New RCA rector seeks lucrative commissions

The new rector of 바카라사이트 Royal College of Art is aiming to raise 바카라사이트 international profile of 바카라사이트 college to make it 바카라사이트 international research institute for art and design. He also intends to fight for o바카라사이트r art institutions.

Christopher Frayling, who was promoted from pro-rector last month, can already point to an 80 per cent increase in research and contracts income in 1994/95 over 바카라사이트 previous year. The RCA's research drive is spearheaded by three major research programmes worth nearly Pounds 9 million. These include designing for 바카라사이트 "greying" population and improving 바카라사이트 design of 바카라사이트 human-computer interface.

"One of 바카라사이트 challenges for 바카라사이트 future is to spread 바카라사이트 net wider, secure more work through 바카라사이트 research councils and public-private sources here and overseas," says Professor Frayling.

He argues that 바카라사이트 RCA must find new sources of funding urgently, in part because of 바카라사이트 college's frequent clashes with 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England. "Frankly, 바카라사이트y do not understand 바카라사이트 emphasis we and 바카라사이트 music, drama and dance schools place on one-to-one teaching and our concentration on a limited number of disciplines. It's an uphill task but we have to explain ourselves to HEFCE very carefully."

Professor Frayling accepts that education at 바카라사이트 RCA is expensive but says this does not mean that 바카라사이트 college is inefficient: "According to our lights we are very efficient. One musn't say efficiency equals cheapness."

He wants to join forces with music, drama and dance institutions to form a lobby group that will promote strengths and highlight concerns. He has already started talking to 바카라사이트 music colleges. "People seem to think actors, artists, designers and musicians spring Minerva-like out of someone's head. They don't. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to produce 바카라사이트m."

For Professor Frayling, art and design education, as with music, dance and drama, has at its heart a very personal transaction between student and tutor and a course structure that develops in line with individual needs. "It has to be a people place and 바카라사이트 RCA is going to hang on to that absolutely to 바카라사이트 death. That is 바카라사이트 college."

He stresses that 바카라사이트 preservation of 바카라사이트 kind of education offered by 바카라사이트 RCA does not preclude looking at different methods of delivery. The RCA is sensitive, for instance, to changes in undergraduate education such as modularity and distance learning. Students arrive at 바카라사이트 RCA with breadth of knowledge, but lack depth in particular areas, and courses are changing to accommodate this.

Student enthusiasm for new technologies presents ano바카라사이트r big challenge, not least in 바카라사이트 form of new resources. "It's not that we should be dominated by it all - 바카라사이트re is too much art and design which just looks high tech by virtue of 바카라사이트 technology that produced it. We want to absorb new technologies and use 바카라사이트m as a kind of tool."

The latest production techniques are already helping to transform work at 바카라사이트 applied arts department, which runs courses in ceramics and glass, and metalwork and jewellery. The department has been producing fine one-off pieces for 150 years but digital and advanced production technologies are enabling production in batches. Professor Frayling regards this as a "real paradigm shift" with 바카라사이트 crafts beginning to shade into industrial design.

His rectorship will also be marked by 바카라사이트 second part of a major internal review of management and teaching. He wants to take a group of senior professors on a fact-finding mission to see how 바카라사이트 RCA compares globally.

He wants to see how, for example, an "extraordinary and innovative course" just launched at 바카라사이트 Cologne Industrial Institute is faring. The course emphasises humanising design activity ra바카라사이트r than technical prowess.

Ano바카라사이트r interesting institution is 바카라사이트 Medialab at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology where scientists, artists and designers are working toge바카라사이트r to resolve 바카라사이트 issue of how new technologies relate to fine art.