Interactive Arts

In March 2020 we celebrated as Interactive Arts BA Hons reached a symbolic 27 years of age. It has never been easy to sum up the course in a word or even a sentence, but maybe this is the point: each student must make their own Interactive experience. And each cohort has its own chemistry, its own moment – political, technological, social, ecological, artistic– within or in opposition to which new interactions are created. So it wouldn’t be wrong to say Interactive Arts students together with staff forge a new course every year. There are constants however: we foster curiosity and criticality; we question disciplinary boundaries; we know that individuals grow through the collective, through mutual understanding and support; we defend and we celebrate diversity and the differences that make us one.

Our class of 2020 have been a pleasure to work with and we feel privileged to be part of their development as people and practitioners. If a university education is worth anything it must be transformative and challenging. This year has presented challenges beyond what any of us could have imagined or wished upon our students, but we are incredibly impressed with the positivity, resilience and energy of their responses. Congratulations Class of 2020!

Interactive Arts students have made exhibitions, paintings, photographs, performances, films, campaigns, social interactions and interventions, workshops, sculptures, books, prints and archives. They have considered the relationship between breathing and drawing; what it means to queer food consumption; identity, migration, racism and belonging; period poverty; materiality, burial and the fragility of roadkill; how design can enhance self-care; students also explored the way mobile phone technology has transformed our sense of self; questioned the commodification of sexuality through the practice of photomontage; told tales of mice, sheep, sharks and much more!

Welcome to Interactive Arts first online degree show in this final year of the course.

Jane Brake

Programme Leader, Interactive Arts BA (Hons)