Where are they Now? - Ngaire Burston

Where are they Now? - Ngaire Burston

Guest blog post written by Ngaire Burston, a TRC Fine Art student 2011 - 2013, all images are shown courtesy of Ngaire, thank you!

 

Ngaire Burston

 
University: University of Sheffield

Course: Landscape Architecture

 

 

I finished Fine Art in June 2013 and immediately took up my place at the University of Sheffield to study Landscape Architecture.

 Art at TRC gave me fantastic groundwork from which to build upon. Our lecturers constantly preach to ‘let go’ and ‘take risks’ something which makes me feel like I’m back in the art rooms with Sarah and Bev. I was a little apprehensive about the skills other people would have and how my work would compare but from the first day I realised I had nothing to worry about. Not only was everyone feeling quite similar, TRC had set me up with an ability to get stuck in and give it a go. First year is all about enthusiasm and commitment; you’re there to learn! Some people didn’t even do art at A level. In my A2 year I had some fairly crazy outcomes taking up whole cupboards with bits of wood and netting and ripped up prints sticking out all over the place.  This has really developed my work in the studio from finding materials for model making to coming to an outcome that’s much less obvious. I think one of the best things someone said to me was ‘if you could already do it you wouldn’t be here’ it sounds really obvious but it has really helped me to let go and have fun with my work.  

A trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park- this is like a brand new place after seeing it with our lecturers. It felt good when they took us the see the Deer Shelter and that was a major influence on my work at TRC.

 
Our course is split into 6 modules in the first year. We have to do reports, visual reports, a digital portfolio (using lots of different design programmes) redesigning areas based around briefs (we were given the area surrounding the arts tower where our course is based) and continually be practicing our drawing and design skills in sketchbooks. Now in the New Year we’ll be picking up Histories of Landscape and more design programmes. The first couple of weeks we were introduced to techniques, helping to speed up our drawing, drawing to scales, and generally just enhancing what we already could do. I currently have lectures for around 4 hours week but it really does vary if we have deadlines coming up it tends to be less whereas when projects and modules are being introduced we get more. We have 3 hours plus optional workshops in the IT rooms learning new software that feeds into our digital portfolio. The rest of the time is studio, we have one full day where studio is compulsory and we are guided by our lecturers. This helps to move our projects forward and we have one to one or small group tutorials to review our work and make any improvements (a lot like the ones at TRC). I love the atmosphere in the studio its relaxed and enthusiastic everyone has fun and seeing everyone else developing their work gives you lots of motivation and focus. There are around 50 people on my course so it’s pretty small in comparison to say the Architecture department but we all know each other really well and it is in fact the largest course in the UK for Landscape Architecture.

My model for the Arts Tower redesign we’ve been working on in Studio

 A big stereotype that so many people say to me is ‘Landscape Architecture? That’s just gardening!’ or “You can come and design my garden when you’re done.’ It’s so much more than that. Landscape architecture is designing space. A city centre, outside a train station, the campus of a university, the street you live on, parks and yes sometimes gardens. At Sheffield there’s the opportunity at the end of first year to choose BSc (the ecological route) or BA (the town planning route). Its an up and coming subject so many issues face the world the ever growing population and threat of climate change and lack of money to name a few and these are all challenges you have to bare in mind when designing and researching things that can adapt to whatever they face and have longevity. I cannot wait to see where it all takes me.

 

I stumbled upon Landscape Architecture, as a degree, when looking around at design courses I could do and immediately knew it would suit me. I visited Edinburgh, Leeds met, Gloucester, Kingston and Sheffield. When I finish (it’s a five year course to get your masters then 2 years in industry to be registered) I want to be a Landscape architect but there are lots of routes you can take, from going into management or even research. There’s also the decision of working for a local authority or privately. It is really encouraging when your lecturers are the ones who designed the London Olympic Park or the New York Skyline and their enthusiasm for the subject shines through. Sheffield may not be so far away but I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything, I still live away from home. It is a Russell group university the top in the country for my course so have no reservations that by staying close to home you are in some way doing yourself a disservice, I think the University of Sheffield’s ranking isn’t celebrated enough.

 

Our final day before Christmas- we had an exhibition of our projects so far and there was free beer!

If you want to know anything else about Landscape architecture this is a great website http://www.iwanttobealandscapearchitect.com I also recommend going to as many open days as you can seeing the studios and the city really helped me to decide if I could see myself happily spending 5 years there.

 Good Luck!