Running throughout November and December 2024, Postgraduate Shows marks a point of significance for our postgraduate students, as they leave London College of Communication (LCC) empowered to flourish in a complex, specialised career in the creative industries. This year, Postgraduate Shows carries extra significance in the wake of the passing of Paul Lowe.
The graduating students at Postgraduate Shows 2024 have been influenced by cultural, personal and societal shifts – with each student responding to these shifts in a unique, personal fashion.
At Postgraduate Shows 2024, student work stands as a reflection of the growth brought on by these shifting perspectives, exploring their inner world and wider landscape for deep meditations on their chosen subjects and points of view.
The visual identity for Postgraduate Shows 2024 has been created by design studios Plusminus – founded by LCC graduates Tomas Clarkson and Armel Bellec – and Group Hug.
Building upon the Shows theme of shifting perspectives, the Postgraduate Shows 2024 visual identity revolves around the concept of ‘happy little mistakes’. Playing on print bleeds, screen glitches or photographic grain and dust, the identity serves as a reminder that creative work is valuable because of its imperfections, not in spite of them.
“Degree shows are a celebration of each student's journey at the university, highlighting the culmination of their hard work. Our goal was to honour not just the final outcomes, but the creative process that led them there – from the missteps that guided the way to the traces and remnants of iterations that shaped the work on display,” said Tomas Clarkson of Plusminus on the visual identity.
“The branding for the degree show gives each individual show its own unique identity, spotlighting the artifacts and details from the creative process. Whether it’s the registration marks in design, moiré patterns created on screens, or grain and dust on photographic negatives, we’ve brought these small, sometimes overlooked elements to the forefront.”
This year, Postgraduate Shows will also pay tribute to the memory of Paul Lowe, founder of the MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography course at LCC and faculty member of the College for over 20 years.
“The spirit of our beloved colleague Paul Lowe abounds throughout the photographic work in this exhibition, as it does every year, since the inception of MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography,” writes Max Houghton, Course Leader of MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, as part of a tribute that will be featured on the Show One: Photography exhibition guide at Postgraduate Shows 2024.
She adds: “Paul’s legendary capacity for inspiring students is borne out by not only the extraordinary, often award-winning work they create, but also by the fact that so many alumni are now part of the teaching team here at London College of Communication, and populate the current global photographic community, of which he was so proud to be a member.”
While previous iterations of LCC’s Postgraduate Shows took place over 2 exhibitions, this year, there will be a dedicated exhibition for each of LCC’s 3 Schools – Media, Design and Screen.
Show One: Photography celebrates the art of image making and photographic practice, examining the constantly shifting perspectives that lend themselves to the effective creation, curation and dissemination of photography.
The courses featured include:
Show Two: Design blends the heritage and future potential of our Design School to celebrate both traditional and emerging approaches, highlighting how perspectives have shifted – and will continue to shift – over time.
Work from the following postgraduate courses will be exhibited:
To round off Postgraduate Shows 2024, Show Three: Screen celebrates work from our Screen School, where our graduating students harness the power of sight, sound and moving image to create immersive, impactful experiences.
Courses featured include:
Alongside our physical on-site exhibitions, work from our postgraduate students will also be available on UAL Showcase – an accessible, digital space where LCC students can show their work to a wider audience, including friends, family and future employers.
To complement our outstanding student work, Postgraduate Shows 2024 will be accompanied by a programme of events to spark discussion, inspire creativity and share knowledge.
From public screenings and talks to industry-focused seminars, our events bring together students, academics and industry guests.
The 2024 edition of the Accelerate programme at London College of Communication (LCC) helped graduates to become entrepreneurs, building their careers beyond life at the College.
BA (Hons) Graphic and Media Design graduate Christian Schmitz talks about his experience of returning to design the Shows 2024 identity, and discusses his design journey so far.
Muskeen Liddar and Jinxiu Chen represented LCC at London Design Festival 2023 with their projects Sound, Chaos and the Sky and Microplastic In The Thames River.
London College of Communication alumni Blu Smith and Qiqi Hou have achieved success in the documentary film circuit, receiving nods at at Sheffield Doc Fest and the Royal Television Society Awards.