Narrative Environments University of the Arts London (UAL)

Overview

Course overview

The MA Narrative Environments at the University of the Arts London (UAL) responds to the growing need for multidisciplinary collaboration and critical, socially-engaged design. It addresses the demand for meaningful visitor experiences in cultural, commercial and community environments. This encompasses heritage sites, museums, retail, travel and leisure destinations, urban public spaces, libraries, health and educational environments. 

Increasingly, organisations want to communicate their stories through the physical environment. They may need to inform their communities; overcome social divides; develop their reputation; and increase visitor numbers or attract new audiences. Narrative environments constitute a core part of “the global experience economy”. This addresses the desire for transformational encounters, providing opportunities for learning, discovery, social interaction and cohesion as well as the purchase of products and services.  

On MA Narrative Environments, you will explore how story and time can be mapped onto place to create engaging visitor experiences. You will do this through sound, image, object, space. The course addresses current market opportunities by promoting methods which are participatory, multi-layered and meaningful and support economic, social, cultural, environmental sustainability and democracy. You will also be encouraged to employ new technologies to support connectivity and communication.  

This course will equip you with the theoretical, practical and critical skills to envision new narrative environments. You will be supported to create work which addresses the complex context and contradictions of a globalised and turbulent world. As such, you will be encouraged to be outward-facing. You will use the city of London as a lab, collaborating with real communities, external institutions and businesses. You will develop proposals through an iterative design process and when possible, build and test them. The course also addresses the need for advanced research in spatial practices. It provides a grounding in design research, narrative environments and intellectual, scholarly debate. This can lead you to MPhil and PhD research degrees.