“My experience of the Visual Communication course at Brighton has been great; the course is extremely experimental in its approach to what ‘Illustration’ means allowing students to explore lots of different methods and approaches to their work.”
Please tell us a bit about your work and your influences
My work sits at an intersection between art and technology and is predominantly interested in issues surrounding digital media consumption and its effect on the human mind and body. I work primarily in moving image but have recently been exploring what new and interesting dimensions interactive technologies can bring to my work. I am passionate about making the subjects of my work more accessible and have found an element of audience interaction/play can help people engage with it.
Recently robots and aliens have occurred a lot in my work as a way to talk more broadly about perception, communication, media introjection and the self in the digital age. I am interested in new forms of escapism and why we are so invested in avoiding reality. My most recent project ‘Fleshless in Dystopia’ explores the loss of the physical body through imagery, poetry, and interactive design.
How have you found your course and time at Brighton?
My experience of the Visual Communication course at Brighton has been great; the course is extremely experimental in its approach to what ‘Illustration’ means allowing students to explore lots of different methods and approaches to their work. This was great and subsequently my practice has developed in an entirely different direction than I would have predicted in first year.
How did you choose your course – why did you choose to study Illustration?
Starting my foundation year I was sure I was going to apply for Fine Art. It took going to open days for me to see what illustration could be; everyone on illustration seemed to be doing wildly different things from each other and I realised my preconceptions of the course were false. I remember seeing a video of someone dressed up at an astronaut at the Brighton open day and it was the first time I saw people making the kind of work I wanted to make and it being taken completely seriously. I now wouldn’t consider myself an Illustrator but what is so great about the course at Brighton is that there are no restrictions on what you can make; you are completely free to work in any medium and be as abstract or traditional with your ‘Illustration’ as suits you.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduating I am planning on working for other artists/film-makers whilst continuing to develop my practice and explore different ways of communicating my ideas to a hopefully wider audience.
See more of Julia’s work https://juliajolliffe.cargo.site/
Find out more about studying illustration at Brighton
