Striking artwork created by two Kingston College students as part of a Future Skills experience with Unilever has been installed within the company’s new UK headquarters.
BTEC Level 3/4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design students, alongside undergraduate students from Kingston University, took part in a design competition – responding to a live brief set by Unilever to celebrate Kingston’s history, culture, architecture and geography through art.
The artworks, installed on walls across the ground floor reception area of Sunlight House, are now on show to Unilever employees, campus visitors and the wider public.
The students presented their concepts to company leaders at Unilever offices, with the winning students then creating their artworks which were installed at the end of May.
Winning designs
The winning design saw Kingston College students, Amelia and Firdeus, collaborating on a mixed-media artwork. They photographed locations around the town before using Photoshop to edit and combine the images, creating individual designs reflecting Kingston’s identity and youth culture in a layered poster-style composition.
Two winning pitches came from students at Kingston University’s Kingston School of Art. BA (Hons) Photography student Alexander assembled handprinted images he’d taken of some 250 trees throughout Kingston on a medium format analogue film camera to create a reconstituted forest, highlighting overlooked nature within the town. While BA (Hons) Fine Art student Antonio’s piece is a sculptural representation of Kingston landmarks made from reclaimed balsa wood, capturing the town’s atmosphere and Unilever’s aesthetic.
The artwork commission, in partnership with Unilever UK and Ireland, was supported by Overbury, the site’s fit out contractor, through its social value legacy programme which provided art supplies and helped enable the installation, and global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will, which delivered the site’s interior design. The project took seven months to complete. Students worked closely with course tutors and mentors, gaining hands-on experience in large-scale public art production, design planning and installation techniques.
Alice Taylor, Head of HR at Unilever UK and Ireland, said the project reflected the global consumer goods company’s commitment to community engagement and supporting young creative talent. “The new campus has created an exciting opportunity to bring together employees in a bright and brilliant new space, as well as being a destination for key partners outside Unilever. The standard of artwork entered into the competition was exceptional, and we're proud to display three unique pieces which celebrate different aspects of Kingston for all our employees and visitors to enjoy.”
Suna Marfe, Executive Director – Business Development and Partnerships at South Thames Colleges Group, said the project had enabled Kingston College students to develop artwork within a professional context, part of the institution’s commitment to creating opportunities that connect learning with industry. “Through this collaboration, our students have worked to real deadlines, responded to client feedback and presented ideas directly to industry professionals. Experiences such as site tours have also provided genuine insight into how creative practice operates in the real world, helping students to better understand what a career in the creative industries can look like.”
Read more about how Future Skills is preparing students for career success.
