Performing Arts
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Archive Development & Conservation
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Design 3
Images: courtesy of Giandaniele Asquini
Art d’Inox
Spices & Fruits as Design Inspiration
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The company started this Knowledge Transfer project because they wanted to gain exposure to European design thinking. In just three months, our graduate came up with completely new concepts, using stainless steel and terracotta that were incorporated into new designs including an innovative stainless steel umbrella stand.
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Brent Holder, Business Development Manager, University of the Arts
Case Study
Set up in 1970, the Jindal Steel Group is one of India’s fastest growing groups in the iron and steel sector, with nearly 50% market share in the country, and a major exporter across the globe. During a three month research and development focused International Knowledge Exchange (IKE) project, the University of the Arts London (UAL) helped Art d’Inox explore new ways of working with stainless steel and enhance the company’s product range.
Purpose Of the initiative
Art d’Inox (a lifestyle product company within the Jindal Steel Group) decided to work with UAL on an IKE project as a way of leveraging the University’s knowledge, expertise and skills. The project set out to develop new and innovative design processes to increase the company’s competitiveness and expand their design thinking. In order to achieve this, UAL set up and managed the project which involved a team of design graduates from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design working in India directly with Art d’Inox.
Outcomes • • • • • •
Fresh thinking was infused within the company’s present work practices in a tactical way New approaches of working with stainless steel were successfully introduced and implemented within the business New prototype products were successfully created within a short timeframe Fresh concepts were explored to produce innovative new products using stainless steel and terracotta UAL graduates formed relationships with a range of industry contacts with the opportunity to gain new skills and experience The client gained exposure to European design thinking and benefited from engaging with young designers and their contemporary design practices
design
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Images: Images:courtesy courtesyofofKelsey KelseySnook Snook
Southbank Centre interactive experiences
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KTP is a really creative and powerful way for the Southbank Centre to further its own ambitions and ideas through collaboration. We are swapping knowledge and expertise which makes economic sense as well as creating something that is more holistic and more interesting for the public to be part of. Shan Maclennan, Creative Director of Learning and Participation, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre
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Case Study
The Southbank Centre is the largest single-run arts centre in the world, situated in London on the banks of the River Thames. The Centre undertook a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (CSM), University of the Arts London (UAL), to develop interactive environments that encourage participation and re-engage audiences.
Purpose Of the initiative
The Southbank Centre wanted to give visitors to the site new kinds of interactive and tactile experiences to bring an exciting and alternative dimension to the way people see the Centre. The key aims of the KTP were to increase visitor numbers to the Southbank, to raise awareness of what the Centre offers and provide new ways for people to engage with the Centre, ultimately, leading to an increase in its revenue streams, through increased ticket sales and membership.
Outcomes •
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New approaches to engaging the public with the Southbank Centre resulted in exposure to new markets and revitalized relationships with existing markets, with a direct impact on membership registrations and visitor numbers The developed of a new design methodologyhas enhanced the Southbank Centre’s understanding of how to interact with the public The Centre’s Flicker site grew from less than 10 hits per day to 5,000 hits, leading to a 500% increase in the Southbank Centre’s online community New narrative environments and installed interactive experiences, such as photo booths placed in spaces around the Southbank, led to approximately 11,500 new individual visitor interactions Participatory design approaches gave the Learning and Participation team at the Southbank Centre increased confidence with their design decision making The knowledge and expertise transferred during the project will be reflected in both Southbank’s Learning and Participation team’s working practices, and in teaching on the MA in Narrative Environments at CSM
DESIGN
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Image: courtesy of the MACPfNE archive
Pforzheim 2025 forecasting futures
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Students came up with a vision which expanded people’s thinking. Although forecasting futures are partly imagination, the external partner gained tangible outcomes as the scenarios can be developed into a strategy for introducing change to the city of Pforzheim.
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Tricia Austin, Course Leader in MA Creative Practice for Narrative Environments, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London (UAL)
Case Study
The German city of Pforzheim has long struggled against the constraints of its past, in particular its 250 year old reputation as the “City of Gold” and the lasting memory of the city’s destruction and heavily bombing during the Second World War. Backed by the Pforzheim organisation for economic development and city marketing this collaborative project brought students from the MA in Creative Practice for Narrative Environments at Central Saint Martins together with a group of students from the School of Design at Pforzheim University to help the city think differently about its future.
Purpose Of the initiative
In order to increase its competiveness and reposition the city, Pforzheim decided to change its backwards-looking culture by envisioning new futures based on its present day strengths and assets. A group of 24 students from CSM and Pforzheim University spent two weeks in Pforzheim working intensively on a supervised live project to produce a range of visual-think-pieces, illustrating and explaining a range of distinctive potential futures for the city. The students created six different scenarios that visualised and communicated the potential futures, providing a focus for debate and change in the City.
Outcomes • • • • •
Identifying the main challenges for the future of Pforzheim created debate about what needs to be done to develop the town, and kick-started the process of change. A physical exhibition of the future scenarios was held in the Pforzheim City Hall and received extensive press coverage across Germany, helping to capture people’s imaginations The city of Pforzheim was given a new way of thinking about their future which can now be used strategically in the city’s development plans A new creative relationship between two globally recognized design schools was created with potential for ongoing collaboration and exchange Students gained valuable networking opportunities and some have since obtained employment as a direct result if their involvement in the project
DESIGN
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Fashion 11
Image: courtesy of Cassette Playa
Cassette Playa ‘Augmented reality t-shirt’ range
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The positive thing about this project was that it presented quite technical things to people in a way that was easy for them to enjoy and understand. We also managed to entirely realise a very unique Cassette Playa customized design concept.
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Philip Delamore, Senior Research Fellow (DigitaL Technologies), London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
Case Study
Cassette Playa is a luxury/street menswear brand started in 2007 by designer Carri Mundane. Mundane, whose designs have a very distinctive graphic style, has collaborated with brands including Nike, Sega, Jim Henson, Uniqlo, Nintendo and received recognition from artists such as M.I.A, Klaxons, Dizzee Rascal, Telepathe and Late of the Pier. A recent London Development Agency funded Knowledge Connect Project, between Cassette Playa and London College of Fashion (LCF) has led to the development of an innovative technology application that enables customers to interact with the brand on a deeper level.
Purpose Of the initiative
The Digital Fashion Studio at LCF proposed to develop a new software design application for Cassette Playa. The design application would allow customers to see a 3D graphic or animation/video located on their clothing when they view themselves via a webcam, mobile phone or other hand hell device. The end result of the project was an ‘Augmented Reality T-Shirt’ (AR-T) range, which was seen as a unique opportunity for Cassette Playa to increase its competitiveness, as this technology has never been used in the Fashion industry before.
Outcomes • • • • •
Access to AR-T expertise, design practices and software development led to new T-shirt design prototypes and innovation within the company Development of a new software application, unique to the brand, has increased value, novelty and sales potential to the company’s product offer Development of a new AR-T range, which can be developed by adding new functionality Raised brand awareness, due to publicity received at London Fashion Week 2010 leading to more orders, wider audiences and new clients An increase in consultancy and licensing collaborations between Univerity of the Arts London and non-fashion product businesses
FASHION
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Image: courtesy of Pilar Macchione
NSK Textiles
transformative impact on design thinking
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The knowledge exchange with NSK Textiles was two-way. Firstly, the company has been able to leverage the intellectual capital of the University of the Arts London through the skills and knowledge of the graduate and academic. Secondly, there was a chance for our graduate to learn new skills. She has increased her cultural awareness, design skills and employability. Brent Holder, Business Development Manager, University of the Arts London
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Case Study
Based in Delhi, India, NSK Textiles supplies ranges of ready-to-wear clothing for a worldwide market. A recent International Knowledge Exchange (IKE) project between NSK Textiles and the University of the Arts London (UAL) allowed the company to gain access to contemporary design methods and processes for the first time, and increase their competitiveness.
Purpose Of the initiative
To increase their market penetration, NSK Textiles looked to UAL for exposure to European design thinking. Over the course of this three-month IKE project, the UAL graduate worked with the company to design a complete sample clothing collection, from concept to full prototype collection. The new collection was based on thorough market and competitor analysis and developed for leading retailers in European and US markets.
Outcomes • • • • •
The company experienced the benefits of an in-house designer for the first time Opportunity for the company to review its design thinking in the context of both Indian and global clothing markets Company and competitor analysis carried out during the project will be used to increase the business’ ongoing market penetration and profitability Exploration of new design thinking was embedded within the company, further supported by the development of a reference set of conceptual guidelines Two full sample collections were created, with some designs selected by the company’s European and US clients
FASHION
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Media & Communications 17
Press Association Image: courtesy of the Press Association
pressing into the future
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There are huge changes going on throughout the media industry, and the Press Association recognises that partnerships such as KTP make sense right now. I am sure the support of the Associates and the University will prove invaluable over the coming decade.
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John Angeli, Head of Content, Press Association
Case Study
The Press Association (PA) has been the main UK and Irish news and information provider for over 140 years. As a business the PA faces multiple challenges from the ongoing digital revolution and the need to adapt its traditional print storytelling to digital platforms. During a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), the University of the Arts London (UAL) has guided the PA through this ever-changing media landscape.
Purpose Of the initiative
Due to the shrinkage in traditional media usage and the growth in digital the PA decided to collaborate with UAL in order to keep the company at the forefront of the world multimedia industry. Through the KTP the PA sought to better understand the role of video online and to change the ways in which it gathered, processed and delivered digital content as an organisation.
Outcomes • • • • • • •
Assessment of the current market situation leading to a greater understanding of how the PA should provide news to their clients Exposure to new and innovative types of video usage on digital platforms that could help the PA attract potential investors Changes and greater efficiency in the company’s working culture as a result of examining the needs and wants of their clients in an online environment Development and improvement of the PA information architecture and news gathering tools Development of a social media strategy within the PA now considered as an important new technique for digital story telling Improved efficiency within the PA Content Management System, leading to faster and more effective information gathering, processing and dissemination Introducing semantic web technology has fundamentally changed the way PA delivers and archives news leading to long-term cost savings
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
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Image: ‘Edward and Thomas Tomkinson’, 1784 by Gainsborough Thomas, courtesy of Bridgeman Art Library
Bridgeman Art Library reaching teaching
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The Bridgeman Art Library took on a KTP project because the organisation was looking for ways in which to diversify from its core business and at the same time meet the needs of educational users for copyright approved content. The outcomes of the project are enabling Bridgeman to reach the next generation of graphic designers and picture researchers, and creates a new income stream for the business. Pandora Mather-Lees, Managing Director for Sales, Bridgeman Art Library
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Case Study
Cleverly categorised by titles ranging from ‘Science and Medicine’ to ‘Emotions and Ideas’, Bridgeman Education allows users to search effectively through their extensive library of over 300,000 photography, fine art, cultural and historical images, using a variety of intuitive search terms. A recent Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the Bridgeman Art Library and London College of Communication, University of the Arts London has expanded these categories and made them more accessible to aspiring graphic designers and students.
Purpose Of the initiative
Started in 1972 by Harriet Bridgeman, then an editor for illustrated art books, the Bridgeman Art Library has grown into one the world’s leading sources of fine art, cultural and historical images from over 2,000 collections and more than 30,000 artists. This KTP project set out to develop and diversify Bridgeman Education’s online educational offer through market research, user needs analysis and responsive design solutions.
Outcomes • • • • • • • •
New search categories created related to Graphic Design, History of Science, and Fashion to expand Bridgeman’s sales potential in the Education market Development of an e-commerce service targeting the educational sector and improved management of the company’s website Exposure to Graphic Design Schools – tomorrow’s commercial clients Exploration of new business models for licensing images Review of the company’s present activities, building on existing market research and earlier projects Creation of educational web pages and seminars in collaboration with educational bodies and institutions New processes developed to improve Bridgeman’s digitising practices The opportunity to supply high resolution images that will enhance the visual finish of various projects
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
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Visual & PerformingArts 23
Image: courtesy of the V&A
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Live performance within the collections challenges the common assumption of the museum as a passive place. Responsive and interventionist performance have the ability to reactivate both the artifact and the space.
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Peter Farley, Senior Academic Lecturer, Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London
V&A Museum creative interventions
Case Study
Using the prestigious Raphael Gallery, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, as a site-specific performance space, No Yesterdays on the Road was a specially commissioned contemporary dance piece created in response to the collections in the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. As a creative intervention this initiative and collaboration between the Museum and the University successfully helped to bring the museum’s activities and collections to a wider and more diverse audience, and provided an exciting opportunity to use new approaches to engaging audiences with collections.
Purpose Of the initiative
No Yesterdays on the Road, created for the V&A Contemporary Collections’ ‘Friday Late’ series follows on from a group of 11 interventions curated by Peter Farley and performed in the galleries of various collections throughout the museum. Such interventions aim to explore the relationship between the museum, collections and audiences. The performance was choreographed by Jessie Brett, a graduate of London Contemporary Dance School, with design by Elizabeth Hurt, a final year student at Wimbledon College of Art.
Outcomes • • • • •
Opportunity for the V&A to work with practitioners from other arts disciplines who challenge perceptions of the role and function of the museum, thus furthering this debate Exposure of the museum’s activities and collections to a wider and more diverse audience Exploration of unusual performance spaces with an aim to make the museum and its collections a less distant and more intimate and comfortable experience Collaboration between performance-makers and curators of the many V&A collections resulted in exchange of specialist knowledge Opportunity for the performance-makers to work in a world-famous institution and measure their own practice in relation to objects and artifacts of global significance
vISUAL & pERFORMING ARTS
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Image: courtesy of the The Baring Archive
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The access allowed to The Baring Archive, which is among the finest archives of a financial institution, was fantastically generous and a wonderful opportunity.
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Eileen Hogan, Painter, Book Artist and Research Professor, CCW Graduate School, University of the Arts London
The Baring Archive playing in the archive
Case Study
The Baring Archive is one of the finest archives of a financial institution in the world, and holds material of international significance, dating from the founding of Baring Brothers Co. in 1762 to its acquisition, as a global investment bank, by ING in 1995. The re:SEARCHING project enabled artists and researchers across a number of disciplines to select artefacts in the Archive and create new artistic responses to these. The project, led by Eileen Hogan, included practitioners from the three CCW colleges (Chelsea College of Art and Design, Camberwell College of Arts and Wimbledon College of Art), University of Sussex and University of Central Lancashire.
Purpose Of the initiative
ING (the owner of the Archive) recently established The Baring Archive Limited as a charitable company, with the aim of safeguarding and managing the archive and developing its use as an educational resource. As the Archive is predominantly used by financial historians the collaboration with CCW Graduate School has uniquely contributed to widening the audience for the Baring Archive, and investigating the relationship between artists, archives and collections.
Outcomes • • • • •
Demonstrated the relevance of the Baring Archive within an art and design context, by highlighting the important potential of archives in general to artists Provided a unique opportunity for researchers and practitioners to explore a remarkable financial archive more often used by historians The re:SEARCHING exhibition, held at The Baring Archive, allowed practitioners and researchers to showcase their new work alongside the inspirational historical pieces Arising out of a six-year collaboration between Wimbledon College of Art and ING the re:SEARCHING project has created a new dimension to the relationship between the University and the Archive The project is leading to a series of research seminars and a publication, and possibly other locations for the exhibition
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
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Archive Development & Conservation 29
St. Catherine’s Monastery
Image: by Nicholas Pickwoad, courtesy of Ligatus
the library conservation project
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The collection is the oldest and one of the most important libraries in the Christian world, and the aim of the project is to ensure its safe survival into the new millennium.
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Nicholas Pickwoad, Director of Ligatus Research Centre at Camberwell College of Arts, Univerity of the Arts London
Case Study
St. Catherine’s monastery in Sinai, Egypt, is the oldest active Christian monastery in the world and holds a unique collection of Byzantine and other manuscripts. The Saint Catherine Foundation, with support from the Headley Trust, funded a large-scale conservation project for the library which has been carried out by world-leading conservation experts from Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London (UAL), and an international group of scholars and librarians from nine different countries. The project started in 1996 and is still ongoing.
Purpose Of the initiative
Ligatus (UAL Research Unit) has been given the task of assessing the condition of the ancient manuscripts and offering advice on the ongoing protection and maintenance of the books. The work includes the complete renovation of the library and the creation of a new conservation workshop.
Outcomes • • •
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The completion of the largest and most thorough survey ever done of a unique and internationally significant historic manuscript collection, comprising 3,300 bound volumes The introduction of a new XML-based electronic survey methodology that has made the study of early manuscripts and printed books quicker, more consistent and electronically searchable The development of an on-line glossary of bookbinding terms that is the basis of a unique tool for recording bookbindings to be offered to libraries around the world and ultimately to be translated into 14 European languages The development of a new stainless-steel box for storing the manuscripts, which introduces an entirely new storage system to the conservation world Plans to digitize a large collection of slides of bindings (30,000 images, indexed and described according to the terms of the glossary), that will create an valuable data resource for research that is currently only available to a limited number of people
archive development & conservation
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Image: courtesy of MISSONI
Missoni
unlocking new archive sources
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It was an exciting and important opportunity to review many previously unseen items of artistic interest. Partnerships such as this – using resources astutely – can add extra heritage interest all round.
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Maggie Norden, Director of Creative Media and Principle Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London
Case Study
This collaborative academic research project brought the distinguished Missoni brand and its family run archive together with experts at London College of Fashion (LCF). The project included the digital scanning of rare archive pieces and the curation of an exhibition at The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in London.
Purpose Of the initiative
The skills of broadcast journalism and scholarly research were combined to collate a range of fresh interviewees and insights into the Missoni brand, aesthetic and family business. Documentary imagery and the archive were scanned using high definition filmwork so that five decades of Missoni design could be woven together in a way that suited today’s multi-format world. The end result was an exhibition entitled Daring to be Different, an inspirational new documentary and an archive catalogue, all of which featured formerly unseen sources from the Missoni archive and have added unique value to this rare collection.
Outcomes • • • • •
The research project helped to unlock the archive in unique and intimate ways, opening opportunities for future archive exploration and educational insight Digital scanning was used for the first time within the archive as a tool to produce a high definition video showing the Missoni brand’s distinct intricate weave ‘The Black and White of Colour’, a 30 minute documentary, was written and produced by Maggie Norden, featuring insight into the Missoni family’s art history interests and influences and much of their private collection The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art hosted a three-month Missoni exhibition, bringing interesting new audiences to both the company’s archive and the collections at the Estorick The Missoni brand is harnessing the unique value of the produced documentary and catalogue, which have since been used within the newly launched chain of Missoni international luxury hotels
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CONTACT US To find out more about knowledge transfer at the University of the Arts London contact: Knowledge Transfer Team University of the Arts London 272 High Holborn London WC1V 7EY knowledgetransfer@arts.ac.uk
Cover photo and photos pages 2-3, 10-11,1617 ans 22-23: Alys Tomlison www.alystomlison.co.uk Photo pages 28-29: Ana Escobar Design and Text: Egle Strockyte
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