Finn Weaver: UAL Creative Computing Institute Diploma

Finn Weaver studies BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins but is currently doing the UAL Creative Computing Institute Diploma sandwich year. Finn’s work covers many mediums spanning themes of interaction, tactility and the human-machine relationship. Their practice has a strong grounding in ethical considerations around tech and accessibility.

Here, Finn tells us what attracted them to the Diploma and what it is like to study at UAL Creative Computing Institute.

What made you want to study the UAL Creative Computing Institute Diploma? 

The Diploma has a great ethical core to the way the content is taught.

I've become quite disillusioned about design under capitalism, but the Diploma has got me so excited about alternative ways to create and distribute work to disrupt the pre-existing structures of power. I also wanted to have a year to really develop my digital practice and skillset; my BA course is very project focused so I wanted the space to concentrate thoroughly on skills building and development.

How can creative computing integrate with graphic design and how is the Diploma influencing your practice? 

For me it's about having more control over your visual output - what is the best way to communicate your message? Creative computing gives me more options to play with and different systems to warp, deconstruct and reconstruct in interesting ways.

Do you need to have any creative computing skills to do the Diploma? 

No. I came with prior knowledge of JavaScript and a little bit of Arduino experience, but plenty of people come with no coding or physical computing experience. There's loads of resources and teaching sessions to help you learn. UAL CCI’s technical support team and tutors are the best learning resource there is, they know everything! However, if you are planning on coming, I would say a basic understanding would make things easier.

Talk us through a typical day at UAL CCI

My classes are in the afternoon, so I usually come in mid-morning and do some work, either my reading for the week or JavaScript exercises. I usually do this with other students if people are around. Then I'll get some lunch and head to the session. My classes are in the lecture theatre but we sit around tables so we can work with our laptops and talk to each other easier. The classes are around 3 hours long with a break every hour. They tend to include a lecture followed by a practical, including a discussion. The UAL CCI community are very accommodating and welcoming. We use Slack to communicate, where you can always find help and information and easily connect with anyone else in the whole Institute.

People set up their own study groups and sessions to work with other people and the general attitude at UAL CCI is one of sharing and helping.

What are you enjoying most about studying on the diploma at UAL CCI? 

I love our creative coding sessions. The puzzle of deconstructing an idea into a way for the computer to execute it is really fulfilling and I really like having an instant output to play with. The attitude of 'just do it and see what happens' works really well for me to learn and experiment. The tutors are also such valuable assets in terms of knowledge and connections - they're very generous with their time. I was worried people would be rude or stuck up if you asked 'stupid questions' but people have been really nice and understanding.

I also have such a better insight into the state of the tech world right now and the need for change.

Finally, what is your advice for anyone interested in doing the Diploma?

Do it. The Diploma and UAL CCI are still relatively young, so there is a desire to mould the course around what the students want from it. All the staff have interesting practices and experiences that feed into the course, making it feel very current and relevant. Give yourself a head start by finding some introductions to JavaScript and P5.js to work through (I recommend The Coding Train) and when you're here, try to say yes to anything you can! Meeting other people at UAL CCI is great and there's lots of opportunities and projects to get involved with.