Edinburgh College of Art launches research magazine

A magazine that captures the institution’s ongoing and future research in the interdisciplinary creative subjects of "art, design, architecture and landscape architecture" is to be published by the Edinburgh College of Art's (ECA) research staff.

The new magazine, Vision, will bring "ground-breaking creative" academic research to the public in an accessible and engaging manner, and as such will be distributed worldwide in major academic, artistic, cultural and architectural hubs.

In the first edition of Vision, now available for download on ECA’s website, Professor Andrew Patrizio, director of research development at ECA, writes: "Vision aims to promote and improve understanding of the range and diversity of our research and encourage readers to dig deeper into what follows.

"ECA is a specialist institution with well over 100 artists, designers, architects, historians, curators, critics—each one in active pursuit of their chosen discipline. Our research always seeks to be advanced, diverse, and contemporary."

ECA is acknowledged as one of the best independent art colleges in the UK, and Vision aims to present the college "as a hub of dynamic thinking".

The publication contains features on current research projects of ECA as well as staff profiles which explore individuals’ ideas of future advances in research.

ECA is host to 15 research groups, with projects ranging from 'Stem Cell Stories', aiming to create a visual language in order to "answer the rigorous demands of scientists working at the cutting edge of new discoveries" to 'STONE', a three-year research initiative "looking at stone carving practices all over the world".

Vision will allow the project teams to open up their respective projects to public debate and involvement by acting as "an indispensable guide to the research activities" of ECA staff.

The worldwide distribution of the forthcoming magazine will also encourage and invite new cross-disciplinary partnerships and collaborations, generating a more creative and inclusive research environment.

Professor Ian Howard, principal of ECA, said: "Public engagement with academic research is something we are committed to and passionate about.

"We have published Vision in the hope that future participation and collaboration in research practices can be expanded and realised as more and more people recognise the quality and diversity of our research."