Ms Rebecca Davies

Since taking over as Head of Department for Creative Industries in 2024, I've been able to draw upon my experience running the Foundation course that encompasses over 16 different disciplines. Foundation has doubled in size and receives over 1,300 applications for 180 places each year. The course was awarded outstanding in all areas of inspection by Ofsted in 2015 and again in 2021. It continues to place 100% of students wanting to progress into higher education, both nationally and internationally, many of whom stay on to continue their studies at Kingston School of Art.

My new portfolio of courses is taught across three different campuses, and the Foundation course has moved locations three times in the last 15 years. I have been responsible for redesigning new learning environments to reflect the symbiotic approach to teaching through a transdisciplinary, agile approach to disseminating knowledge and learning.

I contributed to a conference on 'The Future of the Graduate Show', at the Design Museum, 2015, where I talked about the architecture of the degree show through drawing comparison between the 'disneyfication' of education and the necessity to dig deeper and showcase the archaeology of often misunderstood design-based processes.

As the portfolio expands to include BA Games Creation and a growing creative industries cohort, we are exploring the impact of future technologies to articulate, connect and speculatively build new environments for both work and play.

I have been an external examiner at the University of East London and have been on the Validation Panel Committee to set up a Foundation Diploma and degree courses in Fashion Design, Communication Design, Interior Design, and Architecture at The Indian Institute of Art & Design, New Delhi. I am currently external examiner at London College of Fashion, UAL, BA Fashion Design Development, Middlesex University, MA Children’s book Illustration and Graphic Novels and Swansea College of Art, Level 4 Foundation Course.

Qualifications

• External examiner at Middlesex University
• External examiner at London College of Fashion
• External examiner at Swansea College of Art, UWTSD
• Validation Committee Member for IIAD

Courses taught

• Foundation Diploma in Art, Design & Media Practice
• Creative and Cultural Industries: Art Direction BA (Hons)
• Creative and Cultural Industries: Design Marketing BA (Hons)
• Creative and Cultural Industries: Events and Experiences Design BA (Hons)
• Curating Contemporary Design MA (in partnership with The Design Museum)

Qualifications

• MA Printmaking, Royal College of Art
• BA Fine Art, Falmouth School of Art

Specialisms

• Fine Art, Visual Communication, Curation, Creative Industries, Fashion, Fashion Communication, 3D Design, Games Creation, Toy Invention

I am responsible for planning and coordinating the strategic re-development of short courses across KSA. Kingston School of Art is one of the top creative institutions in the UK, and prides itself on its accessible, inclusive thinking through making ethos to all areas of art, design, digital, cultural and creative study. Building on our long-established reputation of foundation, degree, and postgraduate courses, it should also provide a focused series of flexible, constructive and relevant smaller courses that support its mission.

Since 2019, we have launched over 40 short courses including Foundation Preparation, The Toy Invention Programme in collaboration with Spinmaster (the first in the UK), Net Zero Architecture, Sustainable Fashion and Introductions to Animation, Life Drawing, Experimental Drawing, Art School Backwards, Music Production, Design Curation and Entropic Allotments.

I set up the Sorrell Foundation, Saturday Club programme at Kingston University in 2014. This is a widening participation programme designed to introduce local groups of 14-16-year-old students to the potential of art and design education. This has grown to work with multiple artists, designers, and engineers, including Arup, Studio Glithero, Rogers, Stirk, Harbour and Partners and Matt + Fiona & British Land.

Across Creative Industries we have been leading multiple live projects with industry partners including The Nest Project with The Design Museum, Playmakers with the Young V&A, Gov.uk, Financial Times, The Rose Theatre and this year Canada House and Adobe.

Areas of interest

• Diversifying the short course portfolio at KSA
• Introducing KSA to international markets through Short courses
• Embedding outreach and widening participation into all programmes
• Introducing the local community and local businesses to our activities and courses at KSA

Industry links

• Design Museum
• Young V&A
• Gov.uk
• Financial Times

Since taking over as Head of Department with an expanded portfolio of courses, we have placed particular emphasis on widening participation and student diversity through outreach activity and encouraging consistent numbers of international students. To support this strategic mission, we've re-structured the application process with a new online application system, open-day structure and short course support.

The Foundation staff team was awarded an inclusive team award at the 2024 Kingston University People Awards.

EDI is fundamental to developing a responsible and ethical staff team, which in turn allows us to share these principals with students and the wider University community. Across all Foundation pathways, we have designed an interdisciplinary programme called 'Primary Radio' to explore voice, cultural identity, and inclusive discussion across the course. This is published and shared during our end of year show.

Sustainability is central to all our courses. Every course delivers a curriculum and live briefs that actively interrogate and address materiality and endeavouring to do more with less. This is highlighted in our approach to end of year exhibitions that implement reuse and remaking as part of the curatorial design.

University responsibilities

• Associate Professor (Major responsibilities: teaching and learning and enterprise)
• Head of Department of Foundation Studies
• Course Director for Foundation Diploma in Art, Design & Media Practice
• Academic lead for Short courses at KSA.