Category: Art and Design

Coventry University London Campus

Academic Year: 2021-22

Project Leaders: Giulia Massera, Lauren Crabb

Partner University(s)/Organisation(s):

Project Overview:

This Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project involved students from Coventry University London (CULC) and Indian Institute of Art and Design (IIAD) who discussed and presented their recent findings on sustainable fashion. Year 2 BA Fashion Marketing and Management students at Coventry University London Campus organised The Voice of Sustainability” live seminar on Zoom, while Year 2 IIAD students presented to CULC participants a series of projects where they translated Art into Fashion and Fashion into Sustainable production.

The aim of this project was to create a platform where students could share their knowledge and understanding of fashion in different contexts. In addition, through synchronous Microsoft teams calls, students in both countries were able to exchange views on sustainable fashion and increase their awareness on fashion production and sustainability.

Online Tools Used: Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, LinkedIn

Statement from Project Leader:

“It is not simply about “what” you learn, but “how” you do it. Designing an empowering learning journey for Coventry University London is key. And so, with our Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and the Indian Institute of Art and Design we created a strong valuable cultural exchange, where we saw art transforming into fashion and fashion fighting for sustainability”

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

School of Art and Design

Academic Year: 2021-22

Project Leaders: Dr John Hammersley, Terrence Chong

Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): Raffles Design Institute (Singapore)

Project Overview:

This COIL project enabled students on the MA Graphic Design course at Coventry to collaborate with students on BA Graphic Design at Raffles Design Institute, Singapore to investigate experimental approaches to exploring the cultural particulars of design grammar and vocabulary in the built landscape of Coventry and Singapore. 

While design vocabulary is often proposed to be universal, its application in different contexts responds to and expresses particularities of the socio-cultural context. 

Three main approaches to experimentation were explored; the animation of basic design elements to communicate spatio-temporal relationships in design visualisations, the integration of contrasting typographic compositional systems into interactive formats that activate the tensions between type as image and text, and the scaling of mapping patterns and projection back into the context of the built landscape as a means of re-contextualising abstracted graphic communication.  

The students worked in collaborative teams to research the cultural, architectural and design contexts of their partner cities and fed back to research partners informing their conceptual approaches to research material generation and experimentation. This mirroring method responds to the belief that in dialogue interlocutors are also ‘interlocators’ and potentially able to picture back to us our cultural horizons in a manner that may reveal our blind spots. The project developed a relay method for the generation of primary visual material, with Singapore students collecting material about Singapore for Coventry students to experiment with and vice-versa. This process emphasised the importance of reliability and developing co-responsibility in collaborative international design projects that have both asynchronous and synchronous processes.  

Students were invited to select one outcome from the experimental stage for inclusion in an online exhibition, which was constructed, curated and branded by students. 

Students commented that they enjoyed exploring the culture of a city other than their own through design experimentation, and found the material generation tasks were essential to them as designers as they helped them to develop a better eye for design vocabulary and their surroundings.  

Online Tools Used: Open Moodle, Artsteps, Padlet, Instagram, Facebook

Artsteps exhibition 

https://www.artsteps.com/view/6168672febcae26b6e78c95a?currentUser&fbclid=IwAR2pzTBVNiQuWfqKDR6ADmHyUpTwG2z5w-13paVudsU0K2oWIHBJt40xPpY

Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/CreativeHothausInternational

Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/creativehothausinternational/

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

School of Art and Design

Academic Year: 2020-21

Project Leaders: France Leonard, Simone Gadagah

Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): KingPing (China)

Project Overview:

This year we had the chance to collaborate with a Chinese Fashion brand on a COIL project which gave the International Fashion Business students the opportunity to work on an industry live brief and produce a global communication strategy where they had to rethink/adapt the brand’s marketing and online presence to a new market. This was a great opportunity for them to receive insights and industry feedback, gain international work experience, apply their skills in a post-covid context, boost their confidence and add to their portfolio.

Based on the work produced, a selection of students has received the amazing opportunity to intern for the brand and see their ideas come to life.

Online Tools Used: Zoom, Open Aula

Things to Remember:

A COIL Project can also run with an institution other than university such as company or private business.

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

School of Art and Design

Academic Year: 2020-21

Project Leaders: Hossein Sadri, Sebastian Hicks

Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): University of Pennsylvania (United States)

Project Overview:

This collaborative project aimed to create a virtual medium of knowledge exchange between Master of Architecture Course at Coventry University (UK) and the University of Pennsylvania (USA). Our partner’s cross-disciplinary Design Studio was attended by students from architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, historical preservation and also fine arts Post-Graduate courses. During the COIL event our Design Studio and the partner’s Design Studio shared their latest works with each other and the students had the opportunity to present their projects. We also had the opportunity to discuss further collaborations based on common interests in Social and Ecological role of Architecture and Design.

Online Tools Used: Miro, Microsoft Teams, Zoom

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

School of Art and Design

Academic Year: 2020-21

Project Leader: Emma Waight

Partner University(s)/Organisation(s): Raffles College of Higher Education (Singapore)

Project Overview:

The goal of this project was to draw on students’ global insight in order to predict future consumer and organizational trends in the age of COVID-19. Students were put into groups and given a topic, for example ‘food and dining’ or ‘health and fitness’ and asked to share their experiences on how daily life had changed in these areas, as well as collect secondary market data. They shared this data using Trello and worked collaboratively to identify cross-cultural trends across the UK, Singapore, and further afield. The project culminated in group presentations and the development of a single pamphlet that brought together the key trends and drivers identified by each group. As well as collaboration and inter-cultural awareness skills, students were able to develop their data collection and evaluation skills.

One of the CU students said of the project, “this was an amazing opportunity for us to expand our knowledge and contacts. I do believe we might stay in touch with most of the people who were part of the team”.

Online Tools Used: Email, Skype, Trello