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Dayoung Min
Course MA Graphic Design
Postgraduate Sustainability Award 2021 Winner
'사랑은, Love is (2020)'
"The video book 사랑은, Love is (2020), delivers a poem about love, it's nature and significance. It talks about love in a broader sense than that of romance, reaching to the love for humanity and beyond. It borrows a section of 1 Corinthians 13 and is inspired by the book The Art of Loving (Erich Fromm, 1956). Although all around us, love is not something a lot of people are aware of how to express it in a healthy manner. It requires a multitude of skills, maturity and dedication, going beyond feelings. It is a constant readjustment of one's ego and narcissism.
The work touches upon environmental, social and ethical sustainability, to every part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Although the extent of its relevance varies, those goals all inevitably reflect the love for one another and the love for nature. Commitment, consistency, consideration and many more that reflects justice all seem to fall under the umbrella of love. Without even a speck of love in one's heart, it is impossible to carry out any kind of action to make an improvement. Thus love seems to be one of the main foundations all those goals and actions are built upon."
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Faye Craig, Emma Drake and Bethan Reast
Course BA (Hons) Animation
Undergraduate Sustainability Award 2021 Winners
'Home Sweet Home'
"During the pandemic, the UK media reported heavily on the strife of the government and economy as the nation was plunged into subsequent lockdowns. But in the collateral of prioritising these adult matters, the media failed to consider the effect of the virus on the lives of the younger generation - seeing their experience as an afterthought.
In response to a brief referencing sustainability, we wanted to investigate how the pandemic influenced social sustainability in our communities, with a particular focus on lockdown-induced education within the home. Research illustrated that this, sometimes innovative, but oftentimes turbulent method of teaching conducted over the past year was unsustainable for a significant amount of children in the long run. We decided to focus our film on how we can learn from this experience and create a more sustainable education system for future generations, inside and outside of the home."
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Esme Leach
Further Education Sustainability Award 2021 Winner
'A Better Footprint'
"The sole of a trainer could last 1000 years in a landfill. So why are we not using our trainers to their full potential? I aimed to explore ways in which I can encourage young adults to consider their impact on the environment from their contribution to the trainer industry. I looked at ways in which I could design and brand an eco trainer in a more exciting way for younger people so they don’t feel pressured by the sustainability aspect.
Furthermore, I wanted it to match with current trends to engage a wider audience. Another aim I had was to inspire people to consider using their trainers for as long as they can before moving on to another pair and making conscious decisions on what will last when purchasing a pair. I wanted to produce a piece of work that was engaging casually so the audience felt comfortable and not pressured by information on sustainability. I wanted the people watching to feel inspired to begin considering their impact rather than demotivated for not noticing the need for change sooner as I think we all could benefit from ‘A Better Footprint’."
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Aishah Abd Wahab
Undergraduate Sustainability Award 2021 Runner Up
'If I Owned A Tower-Tall Ladder'
"This illustrated children’s book presents an idealistic character who envisions the changes she’d be able to contribute to the world if she were in possession of a tower-tall ladder. Inspired by the nonsense poetry of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, it too adopts colourful and playful rhymes to touch upon heavier themes such as the ongoing refugee crisis and the reluctance of world leaders to address it, the predominant market system that shortsightedly measures ‘growth’ and ‘development’ using bare numerics (GDP), the politicisation of international environmental agreements, and the war and violence that occur between a small few but which causes suffering for all of its citizens.
In a time where there is already a great amount of heated dialogue surrounding these issues, the book opts for a very soft tone to avoid creating any more resentment to any particular party, allowing itself to be heard in its own light while offering a different perspective to that of an adult. In doing so, it additionally highlights the importance of openness, kindness, and having mutual respect for each other’s right to live (including plants and animals!) in order to address all of these issues."
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Nathan Gibson
Course BA (Hons) Illustration
Undergraduate Sustainability Award 2021 Runner Up
'Investigation into the Relationship between the Anthropocene and Sustainability'
"This zine compiles the findings of research I undertook, looking at how living in a man-made world (the anthropocene) has had an effect on the environment and planet, also looking at if it is possible to live sustainably in the society we live in. Looking at ideas of sustainability discussed by ecology philosophers Timothy Morton and Arnes Naess, as well as early ecological socialist ideas by artist and designer William Morris as discussed in his novel News From Nowhere. The purpose of the zine is to help show the impacts that our way of living has had of the planet, helping to raise awareness and making people evaluate their way of living and how sustainable it is.
Visuals were created by looking at patterns in the world around me as well as damages done to the unseen world, such as selection of micro cultures due to modern farming techniques. Seeing how nature interacts with the man-made world, the way plants have grown around concrete and how we have sculpted the natural landscape to suit our needs. Collecting, photographing and scanning these interactions, found objects and patterns allowed me to develop unique patterns highlighting the impact of our way of living. Displayed in circular motifs to represent a microscopic lens, representing how I am trying to bring awareness to the unobserved damages to nature caused by the anthropocene."
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Niamh Spink
Further Education Sustainability Award 2021 Runner Up
'Letters Of A Lifetime'
"I chose to address the issue of adult illiteracy which is a social issue affecting at least 9 million adults in the UK alone. I felt it was important to raise awareness about this issue as it is incredibly isolating for those it affects due to the stigma surrounding it. Moreover, it is an issue that is also affected by gender inequality with ⅔ of the global illiterate population being women; meaning that illiteracy can also be a factor in the oppression of women who may not be able to access education and information.
I hoped that my work could influence new thinking by raising awareness of loneliness caused by illiteracy by providing a story that represents those living with reading differences, rather than hiding them. I arrived at a solution which I hope is accessible, raises awareness and creates a conversation that promotes de-stigmatisation by creating an illustrated short story. This was achieved through narrative illustrations and a short audio clip which allowed the work to be accessible and open to interpretation for any level of reading skill. The work addresses social sustainability specifically as it aims to provide an enjoyable reading experience despite a person’s reading abilities and therefore providing an equal opportunity for everyone to access a story. Moreover, by raising awareness of adult illiteracy the work addresses social sustainability to hopefully create a more accepting and supportive place for those who may have reading differences."
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