Programme Director: Howard Griffin
In 2020, the school welcomed its largest cohort of students (MAAVers) to the course, with a number of them taking timely advantage to join the class remotely, continuing with a blend of online and face-to-face learning. This year, like the previous year, has been a testing time for both students and University staff. The restrictions in place have certainly altered the way we teach and learn on this programme. However, all of us have adapted to the new ways of working, delivering excellent work throughout.
Delivering Film and Architecture, former MAAVer Rafaella Siagkri developed students’ understanding of the relationship between film and architecture in a variety of film genres. Also joining the team was David Norman, teaching Architectural Photography. Through the module, David taught the principles of the topic in a series of weekly tasks, such as 1-point perspective, colour, natural/artificial light, etc., each engaging with the built environment in different ways.
Paul Roberts returned to continue his teaching of Digital Architecture Portfolio. We also welcomed Joseph Robson of AVR London and Olga Banaszyk of Hayes Davidson, both of whom assisted the students with their portfolio development. This year, the work has been excellent, providing the basis for students to gain work placements at AVR London, Glass Canvas, VMI Studios and Wire Collective.
In Virtual Cities, students were given a site in the historic city of Rochester, creating augmented reality installations through projection in the Castle grounds. Students adapted well to using virtual projectors in virtual models to create content for use at the Medway Light Festival in February 2022. The MAAVers explored the use of Unreal Engine and virtual reality, working once again with English Heritage. On this occasion, students were tasked with creating a virtual model of Dover Castle, paving the way for further collaborative work with future students.
I would like to thank Paul, Rafaella and David for their help in teaching this programme, as well as the students for adapting to enforced changes when needed. Good luck to all of you with the rest of your work!
