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About AcrossRCA

Installation shot of PickPulse, which contains textiles manipulated by metal wires connected to a smartphone, a small monitor and a large monitor (Photographer credit: Jiaqi Yang)

AcrossRCA is an ambitious, interdisciplinary, College-wide unit that brings together students from all RCA MAs, as well as being an elective option on other taught programmes. Situated at the very core of the RCA experience, AcrossRCA draws on expertise from within and beyond the institution, providing a unique added dimension to discipline-specific study.

In cross-disciplinary teams, you will respond to one of a number of urgent contemporary themes. Each of these supports you to respond to the complexities of uncertain, changing physical and digital worlds. You'll identify your own set of critical questions arising from your proposed inquiry, and develop the process and skills needed to participate, respond and realise project outcomes.

Working in collaborative teams drawn from across the RCA’s Schools encourages a peer-focused cross-fertilisation of ideas and thinking beyond the discourses in art, architecture, communication, humanities and design. As a student, you are encouraged to develop an innovative and imaginative approach, critically reflecting on your responsibilities as a creative practitioner, and demonstrating the contribution that creative practices can make to our understanding and experience of the world.

The subject matter, response and outcome are entirely decided by the student teams, shaped by peer feedback with tutor support. AcrossRCA is an open and challenging unit without prescribed subject matter or briefs. It allows you to form friendships and network outside of your programmes, forging relationships that allow you to thrive beyond graduation.

At its conclusion, teams disseminate project ideas and processes on a public platform for others to learn from them.

AcrossRCA is a compulsory unit for all MA programmes and an elective option for MFA, MRes, MDes, MArch and MEd programmes. It is delivered online and in person.

Across2025 students responded to four interdisciplinary themes, which acted as prompts to instigate meaningful and ambitious collaboration across programmes and disciplines:

Visit the AcrossRCA 2025 website to view work by our students.

AcrossRCA 2024

Across2024 students responded to four interdisciplinary themes, which acted as prompts to instigate meaningful and ambitious collaboration across programmes and disciplines:

Visit the AcrossRCA 2024 website to view work by our students

Staff

Work by AcrossRCA students

Visit the AcrossRCA 2024 website to view work by our students.

AcrossRCA 2024

AcrossRCA 2024 website

Visit the AcrossRCA 2023 website to view work by our students.

AcrossRCA 2023 thumbnail

AcrossRCA 2023 website

Get in touch

Any further questions? Email our AcrossRCA team

Email us at
across@rca.ac.uk
AcrossRCA Workshop, 2019