From August 3 to 14, 2026, ICI students successfully completed a two-week summer school program at the Farnham campus of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in the United Kingdom. The core goal of this academic tour is to promote cross-cultural exchange and integration, enhance professional skills, and improve innovative thinking. This study tour brought together ICI students with peers from multiple countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, and Thailand. Through teamwork and co-creation, the participants tackled complex design challenges, and improved their cross-cultural communication and collaboration skills.
Integration of Art and Technology: Focusing on the Forefront, and Exploring Design Innovation Pathways
Closely aligned with the forefront trends of international design, the summer program offered a series of high-caliber specialized courses designed to help students break through traditional design boundaries and explore new creative pathways that integrate technology and art. Professor Alice led the "Narrative Expanded Screen" course, guiding students in exploring how cutting-edge technologies can enhance storytelling and spatial experiences. In the Graphic Design module, students built proficiency in industry-standard tools such as Photoshop and InDesign. Progressing from image processing to layout design, they explored visual rhythm and spatial expression, transforming graphic posters from paper-based works into immersive, three-dimensional experiences.
In the Multimedia Film and Photography module, Professors Tony and George co-taught a course focused on the core technologies and creative logic of modern multimedia production, engaging students in hands-on experiences with Motion Capture, 360° panoramic filming, and Virtual Production Studio (VP Studio) workflows. From donning motion capture suits to imbue digital characters with authentic emotion and physical weight, to witnessing synchronous generation of virtual and live-action elements on the shooting site, they engaged in intricate cross-disciplinary collaboration. Through this process, students came to understand deeply that while frontier technologies offer limitless possibilities for design, it is the creator’s independent thinking, artistic vision, and aesthetic judgment that truly breathe soul and vitality into a work.
Showcase of Achievements: Exhibiting Works Through a Multicultural Lens
The final exhibition served as both a comprehensive showcase of students’ learning outcomes and a vital feedback loop for practical reflection and intellectual growth. By moving their works from the studio into public spaces, students rethought about the curation of the exhibition and audience engagement. Faculty from diverse disciplines—including graphic design, illustration, film, and game design—attended the exhibition and made comments. This interdisciplinary dialogue and feedback allowed students to discover that the same piece of work can be interpreted in multiple ways when viewed through different cultural and professional lenses.
Additionally, students visited the British Museum in London and the University of Oxford. These excursions immersed them in Britain’s rich historical heritage and the academic atmosphere of a world-class institution, deepening their understanding of cultural connotations.
Thinking Forward: Mutual Learning and Growth, Strengthening the Internationalized Education Platform
At the closing ceremony, students were awarded official certificates and took photos with faculty and peers from multiple countries. This UCA summer study tour is an important measure for the ICI to promote internationalized education and build an overseas practical education platform. Moving forward, the ICI will continue to develop exchange programs that integrate professional advancement+vision expansion +cultural mutual learning", to help students grow into top-notch innovative talents with both professional strength and global competitiveness.
The two-week transnational program proved immensely rewarding for all participants. Student Han noted that the thematic workshops and hands-on sessions helped him break free from established creative routines; projects ranging from printmaking rubbings to virtual scene construction significantly broadened his design perspectives. Student Wang felt that the program provided close exposure to cutting-edge digital technologies like VR and AR, allowing her to refine her personal creative concepts. This synthesis led her to refine her unique creative work “Slogan” and gain a renewed understanding of the symbiotic relationship between technology and art. Student Tan, reflecting on the entire journey from initial conceptualization and meticulous refinement to the final exhibition and professional critiques, described her experience as an invaluable cross-cultural exchange that revealed far more possibilities in design than she had previously imagined.
