Computer Arts and Technology Conference

Norwich University of the Arts hosted its annual conference celebrating courses within the Computer Arts and Technology subject area.

The Computer Arts and Technology (CAT) Conference has been a long-running event at Norwich, and has grown significantly in recent years. It highlights topics and discussions from BA (Hons) Animation, BA (Hons) Animation and Visual Effects, BSc (Hons) Games Development, BA (Hons) Games Art and Design, BSc (Hons) Creative Computing and BSc (Hons) Creative Technology and Robotics.

The CAT Conference is a combination of visiting speakers, portfolio crits and practical workshops. It provides students with first-hand stories and advice about how to hone their practice at university and shape their careers after leaving.

This year guests included Amanda Thomas, stop-motion animation costume and model maker, Lloyd James, Vehicle Artist at Cloud Imperium Games and Raman Djafari, a mixed medium filmmaker who has created visuals for musicians like Elton John, Dua Lipa and Ashnikko.

There was also a strong Norwich graduate presence at the conference, such Enjy Jarrouj, now Diversity and Inclusion Specialist at international Visual Effects (VFX) house Framestore. Enjy gave an insightful talk suggesting ways in which students might approach potential employers, and crucial elements of employment law they should be aware of when securing work. Fellow graduate Dean Read (pictured below), Lead VFX Artist at AAA games studio Electric Square, gave a talk about his career path and an introduction to real time VFX for video games.

Aside from guest lectures, a key part of the CAT Conference is to provide portfolio feedback and networking opportunities. The conference hosted portfolio crits with representatives from companies such as Frontier, Maverick Games, Beyond Extent and Splash Damage.

Jake Montanarini, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Games Art and Design and BSc (Hons) Games Development, said of the event:

‘The Computer Arts and Technology conference set out to explore and challenge the spirit of creativity through an incredible line up of makers and industry professionals from across our courses. This year was the biggest event we’ve done and it was by far the best! It’s amazing to see students, staff and creative practitioners from different fields sharing work, asking each other questions and connecting with different practices in creative ways. For this reason, the CAT Conference is always a tremendous success and I very much look forward to next year. Huge thanks to everyone who got involved to make it happen and to our incredible guests for inspiring our community!’ 

Thanks to all the visiting speakers and professionals who made the conference such a success.