PAUL MCCARTNEY STELLA MCCARTNEY PETER BLAKE and ST MARTINS SCHOOL OF ART CHARING CROSS ROAD

Stella McCartney and Peter Blake speak out in support of saving St Martins School of Art on Charing Cross Road, "STOP THE SALE SIGN THE PETITION"
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/savestmartinscxr/

STUDENT CONCERN OVER SPACE AT CENTRAL ST MARTINS NEW KINGS CROSS DEVELOPMENT

Student concern over space at new CSM

by Soha Abbas and Laura Brooks

Central Saint Martins (CSM) students feel that their concerns over the amount of space available to them at the new King's Cross site are being ignored, after many expressed frustration over a recent meeting about the move.

The meeting was attended by students who had raised issues about the lack of space on the new site and how this will affect them in their final year.

First year fashion print student Lilly Attwood told Arts London News: “The King's Cross meeting was infuriating; they avoided most of our questions and didn't listen to our points at all.

"If the move goes ahead as planned, the reputation of CSM will be severely damaged."

Attwood added: “We found out that this space is a reduction of current studios. Fashion, for example, will receive 25 per cent less space.

"We will lose the amount of dedicated studios for each pathway, preventing students from being able to work in groups and learn from their peers. I personally feel great sadness that we will have to leave a building that has such a great historical and cultural significance”.

Strong reactions

When the restructuring of the University of the Arts London (UAL) began in 2003, CSM was at the centre of the plans.

Being relocated to King's Cross in a modern, smaller building has provoked many strong reactions from students and staff.

Sam Thorley, a first year fashion print student, describes how reduced studio space will lead to students getting less teaching time with tutors, as the rooms will be in demand to other classes.

“We will have to be timetabled in at specified times and we could only get a few hours a day with our tutors," he said.

"Studio time and space are the most important things for art and design students - if we don't have it we simply cannot work."

Print student Olivia Davies added: "I think many felt frustrated after the meeting because it didn't feel like a discussion where we could raise our concerns and opinions - it felt more that the Dean was telling us what was happening and that we could do nothing to change it.

"The Dean had a strong tendency to talk around the issues raised without actually answering the question. The fact that there is less space available to students when we don't have enough space as it is, is of great concern and when this issue was raised at the meeting, the Dean responded that the school was now enrolling less students in the future.

"That doesn't change the size of our class."

Another concern raised by many students at the talk related to the shared access of the print and knit studios between fashion and textiles classes.

Lilly Attwood said: “We need to see detailed floor plans to be reassured that this won't impact on the quality of our work.

"I haven't spoken to any students from fashion who feels positive about the move.

"During pattern cutting projects we need to have access to the studios from 10 in the morning until 10 in the evening - at King's Cross we will be fighting for this space, along with the short courses and foundation students.

"We are supposed to be excited about this move; we're getting a 'cool student bar' and 'chill out space', but is that the reason we joined CSM?"

'More profile'

Speaking to the Independent, Sir John Tusa, chairman of UAL, said of the move: "You can't stay in out-of-date accommodation.

"The advantages of being able to have a purpose-built art college are extraordinary, never mind one of that size and that is centred round the historic Lewis Cubitt Granary building at King's Cross.

"It will give us more profile and will make us more visible. Central St Martins will be a really major art college development and one for the 21st century."

UAL has not yet responded to the students' concerns about teaching time and current class sizes.

FROM ARTS LONDON NEWS 15 FEB 2010

http://www.artslondonnews.co.uk/20100211-space-shortage-concerns-csm