This session was part of the Immersive Eco System training event by UAL for Accelerate. The activities introduced an Illustration Programme workshop based on the surrealist drawing game, ‘Exquisite Corpse’. The Exquisite Corpse activity involved smaller collaborative groups working on a composite drawing in Gravity Sketch (VR), developed and led by Matthew Hawkins & Kristina Thiele, UAL.

You can find the activity sheet for the Exquisite Corpse exercise here.

Biographies

Matthew Hawkins is a graphic artist and educator living and working in London. He is a Senior Lecturer and Integrated Practice Coordinator on the Illustration Programme at Camberwell College of Arts. Hawkins studied BA Illustration at Kingston University and MA Communication Art & Design at The Royal College of Art. Since graduating from the RCA in 2001 he has developed a strong visual practice that incorporates a broad spectrum of influences and disciplines, all of which are consolidated by his passion for image making. In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic led Hawkins to design and deliver Drawing Lab online, a programme resource focused on the practice of drawing. This resource aims to harness the potential of drawing, enabling learning across a broad range of subject areas in accessible digital workshop spaces. He is a founding member of the Camberwell Illustration Programme Virtual Reality and Immersive Technologies Research Group.

Kristina Thiele, Associate Lecturer for immersive technologies at the University of the Arts London CCW and part of the VR & Immersive Technologies Research Group at UAL. Spatial Designer and VR immersive experience creative with a background in photography; intrigued by digital innovation, pushing technological boundaries in the field of spatial design and bringing it to the 21st century. Co-founder of artsXR, an immersive production studio in London, UK. Currently focussed on challenging the audio-visual language of the Immersive Web and VR in general to gain new perspectives on the aesthetics and nature of immersive content. As a co-founder of a new immersive studio pushing their key strategic objective engaging with global cultural arts organisations, museums and institutions developing projects which challenge geographical, financial and political barriers especially in challenging pandemic times post 2020. As well as consulting arts and fashion clients on clean NFT and the emerging cryptoart market within the metaverse.

University of the Arts London (UAL) is Europe’s largest specialist arts and Design University, bringing together six previously separate arts, design, fashion and communication Colleges. UAL has more than 3,000 academic, research and technical staff and about 19,000 students from more than 100 countries. UAL is actively engaged in research and innovation as well as artistic, cultural and education projects. In the latest REF (UK Research Excellence Framework) 83% of UAL research was classified as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, and its overall quality profile placed it in the top 25 of UK Universities.