Middlesex University (MDX) has launched “Creative Graduates”, a website showcasing the university’s next generation of creative talent in more than 30 disciplines.
In the exceptional conditions of the Covid outbreak, the site enables graduates to say “We are here”, and display their skills in portfolios of work created in their final year including during lockdown.
Programmes in fields from Games Design to Choreography to Interior Architecture are represented, spanning much of MDX’s Arts & Creative Industries faculty, plus three courses from the Science & Technology faculty and two from MDX Dubai.
In a year when it hasn’t been possible to host a graduate degree show, fashion show or other events and exhibitions, the platform is designed to help students have their work seen by industry insiders, potential employers, commissioners, media outlets, and opinion formers and to make connections with them.
The site is organised in clusters based around subject areas. Students have been able to upload a selection of images, links to films, or even their whole portfolio for visitors to browse. They can also link to social media and personal websites, and those who work collaboratively or in teams have been able to come together to display joint projects.
Commenting on coping during the pandemic, illustrator Eliise Vahi said: “As an illustrator who is always cooped up in a room drawing, the lockdown hasn’t changed my routine much actually. However, I definitely missed the studio environment and university facilities a lot. Thankfully the course adapted quickly to having virtual sessions with tutors and they in turn helped everyone adapt their final projects towards more digital outcomes.”
Professor Carole-Anne Upton, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries says: “It is always a special privilege to be able to celebrate the achievements of our students in a public forum, at the culmination of their undergraduate studies and their transition to professional life.
“The students’ technical skills and creative flair have been honed in a practice-led culture that values diversity, is international in outlook and thrives on collaboration. Many have already worked on live briefs and in competitive contexts and all have had the opportunity to work independently and with others in a multi-disciplinary environment.
“I am so proud of all students and staff who have demonstrated their resilience, adaptability and creativity in facing the future with a determination to succeed”.
