Sophies Royal College of Art Quest
Donation protected
HELLO:
Hello everyone! My name is Sophie Swinton, I am 24 and I come from a small town called Peebles in the heart of the Scottish Borders. I graduated from my Bachelors Degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design at Glasgow School of Art in 2013, and I am extremely excited to have been offered a place at the Royal College of Art in London to do a Masters in Jewellery and Metal starting this September! It has long been my dream to achieve a place on this course, even before I had finished my BA, and I believe it will be the opportunity of a lifetime.
The Royal College of Art was recently voted the World's Top Art and Design School and has been the foundation for many notable creatives such as director Sir Ridley Scott, painter David Hockney, and jeweller and 2014 Commonwealth Games Medal Designer Jonathan Boyd, who I was lucky enough to be tutored by during my Undergraduate degree.
A FILM FOR YOU:
I have always been interested in film, and I have found filmmaking to be an engaging way of communicating my ideas and designs. On that note, I decided to collaborate with my filmmaker brother Max to make a short film that playfully represents my journey towards The Royal College of Art. I thought it would be more interesting than a still picture, I hope you enjoy it!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY WORK:
From hair twirling to noisy eating, ever since I was a little girl I have always been irrationally irritated by a variety of bad habits. In particular, the obnoxious and unsightly chewing of bubble gum is my main vice, yet it is also my leading source of inspiration. Interestingly, I find that I am at my most creative when confronted with these irritations and by transforming ugly habits into beautiful pieces, my work serves as a form of humorous self therapy, and encourages me to laugh at my sometimes absurd overreactions.
Growth rings - silver, aquasuede, cubic zirconia, acrylic, holographic powder
Contrasting precious metals and gemstones with bubblegum and glitters, my work seeks to challenge the viewer and wearer to address their preconceptions of where preciousness lies in jewellery and artefacts. I am interested in temporary materials, and the unpredictable nature of bubble gum lends my work an ephemeral, ever changing quality. I have always been fascinated by all things tacky, and the use of a sickly, sparkly palette within my pieces playfully confronts what is considered typically ‘tasteful’ in an item of jewellery.
WHY I NEED YOU:
For the past year I have been working extremely hard to save for my Masters. For six months I worked two jobs and often found myself working up to 60 hours a week and nearly 30 days in a row. Eventually, and unsurprisingly, this became damaging to my health. After a hospital visit and two weeks in bed with clinical exhaustion, I decided to keep just one job and I now focus my days off researching different methods of funding. I have applied to many funding bodies and charities but, unfortunately, so far I have come up short. There is not an abundance of funding available for creative postgraduate study and I feel I have now exhausted this particular option.
COST BREAKDOWN:
This is the estimated cost for my FIRST YEAR, and my deadline is the end of September.
Tuition left to pay: £1000
Rent: £7200
Bills: £980
Food: £2880
Course Materials: £1450
Travel: £1200
Total: £14,710
With the money I have earned myself, I am on track to cover nearly all of my tuition fees for my first year. Although I am saving every penny it still won’t be enough to fully cover the tuition and living costs of my two year Masters, and so I am appealing to your generosity to help make my dream become a reality.
I’m appealing to friends, family, fellow artists, designers and makers, art enthusiasts of every form, and lovers of contemporary jewellery, film and fashion. I’m appealing to supporters and promoters of the arts, philanthropists concerned with the growth of contemporary art and design, buyers and collectors in the jewellery industry, pioneers of cultural change, revolutionary thinkers, and general do-gooders who want to help!
While it seems like an impossible amount of money to raise in such a short time, I refuse to think negatively or give up, and instead I remain positive and approach fundraising for my MA as an exciting entrepreneurial challenge. I have always had an all or nothing attitude and I would rather try and fail than not try at all. I am tenacious, driven, and proactive in seeking solutions in order to realize this huge opportunity and not let it go to waste.
REWARDS:
To show how much I appreciate your donations, I have specially designed and made by hand a collection of small shimmery pink resin brooch pins and earrings to reward donators. Because they are handmade, no two pieces will look exactly alike so you will have a unique piece of jewellery at a great price. This is my way of giving something back whilst thanking you for your generosity!
Donations of £5 = Resin Brooch Pin
Donations of £10 = Resin Earrings with Silver Plated Earring Posts
Donations of £15 and over = Resin Brooch Pin AND Earrings
Brooch pin
Earrings
If you decide to donate £5 or over, please contact me to arrange the postage details of your gift so I can send it out to you ASAP!
WHY THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART:
The Royal College of Art is the world’s only wholly postgraduate art and design school, and is situated in London, one of the most culturally rich art hotspots in the world. This city is one of the most concentrated communities of artists and designers to be found anywhere, and studying a creative postgraduate in one of the most influential cities in the art world will inspire and shape my own practice and open my eyes to endless new creative possibilities.
Supported by expert tutors and access to pioneering equipment and studio facilities, a masters in Jewellery and Metal is the perfect opportunity for me to explore new concepts and materials, and learn new skills to develop a unique range of work and establish myself as an innovative jewellery designer with an edge in a niche and competitive industry. I will have the freedom to develop ideas that challenge the understanding of my discipline, and master a high level of professionalism that will pave the way for my future career.
Bubble Dish - bubble gum, silver, cubic zirconia
During my Masters I wish to work collaboratively with my fashion student peers, and develop work that explores the boundaries between jewellery and fashion. I aim to hone my jewellery towards high impact body adornment contextualised by its relationship with the human form in motion, set against the drama of the runway. Ultimately, with the experience and contacts gained during my MA, it is my dream to become an influential jewellery designer. I aim to set trends with my jewellery, and work collaboratively with fashion designers who want high impact jewellery to enhance their clothing lines on the runway and in brand advertising.
WHAT I WILL GIVE BACK:
According to RCA rector Paul Thompson, “The Royal College of Art is highly selective, taking the world’s most talented artists and designers. Those students go on to transform the world” This is exactly what I aim to do.
Postgraduate study will help me to continue to develop work that pushes the limits and boundaries of jewellery and our understanding of it. With an experimental approach to materials, processes and conceptual design, I hope my graduate jewellery will inspire interest and debate.
I feel it is important to challenge traditions, and I am extremely passionate about driving contemporary jewellery forward in new and exciting directions, sparking debate within the industry and encouraging its continued growth as an art form. I am not embarking on a masters for the sake of just doing another course, rather I see it as an invaluable career launch that will not only greatly influence my own practice, but also allow me to contribute positively to the jewellery industry.
I believe in the importance of jewellery as a portable, communicative tool made possible by the wearer. Whether it be a brooch, earrings or necklace, jewellery has the capacity to comment on and address a variety of social and cultural issues, the importance of which can’t be understated.
THANK YOU:
Thank you very much for your time and interest, and even if you decide not to donate thank you for reading! I would be appreciative of any donation and I can't thank you enough for your generosity and support!
Hello everyone! My name is Sophie Swinton, I am 24 and I come from a small town called Peebles in the heart of the Scottish Borders. I graduated from my Bachelors Degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design at Glasgow School of Art in 2013, and I am extremely excited to have been offered a place at the Royal College of Art in London to do a Masters in Jewellery and Metal starting this September! It has long been my dream to achieve a place on this course, even before I had finished my BA, and I believe it will be the opportunity of a lifetime.
The Royal College of Art was recently voted the World's Top Art and Design School and has been the foundation for many notable creatives such as director Sir Ridley Scott, painter David Hockney, and jeweller and 2014 Commonwealth Games Medal Designer Jonathan Boyd, who I was lucky enough to be tutored by during my Undergraduate degree.
A FILM FOR YOU:
I have always been interested in film, and I have found filmmaking to be an engaging way of communicating my ideas and designs. On that note, I decided to collaborate with my filmmaker brother Max to make a short film that playfully represents my journey towards The Royal College of Art. I thought it would be more interesting than a still picture, I hope you enjoy it!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY WORK:
From hair twirling to noisy eating, ever since I was a little girl I have always been irrationally irritated by a variety of bad habits. In particular, the obnoxious and unsightly chewing of bubble gum is my main vice, yet it is also my leading source of inspiration. Interestingly, I find that I am at my most creative when confronted with these irritations and by transforming ugly habits into beautiful pieces, my work serves as a form of humorous self therapy, and encourages me to laugh at my sometimes absurd overreactions.
Growth rings - silver, aquasuede, cubic zirconia, acrylic, holographic powderContrasting precious metals and gemstones with bubblegum and glitters, my work seeks to challenge the viewer and wearer to address their preconceptions of where preciousness lies in jewellery and artefacts. I am interested in temporary materials, and the unpredictable nature of bubble gum lends my work an ephemeral, ever changing quality. I have always been fascinated by all things tacky, and the use of a sickly, sparkly palette within my pieces playfully confronts what is considered typically ‘tasteful’ in an item of jewellery.
WHY I NEED YOU:
For the past year I have been working extremely hard to save for my Masters. For six months I worked two jobs and often found myself working up to 60 hours a week and nearly 30 days in a row. Eventually, and unsurprisingly, this became damaging to my health. After a hospital visit and two weeks in bed with clinical exhaustion, I decided to keep just one job and I now focus my days off researching different methods of funding. I have applied to many funding bodies and charities but, unfortunately, so far I have come up short. There is not an abundance of funding available for creative postgraduate study and I feel I have now exhausted this particular option.
COST BREAKDOWN:
This is the estimated cost for my FIRST YEAR, and my deadline is the end of September.
Tuition left to pay: £1000
Rent: £7200
Bills: £980
Food: £2880
Course Materials: £1450
Travel: £1200
Total: £14,710
With the money I have earned myself, I am on track to cover nearly all of my tuition fees for my first year. Although I am saving every penny it still won’t be enough to fully cover the tuition and living costs of my two year Masters, and so I am appealing to your generosity to help make my dream become a reality.
I’m appealing to friends, family, fellow artists, designers and makers, art enthusiasts of every form, and lovers of contemporary jewellery, film and fashion. I’m appealing to supporters and promoters of the arts, philanthropists concerned with the growth of contemporary art and design, buyers and collectors in the jewellery industry, pioneers of cultural change, revolutionary thinkers, and general do-gooders who want to help!
While it seems like an impossible amount of money to raise in such a short time, I refuse to think negatively or give up, and instead I remain positive and approach fundraising for my MA as an exciting entrepreneurial challenge. I have always had an all or nothing attitude and I would rather try and fail than not try at all. I am tenacious, driven, and proactive in seeking solutions in order to realize this huge opportunity and not let it go to waste.
REWARDS:
To show how much I appreciate your donations, I have specially designed and made by hand a collection of small shimmery pink resin brooch pins and earrings to reward donators. Because they are handmade, no two pieces will look exactly alike so you will have a unique piece of jewellery at a great price. This is my way of giving something back whilst thanking you for your generosity!
Donations of £5 = Resin Brooch Pin
Donations of £10 = Resin Earrings with Silver Plated Earring Posts
Donations of £15 and over = Resin Brooch Pin AND Earrings
Brooch pinEarringsIf you decide to donate £5 or over, please contact me to arrange the postage details of your gift so I can send it out to you ASAP!
WHY THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART:
The Royal College of Art is the world’s only wholly postgraduate art and design school, and is situated in London, one of the most culturally rich art hotspots in the world. This city is one of the most concentrated communities of artists and designers to be found anywhere, and studying a creative postgraduate in one of the most influential cities in the art world will inspire and shape my own practice and open my eyes to endless new creative possibilities.
Supported by expert tutors and access to pioneering equipment and studio facilities, a masters in Jewellery and Metal is the perfect opportunity for me to explore new concepts and materials, and learn new skills to develop a unique range of work and establish myself as an innovative jewellery designer with an edge in a niche and competitive industry. I will have the freedom to develop ideas that challenge the understanding of my discipline, and master a high level of professionalism that will pave the way for my future career.
Bubble Dish - bubble gum, silver, cubic zirconiaDuring my Masters I wish to work collaboratively with my fashion student peers, and develop work that explores the boundaries between jewellery and fashion. I aim to hone my jewellery towards high impact body adornment contextualised by its relationship with the human form in motion, set against the drama of the runway. Ultimately, with the experience and contacts gained during my MA, it is my dream to become an influential jewellery designer. I aim to set trends with my jewellery, and work collaboratively with fashion designers who want high impact jewellery to enhance their clothing lines on the runway and in brand advertising.
WHAT I WILL GIVE BACK:
According to RCA rector Paul Thompson, “The Royal College of Art is highly selective, taking the world’s most talented artists and designers. Those students go on to transform the world” This is exactly what I aim to do.
Postgraduate study will help me to continue to develop work that pushes the limits and boundaries of jewellery and our understanding of it. With an experimental approach to materials, processes and conceptual design, I hope my graduate jewellery will inspire interest and debate.
I feel it is important to challenge traditions, and I am extremely passionate about driving contemporary jewellery forward in new and exciting directions, sparking debate within the industry and encouraging its continued growth as an art form. I am not embarking on a masters for the sake of just doing another course, rather I see it as an invaluable career launch that will not only greatly influence my own practice, but also allow me to contribute positively to the jewellery industry.
I believe in the importance of jewellery as a portable, communicative tool made possible by the wearer. Whether it be a brooch, earrings or necklace, jewellery has the capacity to comment on and address a variety of social and cultural issues, the importance of which can’t be understated.
THANK YOU:
Thank you very much for your time and interest, and even if you decide not to donate thank you for reading! I would be appreciative of any donation and I can't thank you enough for your generosity and support!
Organizer
Sophie Swinton
Organizer