The Digital Showscapes projects examine how digital technologies might impact upon students’ experiences of the graduate show. One project will look at how students can maximise the impact of their portfolio using virtual platforms and social media. The second project gives Interior Architecture and Design students access to virtual reality technologies as a new way of displaying their work.
The elements are both part of a larger research project that I have been working on with colleagues at Kingston University over the last few years, looking at the future of the graduate show. Graduate exhibitions are a key component of art and design education and are the launch pads of students’ careers. Our research looks at the challenges and opportunities brought about by rapid change in art and design higher education and the competing requirements of degree shows’ many stakeholders.