Within this topic, I explored how my creative work connects with people and communities on a deeper level. I focused on how artists often collaborate to build meaningful, shared experiences that go beyond individual expression. Through this process, I realized that art holds the power to bring people together, to tell stories, spark conversations, and create moments of connection. It’s about how creativity can spark a sense of belonging and shared understanding within a community.
- RESEARCH -
Rick Lowe
Rick Lowe created Project Row Houses (PRH) in Houston by turning abandoned houses into centers for art, community events, and local resident-supporting programs. The reason Lowe’s work is so inspiring is that he makes the community an active participant in the creation of the project and makes the neighborhood itself an act of art. His way demonstrates that this type of art can unite people and be lasting.
Lowe’s taught me to use design to connect people and to make it more than just aesthetically pleasing; it must be usable and interactive. They encouraged me to think differently about branding festivals so that my designs are integrated with their environments and function well on any platform.
Between The Tides
We examined how artists work together in the capacity of a collective in curation. curate and organise my work paying attention to space and light to form a new perspective on your collaborative artwork. Alongside the possibility of performance. A lecture that discusses collaborative practice techniques built upon some of the methods we have studies in Research Methods. Alongside a longer case study of an artist in collaborative Practice and research.
For this project, I wanted to embrace the idea of ‘The Artist as Community’ by creating a visual communication strategy for the ‘Between the Tides’ festival, a celebration of different creative voices coming together. My design focused on building a strong visual identity that felt clear, fun, and connected to the festival’s community vibe.
I used a color-coded system to make it easy for people to navigate the different events, with colors representing Music (Red), Art (Green), Spoken Word (Yellow), Workshops (Orange), and Kids’ Activities (Blue). I kept the look consistent with bold typography and imagery that ties everything together.
This idea was really shaped by what we learned about collaboration, thinking carefully about how visuals work in different spaces, how light affects design, and how things need to adapt across different platforms. Overall, my goal was to create something that felt welcoming, organized, and reflective of the creative and collaborative spirit of the festival.
For this project, I was inspired by how design can visually reflect community and diversity while staying unified. I used the R.E.S Music Festival posters by Pol Solsona Studio as a reference. I loved how they used color as a system to distinguish different parts of the festival while keeping a consistent visual identity. This idea influenced my own concept for the Between the Tides festival, where I explored using colour-coded posters to represent different areas like music, art, workshops, and family activities. It’s a way to bring variety into the design while making sure everything still feels connected, just like a community.
Growth
I began to see art as an opportunity to make community and this shifted my approach to design. My work with Rick Lowe taught me that it’s about designing experiences to gather people together. I think more conceptually now and consider how my work can inform interaction, guide people through spaces and make them feel more open and inviting. This has allowed me to develop more substance and connection in my art voice.
Applications
That’s why I wanted to bring the idea of people shaping their own future into my major project. I was really inspired by how art has this amazing way of bringing people together, starting conversations, and creating meaningful connections. I wanted my work to have that same energy, something that makes people feel involved, empowered, and like they’re a part of the creative journey.
Reflection
Learning about art and community really changed the way I think about design. Seeing how artists like Rick Lowe use their work to bring people together made me realize that art is about how it makes people feel and how it brings them into the experience. It made me think differently about my own creative process. I started to see design as a way to tell stories, connect people, and create spaces where everyone feels involved. That’s why, in my major project, I wanted to focus on the idea of people shaping their own future, making sure my work wasn’t just something to look at, but something people could feel part of.
