Key details
Date
- 10 April 2024
Read time
- 4 minutes
To celebrate the RCA being announced as the world number one art and design university for the 10th consecutive year – according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 – we are sharing 10 inspiring alumni stories.
Key details
Date
- 10 April 2024
Read time
- 4 minutes
Read on to discover graduates from each year we’ve been named the world's number one art and design university.
Dr Farhana Safa, Vehicle Design (now Intelligent Mobility) MA, 2015
Eye surgeon turned car designer Dr Farhana Safa is a champion of women in automotive design. After graduating from the RCA she went on to work for Land Rover as the only female in their advanced exterior design team. She now works as a designer at the RCA’s Intelligent Mobility Design Centre.
“I have always been a critical thinker, thus design to me is not just about creating beautiful forms and volumes, but about proposing useful solutions that help to solve a problem, and how brands can use this to set them apart from their competition.”
Vehicle Design MA alumni
Holly Hendry, Sculpture MA, 2016
Since graduating from the RCA, Holly Hendry’s eye-catching sculptural installations have been making their mark. Last year, Holly completed two public artwork commissions:Lip-sync, a permanent artwork commissioned by Birmingham City University, and Slackwater, commissioned by the CoLAB for The Artist's Garden, Temple, London.
“[At the RCA] spending time solidly concentrating on my sculptures, with the luxury of time purely dedicated to building up or picking that apart, meant that I could really focus my research and thinking.”
Sculpture MA alumni
Arjun Harrison Mann, Visual Communication MA, 2017
Arjun Harrison-Mann is a London-based designer, activist and lecturer. Through his studio, Studio Hyte, and collaborative practice with Benjamin Redgrove, he explores alternative methods of engagement that give subject matter and participant equal consideration.
“Being a part of the community of tutors and students on the Visual Communication course has truly been an incredibly invaluable and meaningful experience for myself, my practice and for the formation of Studio Hyte. I am truly grateful to have had the time, support, advice, challenges and collaborations that took place during my time there.”
Visual Communication MA alumni
Sinéad O’Dwyer, Fashion MA, 2018
Since launching in 2018, Sinéad O’Dwyer’s eponymous London-based label has become known for creating clothes for non-sample-size bodies and challenging the toxic beauty standards of the fashion industry.
“[At the RCA] I was so free to explore what I wanted to do. I was very confused about working in fashion when I decided to do an MA, due to the work environment and values of the industry. I needed space to explore what I could contribute, that is what the focus was for me.”
Fashion MA alumni
Jennifer Kidd, Animation MA, 2018
Jennifer Kidd began her career in the animation industry in 2016 where her first job was on the ‘Night of the Trampires’ movie, followed by ‘Isle of Dogs’. More recently, she took part in InnovationRCA’s creative brand accelerator, which helped her to set up her own business Scale Model Studios.
“It gave me the tools I needed to better advertise, organise and structure my business. The Creative Brands Accelerator also better prepared me for accounting and hiring as my business requires the services of many skilled model makers and animators for each production.”
Animation MA alumni
Yussef Agbo-Ola, Environmental Architecture MA, 2019
With his multidisciplinary architectural and artistic practice Olaniyi Studio, London, Yussef Agbo-Ola challenges the way that geological conditions and living ecosystems are experienced. Projects include a pavilion exhibited at the Serpentine Galleries in London and Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2022.
“The RCA is a super-dynamic environment. It’s a multidisciplinary, multicultural environment that fosters amazing creativity with teaching, rigour and experimental ways of thinking. It fostered an environment where I could expand my ideology, my understanding about art and design and architecture while giving me the space to think about scale in a totally different way”
Environmental Architecture MA alumni
Shawn Adams, Architecture MA, 2020
Shawn Adams is a writer, lecturer and architectural designer. He is also the co-founder of Power Out of Restriction (POoR), a social enterprise that focuses on the development of communities through the elevation of young people. His final year project at the RCA, 'Plinths and Tapestry', was the winner of the 2020 Architects' Journal Postgraduate Student Prize.
“Within my practice, I aim to unravel the unspoken, marginalised and underrepresented narratives of communities around the world. I aim to bring those that lie on the periphery to the centre stage. Amplifying the voices that often go unheard.”
Architecture MA alumni
Aditi Soni, Service Design MA, 2021
While a student at the RCA Aditi Soni worked on a project with the United Nations Development Programme. This led to her current role there as a service designer, working in the Europe and Central Asia region.
“Throughout my journey at the RCA, I not only deepened my understanding of service design principles but also broadened my perspective on its wide-ranging applications. [...] The Service Design programme has been an invaluable stepping stone, setting me on a path to a fulfilling and impactful career in the field.”
Service Design MA alumni
Chloe Abrahams, Contemporary Art Practice, 2022
Through moving image, sound, writing, and spoken-word performance, Chloe Abrahams explores memory, trauma and the everyday. Her first feature documentary ‘The Taste of Mango’ (2023) was screened at international film festivals, winning Best Debut Director at British Independent Film Awards 2023.
“I had been working in documentary film distribution for a few years. It was very focused on the market and sales aspect of filmmaking, which left me wanting to experiment and make things without thinking of the commercial implications. I wanted to spend time making for the sake of making. I knew my film would suffer if I didn't do that.”
Contemporary Art Practice MA alumni
Ken Nwadiogbu, Painting MA, 2023
Nigerian-born, London-based multidisciplinary artist Ken Nwadiogbu had exhibited his paintings to international acclaim. This year, Retro Africa Gallery presented his work at Singapore Art Fair. Last year he had a solo exhibition, ‘Fragments of Reality’, at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, and his work was also included in the RA Summer Exhibition.
“The RCA introduced me to other artists and provided a safe space for exploration. Connecting with fellow artists opened up meaningful dialogues and gave me the support and inspiration I needed to develop my work further. Having the space for exploration was important. It allowed me to step back and immerse myself in learning, thinking, and experimenting, which ultimately enriched my painting.”
Painting MA alumni
Also of interest
Where will the world's number 1 art and design university take you?
