In conversation with: Indianna Williams, BA (Hons) Illustration
Indianna talks to us about her time at Norwich and how her practice has developed into new areas like augmented reality.
Hi, my name is Indi, I draw shapes and colour them in. You could also say I am an illustration student! I am currently in my third year of education at Norwich University of the Arts, and I specialise in sequential narrative and using extended reality within my practice.
Why did you choose to study at Norwich?
When exploring places that I wanted to study, Norwich stood out to me due to the number of recommendations I had from peers and friends. I had my first interaction with Norwich at a Create Your Future UCAS event where I got to speak to a current student about the illustration course and the place as a whole. They spoke so confidently and with such passion it left me feeling really positive about my choice. I was really impressed with the course structure, staff and facilities, and it ended up being my first option.
My first in-person interaction with the university was when I came up to have a look around the campus with my family. It felt a bit crazy thinking that this was where I planned to spend my next three years. But now I have been here for over two years, my time here has flown by. The longer I stay here the more I love it and dread the day of graduation (although I know I will love the day once it comes).
What does a typical day look like for you?
In year three, a day in the life can be different from day to day depending on the current unit. Some days will have workshops that the lecturers or guest lecturers run, other days we will have lectures and seminars. Currently, Mondays are our lecture days, and we have a studio session afterwards where we can get on with work with the lecturers available to us. Tuesdays are packed with workshops in the morning, and we have the weekly briefing just after lunch. Then depending on what group you are in, we have group tutorials, which are handy when discussing work and improving it. Wednesdays are dedicated to extracurriculars; we have life drawing on this day and sometimes extra things we can take part in for our course. Lots of societies run on Wednesdays too. Thursday and Friday have a mix of workshops and studio time.
How has your practice evolved whilst at Norwich?
My practice has evolved quite a bit through university. The course has challenged me in all the best ways. My first year in particular involved some big breakthroughs in improving my work. One project that stands out was creating 24 frames of sequential narrative without using any words. I was quite worried about the idea of showing the story with the lack of written work to accompany it, but peers as well as myself jumped over the hurdle and completed the challenge. This helped create a great foundation for our practice and was one of many eye-opening projects that I have completed.
Do you have any favourite projects?
My favourite project I have worked on so far was one we undertook in collaboration with an external partner, Norwich Castle Museum. My lecturer Christian Skovgaard Petersen loves creating projects that are multi-layered and make you think outside of the box. We started off by using photogrammetry to 3D scan fossils and bones that they had in the collection, then cleaned up the 3D models in Blender.
After these workshops, the idea of using technology in my practice really sparked an interest. I decided to push further with it and enquired about how to create augmented reality so I could integrate it into my work. From that project I have continued to work with extended reality within my projects; University facilities have really helped with this, like the Creative Tech Lab. I’ve also been able to access plenty of support from staff, in particular the expertise of Will Hurt, Computational Arts Workshop Manager. Below are some examples of how I’ve used augmented reality in my practice.
Do you have any plans for when you graduate?
After graduating from Norwich I have a range of options I would like to try. These are areas of personal interest that I feel I have really grown in throughout my years of study. Each year we are required to investigate areas of industry that interest us, and we progressively work on ways to make ourselves more employable in those fields. One of my options is working with a company that specialises in extended reality, to carry on with my interest in this area. I love the idea of using augmented reality as a learning tool for children (and adults alike), and due to having a specialism in illustration, this works well together. I would also like to do more traditional freelance work within publishing; this could be kids’ books, through to graphic novels and traditional novels. I have also played with the idea of working in marketing due to being a part of the student content team, I have seen how this area works and would like to explore it further.
Have you changed since being at university?
Without the experiences of university, I would not be who I am today. I used to be quite a reserved person, but by taking responsibility such as student rep and eventually becoming student ambassador I found it easier to come out of my shell. In these roles I got to know a wide range of people, allowed my social circle to expand, and took part in a range of events that pushed me outside of my comfort zone.
Would you have any advice for new students at Norwich?
A bit of advice I would give to someone who would like to study at Norwich is to always try and take every opportunity that comes your way while studying. It could be something that might help you get into industry after you graduate, or it could be an experience that shows you a whole new way of working that can benefit your practice. Norwich has an entire range of these opportunities available if you look out for them. Uni is what you make of it – if you practise your craft, and try out opportunities, Norwich is a great place to do just that.
