Shanghai and Southside

By Vincent Heeringa, December 11, 2006 @ 1 am

Rhys Mitchell’s Hello Ugly: a statement about Auckland’s appetite for power

Bridget Ward’s Daddy Doll­—he cooks, he cleans, he’s Daddy Doll!

Aegean Gu’s Nuture

For the first time, this year’s AUT design class includes a group from Shanghai.

The work of the country’s design graduates often makes you wonder how these kids get so good (dammit!). This year’s crop of AUT design graduates is no exception—but there’s an additional reason to pay attention. Included in the end-of-year lineup (exhibited in November at Auckland’s Aotea Centre) are 18 students originally from Shanghai’s Yi Fu Vocational and Polytechnic School. In a deal between the two institutions, the students began their studies in Shanghai and completed their AUT degree in New Zealand.

Corinne Smith’s postcard promotion for Destination Southside

The work was recently displayed in Shanghai in an exhibition called ‘Under the Same Blue Sky’, and generated a flurry of media and industry attention for its unique, integrated approach.

AUT associate professor Welby Ings says the programme is trying to develop individuality rather than internationalism.  “We work actively to draw out and internationally position a student’s cultural voice rather than replace it with a homogenised, generic, international accent.”

Course leader Peter Gilderdale says something must be right: employers have sought out many of the students for work. “The demand for graphic design graduates has never been higher,” he says.

The work of all 120 students is online at checkout.aut.ac.nz.