Unreal RCA

Unreal RCA is a cross-disciplinary collection of 16 College-wide works by students who have used Unreal Engine gaming technology to produce stunning, immersive projects within virtual realms. The collection showcases how emergent creators hailing from programmes such as Contemporary Art Practice, through Experimental Animation, via Fashion, Architecture, and numerous pathways across the School of Design, are increasingly turning to the infinite possibilities offered by this cutting edge - and open-source - digital software, and are experimenting with how the application of advanced gaming tech can both influence and expand their practices.

First year RCA students on courses such as Intelligent Mobility and Digital Direction - as well as PhD students in Design Research - are also already beginning to utilise Unreal Engine in their works, contributing to the growing dialogue around the computerisation of art and design training in a post-Covid world. MA Architecture Tutor, Christopher Dyvik said: "Our architecture students often use Unreal (Engine) in order to create images, films and immersive environments. They explore their spaces from the inside out, and we have been especially excited about using Virtual Reality, as it gives ‘access’ to a reading of the architecture that is as literal as possible. It allows us to perceive the architecture as landscape through which we can walk intuitively - to experience the unbuilt. It allows for the students to test and understand the scale and proportions of their building in 1:1."