Tag: Edinburgh College

Edinburgh’s Oliver is Student Photographer of the Year

Edinburgh College student crowned Calumet Student Photographer of the Year

Jon Warner and Oliver Henderson Calumet Student Award (small)

An Edinburgh College student has won the UK-wide Student Photographer of the Year award from photographic equipment company Calumet. Oliver Henderson, who is studying for a HND Professional Photography at the college, beat more than 1,000 students from across the UK to the top spot and a prize of £11,000-worth of photography equipment. Oliver is the first winner of the new competition. 

Oliver’s photo is of a woman in a red dress under a spotlight on a rooftop, set against an industrial background. The judges praised the imagination, passion, meaning and flair behind the photo.

Competition judge and managing director of Calumet Photographic UK, Jon Warner, said:  “It was extremely difficult to pick a winner as the quality of entries was so very high, but we felt that Oliver’s image (below) not only employed a high degree of technical merit, it is also an image of great impact, creativity and style. The use of light, composition and storytelling really set it apart from some very worthy runners-up.”

Oliver Henderson - WinnerOliver said: “I feel very proud and thankful to the people who have helped me to achieve this, like the tutors at Edinburgh College who constantly push me to realise my potential – although I feel I still have far to go. My inspiration for the image was something my brother once said: “fashion is pure fantasy”, which made me think of science fiction. I loved the idea of aliens spotting this beautiful girl and wanting to try and get close to her in the only way aliens can – it’s kind of weird thought process but there you go! I would again like to thank Calumet Photographic for having faith in me too.”

Jon presented Oliver with his award at the Canon Student Conference at The Photography Show at Birmingham NEC. Canon’s product intelligence professional, David Parry, also judged the competition, alongside professional photographers Rory Lewis and Tom Barnes.

Calumet launched this new competition in January and, over the two-month entry time, saw an exceptional response. Students were given free choice of topic and style, so the competition was open to landscape, portrait, lifestyle and abstract photographers.

The award is in partnership with a host of major photographic brands, including Canon, Manfrotto, B + W, Lastolite, Veho, Rotolight, Bowens, ColorMunki, DxO Software and Eizo.

The winning photo and all of the runners-up can be viewed at www.calphoto.co.uk/studentawards

Edinburgh College offers a range of photography courses, from introductory courses to BA level. Applications are currently invited for these courses and more than 900 other courses across the curriculum offered by Edinburgh College and starting in August on its four campuses.

Visit www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for more information.

 

 

Celebrating choreography at Gallery of Modern Art

One-off dance performance at Modern One tomorrow

IMG_9860 (2) (1)Edinburgh College’s contemporary artist in residence has unveiled a new exhibition about choreography at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art – and the college’s dance students are preparing a one-off performance tomorrow (Thursday 9 April) to complete the installation.

Julie Duffy, a former HND Contemporary Art Practice student at the college, is displaying ‘Rhythmic Structure’, the culmination of her residency and an exploration of dance choreography. The exhibition is at the Pig Rock Bothy in the grounds of the Modern One gallery until 12 April.

The final phase of the work involves BA (Hons) Dance students from the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland, who will choreograph and perform an original dance piece in the Bothy in response to Julie’s installation on Thursday 9 April at 2pm. All are welcome to attend the performance.

Julie is one of several former college students who have been invited back to the college as artists in residence. During her five-month residency, she undertook the Rhythmic Structure project and has also been working with students to help their development.

Rhythmic Structure explores the formal qualities of dance, focusing on the collaborative work of choreographer Merce Cunningham, composer John Cage, and painters Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, alongside Oskar Schlemmer’s ‘Das Triadische Ballett’. The work includes a screen-printed floor, hanging drapes and delicate structures made from felt, card and expanding foam!

The Artist in Residence (AIR) programme at the college gives practicing artists who are also former students the opportunity to come back to the college, providing them with a dedicated studio space as well as access to specialist resources and facilities. It aims to give them an opportunity to develop their practice and gain experience in learning and teaching in further education.

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Julie (above) said: “Working with the lecturers and students on the Contemporary Art Practice HND has been really stimulating. The AIR residency at Edinburgh College has been a wonderful opportunity to develop a new body of work in a creative and supportive environment. Showing my new work in such an internationally significant institution wouldn’t have been possible without the AIR programme.”

Alan Holligan, lecturer in Contemporary Art Practice and AIR programme coordinator, said: “Julie’s show at in the bothy is a mark of the quality of the artists graduating from the HND Contemporary Art Practice course who then return as artist in residence. Julie’s contribution to the course has been excellent and her influence on students is clear. I’d like to thank the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art for their support.”

Julie-Ann Delaney, curator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, added: “The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is delighted to be working with Julie Duffy on the presentation of her ambitious new installation within Pig Rock Bothy at Modern One. Julie’s work has transformed the interior of the bothy, and the culmination of the project – which will see a newly choreographed dance work made by Edinburgh College students – will further this by bringing the space to life in a manner unlike ever before.”

Julie, the college’s eighth artist in residence, graduated from her HND in 2008 and went on to gain a 1st class BA Hons Degree in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD).

Since graduating from DJCAD in 2011, Julie has developed new work and has exhibited regularly throughout Edinburgh including solo exhibitions at Summerhall and group shows at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop. As well as developing her solo practice in sculpture, Julie has more recently been developing collaborative practices with former college artist in residence and DJCAD graduate Hayley Mathers.

Edinburgh College is currently recruiting for courses starting in August, with a range of art and design courses available, including the HND Contemporary Art Practice. For more information about courses and to learn how to apply, go to the college website edinburghcollege.ac.uk

Hampden hat-trick for Edinburgh College students!

Anti-racism treble for city students

CEE_0219Edinburgh College students came out top in the Show Racism the Red Card Scotland design competition, taking the top three spots in the Further Education category at an awards ceremony at Hampden Park last week.

Jennifer Grieve won the category, with fellow students Liam Philip and William Blake being highly commended for their designs. They are all studying NC Graphic Design at the college, and impressed judges with their poster designs interpreting the competition theme ‘Celebrating Diversity’.

Show Racism the Red Card Scotland runs an annual competition challenging young people to come up with a creative way of promoting their messages of anti-racism and anti-sectarianism.

The students were presented with their prizes by Liam Craig, the club captain of Hibernian FC, and Rangers FC’s Bilel Mohsni.

More than 4,000 young people across Scotland took part in this year’s competition with entrants coming from as far as the Isle of Skye and Dunoon as well as schools in the central belt. The competition sends a clear message that young people want Scotland to be a welcoming and multi-cultural society.

The students’ lecturer, Helena Good, said: “I am delighted that our three talented students were recognised with awards by Show Racism the Red Card Scotland.  I was very impressed by the quality of the poster designs they produced, which really captured the core of the campaign’s anti-racism message using exciting well-thought-out visuals.”

Vicki Burns, campaign manager for Show Racism the Red Card, said: “I am amazed at how creative our young people can be in finding ways to get the anti-racism and anti-sectarianism messages across. Everyone participating in the competition should be congratulated for their inspirational work.  The 4,000 young people who took part in the competition are giving Scotland a clear message – the country they want to live in has no room for racism and sectarianism.”

Art and Design students at Edinburgh College are given a range of opportunities to develop their practical design skills through entering design competitions and taking part in design challenges.  HND Visual Communication: Graphic Design students take part in a yearly one week design challenge with design briefs set by high profile organisations such as Innis & Gunn, Cutty Sark Whisky and Edinburgh Zoo.

Edinburgh College offers a range of art and design courses, from entry level courses for students with additional needs to HND level courses in illustration, graphic design and 3D animation.  Applications are currently invited for these courses and more than 900 other courses across the curriculum offered by Edinburgh College and starting in August on its four campuses.

See www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for more information on how to apply.

Student fashion show raises funds for charity

Edinburgh College students organise fundraising fashion show for people with dementia

Megan Fairley, Laura Presly, Sara Penn and Zoe Fraser.

Edinburgh College events management students have staged a fashion show featuring people with dementia as models to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland.

Service users, carers, staff and volunteers at the charity’s Fife Dementia Resource Centre in Kirkcaldy strutted the catwalk as models at the event, which was organised by a team of four college students -Sara Penn, Laura Presly, Zoe Fraser and Megan Fairley.

The team raised more than £700 for Alzheimer Scotland with the fashion show, which formed part of their coursework for their BA (Hons) Event Management. The four students named their project team Icon Events and organised the show with the support of their lecturers.

BHS, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins and New Look provided clothes for the fashion show, while a local salon donated handbags and accessories.

Edinburgh College events students have organised 37 events this year, each raising vital funds for a variety of charities.

Team member Sara suggested Alzheimer Scotland as their charity as she regularly volunteers at the Resource Centre alongside her mother and grandmother. Both Sara and Laura’s family members have been affected by the disease, which affects more than 86,000 people in Scotland.

DSC_0119Alzheimer Scotland’s deputy regional manager for Fife and the Forth Valley Anne Buchanan said: “This is a great example of inter-generational working and will help to raise awareness of dementia, as well as raising funds for us so we can continue to provide the range of activities, advice and support for people living with dementia and their friends, families and carers.”

Alzheimer Scotland is the leading dementia organisation in Scotland. The charity campaigns for the rights of people with dementia and their families, and provides an extensive range of innovative and personalised support services. The Fife Dementia Resource Centre provides information and support to carers and service users including drop-in information cafes and day care.

Edinburgh College offers a range of events management courses from introductory level to the BA (Hons) course, the last year of which is delivered by Queen Margaret University.  Applications are currently invited for these courses and more than 900 other courses across the curriculum offered by Edinburgh College and starting in August on its four campuses.

See www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for more information on how to apply.

 

College hospitality students sample Swiss service

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Two hospitality students from Edinburgh College travelled to a prestigious hospitality school in Switzerland thanks to a scholarship. 

Rebecca Sinder and Merce Just are both first year students on the HN Hospitality Management course, and were the first students from Edinburgh College to win a Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland (HIT Scotland) scholarship.

The HIT Scotland scholarship paid for them both to travel to the prestigious École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) for a two day programme titled ‘A Practical Approach to Customer Service’. Founded in 1893, EHL was the world’s first trade-school to focus on hospitality education. The school offers bachelor and master degrees in hospitality management and administration.

While on the scholarship Merce and Rebecca took a trip to the five star Grand Hotel au Lac and dined in the hospitality school’s gastronomic restaurant. Rebecca said: “This scholarship has opened my eyes and mind to the hospitality industry and what Scotland is missing in terms of customer experience, and also to customer service skills that everyone working in hospitality should be taught.”

Rebecca Sinder said: “This was a great trip and an opportunity to learn in depth about customer service skills. Not only did we learn about multicultural habits, current technology trends, how to dress to impress and also the crucial non-verbal and verbal communications skills, we were also shown what real hospitality feels like to experience. The professors and students of École hôtelière de Lausanne were an example of the most professional workers in the industry. They were welcoming and they showed us great customer service first hand.”

Richard Morris, Edinburgh College Food and Hospitality lecturer said:  “Merce and Rebecca have returned to College inspired and motivated to continue with their studies whilst at the same time getting valuable Industry experience.

Rebecca has since joined me working for the Scottish Rugby Union Hospitality at the 6 Nations, whilst Merce is interested in joining the world famous Witchery restaurant following a recent visit. Ultimately what this scholarship has given them is the confidence to progress in their chosen industry realising what the ultimate rewards can be.”

HIT Scotland is a charity whose mission is to assist people to achieve their potential within hospitality. HIT Scotland enables young people in the hospitality industry to be inspired about what the industry has to offer and all the opportunities that exist in a multitude of sectors. It also sets steps to making dreams come true all over the world in many incredible organisations such as Virgin, Hilton and Mossimans.

Edinburgh College students worked at the Annual HIT Scotland Lunch at The Sheraton that Richard Morris has been coordinating with the College for the last few years. From this they gained an insight into what the organisation were all about.

There are many examples of young people who have gone on to achieve their career aspirations through HIT Scotland many of who were represented at HIT Scotland’s recent Emerging Talent Conference in Edinburgh.

Applications are currently open for hospitality and professional cookery courses starting at Edinburgh College in August.  More details can be found at:

http://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/courses/food_hospitality_and_tourism.aspx

Healthy interest grows in college community gardens

Edinburgh College community garden provides opportunities to adults with complex learning needs

Community Garden

Adults with complex learning needs are using one of Edinburgh College’s community gardens to develop their green fingers as well as social and education skills.

The students, who are all users of the adult day services at Fisherrow Community Centre’s Fisherrow Hub in Musselburgh, have been visiting the community garden at the college’s Milton Road Campus since May 2014.  After spending the summer helping out weekly at the garden they registered for the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s (RCHS) Recognition of Individual Achievement in Horticulture Award (Caley Award), and are now working towards achieving this.

The award recognises the achievement and learning experience of individuals with complex learning needs in a garden environment. It encompasses a mix of seven core horticultural activities including cultivation, composting, plant-care and harvesting.

It is hoped that students who achieve the Caley Award will go on to a second level of the scheme, which is currently under development by RCHS.

The nine students have been split into two groups, and visit once a week for a few hours. Each group has their own growing space in the garden where they grow vegetables that they can take either back to Fisherrow to use in a cooking activity or home to share with their household.

The award also includes a personal learning plan, where students identify self-improvement goals such as improved timekeeping, teamwork or learning a social skill. Individuals progress at their own pace, encouraged and inspired by the achievement of others. Achievement is assessed through compiling a portfolio and recording of evidence, which are formally verified by the RCHS.

The Milton Road Community Garden was established in September 2012 to transform an area of previously unused land into a green space for staff, students and the local community to grow plants, vegetables and fruit. The project has been so successful that Edinburgh College now has a second community garden at the Sighthill Campus.

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Colin Jeffrey, Fisherrow Hub manager, said: “The community garden at Edinburgh College has provided people who use the service at Fisherrow in Musselburgh an invaluable opportunity to undertake practical gardening tasks, which they are now learning and developing in order to undertake the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Award, or Caley Award.

“This is a fantastic new opportunity for the involved individuals, which is developing their practical skills in horticulture as well as supporting skills development in other areas, geared towards individuals’ specific personal goals, included as part of the award.

“At Fisherrow, we are continuing to work with Edinburgh College, to further develop joint working initiatives and new opportunities for people accessing services from our resource and to work together on a partnership agreement, to establish this working relationship and continue to support our ethos of promoting meaningful, structured activities for the service users at Fisherrow in new, exciting and inclusive ways with other organisations.”

Severine Monvoisin, community garden coordinator at the college, said: “The Caley Award is about recognising achievement. Far more importantly, it also gives individuals with complex learning needs opportunities for learning new skills and achieving in an inclusive environment. The gardening activities and knowledge are a medium to progress in their life by increasing the social interaction with others, learning to express their feelings, developing a better understanding about the environment, increasing confidence and self-esteem, learning to work together, increasing their abilities.

“For all the garden’s participants, coming to the garden is strongly linked to improved emotional health: they learn and exchange views about the importance of healthy eating and healthy lifestyle, are active in an outdoor environment, build social contact in a safe and relaxed environment and, importantly, become part of a community.”

POCHEMU? Student documents Ukraine conflict

‘I don’t know if you can prepare yourself for what you see and hear’ – photographer Monica Holkova

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An Edinburgh College photography student is staging an exhibition of images she shot of Ukrainian rebel fighters and refugees while covering the conflict as part of her course.

Monika Holkova’s exhibition is a documentary of time spent in and around Donetsk last year to record the effects of the conflict on the people of Ukraine. During her spell with rebel fighters in the war-ravaged area, Monica herself came under fire from government troops.

The exhibition – Pochemu? – Russian for ‘why’ – launches this Friday at the Creative Exchange in Leith. It features 36 black-and-white images of Ukrainian refugees and rebels, showing how they are living through a period of turmoil.

Monika, originally from Slovakia, wanted to cover the events in Ukraine for her BA Professional Photography course project, so arranged to visit Russia and Ukraine over two trips in October and November. She visited a refugee camp in Russia where Ukrainian people were living after fleeing the conflict. She spent time with refugee families, hearing their stories and taking their photos.

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She also spent a week in Donetsk with a group of humanitarian workers as part of an aid effort for residents. Monika travelled with the group as it went round the city to deliver food and supplies, capturing images as she went.

The noise of bombs falling outside the city formed the soundtrack to Monica’s time in Donetsk, a city in which some areas were decimated.

Monika said: “I don’t know if you can prepare yourself for what you see and hear. All the time we were in Ukraine you could hear the sound of bombing outside the city. Most of the time it was far away but one day we were in the supermarket and the bombs sounded much closer. Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen but then started shopping again right after. For the people that was normal. They just had to live with it as part of their daily lives.”

Monika also spent time with rebel fighters, and was with a group in a small village a couple of hours from Donetsk when they came under fire from army forces. Army snipers pinned them down for almost three hours, and the group was unable to move from a safe position behind a house. The village and the surrounding area were also being bombed throughout this time.

Mobile Number 07713267401 Stay down and run, snipers are watching.

She said: “Ten minutes after arriving in the village the fighting started and we came under fire from snipers. The rebels and the army were shooting at each other and the group I was with couldn’t move. We were safe hiding behind a house but we couldn’t even move a few metres to get into the house. We could see tracer bullets flying past. It wasn’t scary as you just have to make yourself think logically, and we knew they couldn’t reach us.”

The trip had a profound effect on Monika, who says she was treated with immense kindness by refugees and rebels.

Monika said: “It was hard to listen to some of the stories. People had lost everything, including friends and family. Their homes were destroyed and they didn’t know when the fighting would end. The people didn’t understand why there needed to be a war and they just wanted it to end. One older woman I spoke to remembered the Second World War and thought she’d never have to live through something like that again. Sometimes hearing their stories was too much to bear so I just had to switch off and concentrate on the photos.”

Monika is keen to go back to Ukraine to continue her work and may head out over the next couple of months. And when she graduates she intends to become a war photographer. 

“I’m really proud of the photos I took and I’m pleased to tell the stories of these people. When you hear about the people affected by war on the news you don’t always remember that for every statistic there are stories behind every single person, and it’s important to try and show this.”

Pochemu? is on at the Creative Exchange from Friday until March 27 at Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street, Leith. Admission is free.

Dig out those platform soles for the ultimate 70s Disco!

Flare Events LogoWe are ‘Flare Events’: students attending Edinburgh College studying for an HND in Events Management.  As part of our course we will be running a fundraising charity event on Saturday 14 March from 8pm to 11pm and held at The Cav, Edinburgh. 

We will be hosting a themed 70’s Disco called ‘Flare – the Ultimate 70’s Disco’ which we hope will be very successful on the night.  Our chosen charity is Radio Forth’s ‘Cash for Kids’ which is, I’m sure you will agree, a very worthy cause supporting disadvantaged children in Edinburgh, the Lothian’s and Fife.

Tickets available through Flare Events:

by e-mail:events.flare@gmail.com

or via our Facebook page/FlareEventsEdinburgh

cash for kids

 

 

Edinburgh College strikes gold

Gold for Edinburgh College at the College Development Network Marketing Awards

Edinburgh-College---groupEdinburgh College scooped a top marketing award to recognise the success of a campaign to promote courses to prospective students this week.

The college won gold in the Integrated Marketing Campaign Award at the College Development Network (CDN) Marketing Awards 2015 on Wednesday (25 February), in recognition of a marketing campaign it ran to promote applications for college courses starting in January 2014.

The college also received two bronze medals at the awards, which celebrate the excellent marketing and communication practice taking place in colleges across Scotland.

The judges praised the college’s courses marketing campaign for its ‘bold creative approach and strong integration of messages and visuals tailored for different audiences’.

This campaign helped the college achieve its target for course applications and as well as the highest attendance recorded for an open day at Edinburgh College or at any of its legacy colleges.

The college also received two bronze medals in the following categories:

  • The Internal Communications Award, for communications around the college’s first staff conference in June 2014. The staff conference brought all the staff together to take part in workshops around the theme of innovation, covering technology, sustainability, teaching and learning, the workplace of the future and outward innovation.  The judges felt the project highlighted that the college management had made a major effort to communicate with all staff appropriately to build buy-in and involvement.
  • The Customer Experience Award, for the college’s Centre for Creative Industries Student Employability Day. The day, which involved workshops and talks from industry professionals, was designed to develop students’ understanding of employers’ needs, give them insight into how they can make themselves as employable as possible, and promote positive destinations. The judges felt the event was well structured and that it gave the students access to industry practitioners. The project also enabled the college to engage with a number of employers.

The awards evening took place at The Caves in Edinburgh and featured two performances by the college’s HND Acting and Performance students, while attendees were treated to chocolates made by professional cookery students.

Edinburgh College interim principal Elaine McMahon said: “I am delighted that the efforts of our Marketing and Communications staff have been recognised with a gold and two bronze awards. It is satisfying to see that the judges recognised and appreciated the work put into planning and executing the extremely successful course marketing campaign, which resulted in the college meeting student recruitment targets for the year.

“It is also great to see the creative work put into supporting and communicating with staff and students recognised with two bronze awards.”

Last year, Edinburgh College achieved a silver award in the Internal Communications category and bronze in the Event category in the CDN Marketing Awards 2014.

Pictured: L-R Deborah Robertson, head of marketing, Moira Findlay, head of communications, Jon Buglass, head of the Centre of Creative Industries, and Lee-Anne Mackay, marketing manager.