Ulster University – Art College
celebrating past, present and future
Short-form documentaries celebrating the courses for the Art College’s 175th anniversary.
To celebrate 175 years of Belfast School of Art, we spent time with the people, processes and practices across its many disciplines. From traditional craft to contemporary design, we documented what happens inside the school and the people who bring it to life. A look at the breadth of creativity BSoA has offered for generations and continues to nurture today.
The Client
Belfast School of Art has shaped art and design education in the city since 1849. Founded as a School of Design to serve Belfast’s growing manufacturing industries, it is the oldest provider of design education on the island of Ireland. Today, it remains a global art school at the heart of Belfast, spanning fine and applied arts, design and screen-based disciplines. Its 175th anniversary created a moment to celebrate that legacy while looking towards the people, ideas and practices shaping what comes next.
The Challenge
Marking 175 years required more than looking back. The project needed to show what Belfast School of Art is today through the many disciplines, practices and people that shape it. The challenge was finding a structure broad enough to represent its diverse courses without flattening them into one story, while keeping every film connected to the anniversary as a whole. It also meant working within active studios, classrooms and events, allowing each subject to be documented in its own environment.
The Solution
We developed a series of short documentary films across the anniversary year, each focused on a different course or area of practice. By spending time with students and lecturers and filming teaching, making and events as they unfolded, we built the wider story from individual perspectives. Each film was given space to reflect its own discipline while sharing a consistent visual approach, creating a collective portrait of Belfast School of Art at 175 and an archive of the school as it stands today.
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