London College of Communication

UAL Showcase Collections

Stretched Boundaries

A boy stands at the end of a pier, holding on to the rails while looking to his right. A man sits to the boy's right playing the accordion.

Raised in the United States by Finnish parents, my definition of home has always been stretched between two places. During the summers, we would visit Finland in time for the midsummer celebrations. Utopian memories from my childhood – playing in the forest, fishing and swimming – faded as I grew older and the distance between my family and I became more apparent. I felt pressure to choose between my American identity and Finnish heritage.In navigating what family and home mean to me, I embrace my unique relationships as they are. There was never a choice that needed to be made; the pressure that I once felt was all but an illusion.These images are set at the lakeside cabin where children play as I once did, and still do.

The Guest Book by Aku Ratsula

A women with her eyes closed looking relaxed. 

We Have Guests is a project that is providing a platform for Ukrainian Refugees to voice their experiences of the war, stories from times before, as well as their realities of sheltering in the UK.The project began in April 2022 after I began volunteering at local refugee support centres within Hampshire as my way of helping support Ukrainians coming into my local community. At these meetings, I began having conversations with Ukrainians who would tell me their stories, not just about the war but of their lives in Ukraine. It was then I knew what the project had to be, a platform for them to share these stories with the world.Fast forward a year and I have attended close to 100 support meetings and spoken in-depth with over 50 Ukrainian guests. At this stage, the project has taken the form of a book, which features 10 of these guests. The project is long-form so it is ongoing.

We Have Guests by Wilfred Carter

Digital illustration showing an older lady in green top and red holding a young boy's hand wearing a yellow top and black shorts.

This collection discusses the memories and stories we share in our everyday lives. It draws on the themes of migration, places and identity. Documented through the lens of my hybrid identity as a third generation child of the Jamaican diaspora but born in Britain. It seeks to reconnect through the feeling of being disconnected.

Home-body by Davinia Clarke

Green room with orange flowers hanging on the wall.

Lavly is the story of a Bengali migrant mother who moved to East London in the 80s, with the intention of living better and successful lives here in London. This project follows her journey taking the audience through many different eras, beginning in Bangladesh. Showing significant installations to commemorate the joys of what life was like in Bangladesh during the 70s. Followed by the harsh reality for a South Asian migrating to the fearful streets in East London during the 80s, the constant anxiety of becoming a victim to the violent crimes against those of colour. The journey then moves into a homely set, Lavly&#39;s home. A home where the audience sees the vivid image of what many Bengali homes looked like during the early 2000s. This film tells the story of Lavly, our mother, as she motivates the audience to follow their own dreams as this life is filled with many possibilities. Referencing the events of her own life, she tells the audience her journey from Bangladesh, to now, a mother of 5.

LAVLY. by Ishrat Begum

A close up of draped West African Batik Pastiche 

‘Sometimes I Forget I’m Black’ is a project about me regaining my cultural identity through fabric making and having various conversations with my mother about our culture.

Sometimes I Forget I’m Black by Tari Esewe-Bastel

Close up of installation. Depicts multiple mounted embroidery, lino print and beads that are suspended from inside the structure.

&quot;Embroidered Identity&quot; explores the relationship between culture and self-identity by looking at traditional Palestinian embroidery through a contemporary lens. Passed down from mother to daughter, intricate motifs and symbols evolve with each generation, illustrating the power of embracing heritage to create a new sense of self.

Embroidered Identity by Layla Al Idrissi

A woman looking backwards. There are hands braiding her hair.

Estamos Aqui, 2023 (We&#39;re here) is an exploration of indigenous womanhood in Bolivia; Cholita culture. Inspired by visits between Bolivia and the UK, the series became a way of expanding my relationships with the ancestry of Andean heritage and connecting with its safe-keepers both in Bolivia and in South London. It shows how women thrive despite living in a country where machismo and racism rule daily. It is a celebration of women, of the Bolivian culture and my connection with it.

Estamos Aquí by Janice Quiñonez

This project is a 2D puzzle game with mechanics based on gravity balls and sounds based on the Chinese pentatonic scale and Chinese instruments. In this game, the player controls the direction of the ball by controlling the rotation of the platform and in the process, the player is given a Chinese rhythmic melody. Based on a random sound effect mechanism, the player can listen to a different melody each time.The designers added other elements, such as Chinese paper cutting and Chinese mythology, to the level design to make the game more interesting.

Collaborative project by Wanyan W and Jingya Li

Four bundles of basket grass leaning against an old door. 

A documentary series that follows my first journey to Accra, Ghana. The project represents my evolving identity, and is a visual record of my heritage, relationships and the idea of returning that exists in diasporic communities. ﻿I began a project that explores my own identity politics, but is also a visual response to a relevant wider social issue of displacement.

Richmond Court by Cleo Amissah

A person wearing a white shirt with a white obi.

History is but a Sullen Memorabilia is a body of work consisting of radio broadcasts, performance, sound recordings, writings and film. Comprises of Swan Song, Nobody Knows, Four Concrete Walls and Mirror, the portfolio establishes a wide range of vocabularies to transcribe the embodiment of sound and listening through the artist&#39;s choice of creative expressions.Concerned about imagining sound objects as memorabilia we hold onto as time goes on, Travis elaborated on their complex relationship with their heritage as well as the environment they found themselves in the present; the juxtaposed and the correlated, all melt together into organised sound and all kinds of movements.