Elias Sell is a third year Batchelor of Fine Arts in Studio at the School of the Art Institute Chicago. He talks about his experience on the integrated Performance Design and Practice (PDP) at Central Saint Martins.
How was studying abroad in London? What is your favourite thing about the city?
London has so much depth to it. Around every corner there's something interesting happening. Even before my course started, I had no problem finding fascinating people and places.
What is your favourite memory of studying abroad?
I spent the weekend in a cottage in Wales to celebrate the winter solstice. That was an incredible biome I had never experienced before, and also my first time outside of London the whole semester.
What did you enjoy about your classes?
Autonomy, flexibility with approach, giving students the chance to design and reinterpret our learning environment. The way our tutors set us up to receive critique and feedback from each other, so the critical thought about our work cooperatively continues well after class is over. Also, the quality and diversity of the lectures, they never failed to surprise me.
Can you tell us about the show you participated in?
The live promenade show was awesome. We reinterpreted Hans Christian Andersons’ “Steadfast Tin Soldier” as an immersive promenade. From the brief to the week of the show was about 6 weeks of manically writing, designing, scripting, prop and costume design. A team of about 20 students built the whole thing from scratch. We received critique and feedback from tutors, and had access to technicians to help us bring our ideas to life, but the directive structure and how we managed the process was entirely student led. I enjoy working at max capacity, so I dived right in and kept my hands full the whole time. I ended up designing and writing one of the three routes the audience could follow and played one of the lead characters. For someone who doesn't view themselves as a theatre person, it was an incredible experience.
Photos from the live promenade show. Credit: Emma de Grussa
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Credit: Emma de Grussa
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Credit: Emma de Grussa
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Credit: Emma de Grussa
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Credit: Emma de Grussa
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Credit: Emma de Grussa
Can you tell us about a project you were particularly excited about?
The Performance as Protest assignment was the project that felt most in line with my existing practice. Central Saint Martins is located on the Kings Cross Development, an uber-gentrified, excessively smooth (citing the book, Smooth City), privately owned public space (P.O.P.S). The dystopian nature of these spaces has always stood out to me, and they stand as a genuine threat to our right to publicly assemble and protest. After ample research I devised a set of simple performances to disrupt the space and make the environment slightly more porous. I documented these performances using long exposure photographs on a medium format analogue camera.
Why did you choose UAL Study Abroad?
CSM is one of the few universities that hosts a performance program, outside of traditional theatre performances. As an artist and mover who tends to gravitate towards performance fine art, this program really appealed to me. Even though this was a particularly theatre-heavy unit it all felt very forward thinking and was not limited to the tropes of the traditional stage. Plus, the inter-disciplinary nature of CSM fits my artistic ethos perfectly.
How do you think your study abroad experience will help you with your future endeavours?
The people I’ve met and the ways they’ve helped me grow across this time is something that will always stick with me. In addition, the PDP course put projects in front of me that were so different from what I normally do, I believe future work of mine will feel the effects.
What is the most valuable thing you learnt from the experience?
Getting a taste of how another university operates, specifically one outside of the States was invaluable. Nigh impossible to see the shortfalls (or strengths!) of the world you’re in until you get a chance to step out of it.
Is there anything you want to share with future study abroad students/ future applicants?
Hit the ground running, and dive into London and your Uni. Both the city and the Colleges have so much to offer, there's a plethora of experiences to be had each and every day. Technicians are the key to bringing your ideas to life. Take advantage of all the resources the university has to offer.
Would you recommend the experience at UAL?
Absolutely.
