Mayor of London visits Ravensbourne

Mayor of London Boris Johnson goes behind the cameras at Ravensbourne

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has today visited Ravensbourne’s new state-of-the-art building next to The O2 at Greenwich Peninsula, to see firsthand the innovative work being carried out by the future stars of digital media and design.

Ravensbourne, the alma mater of luminaries including fashion designers Stella McCartney and Bruce Oldfield, has recently moved to its new £70 million environmentally friendly site, which provides world class digital media and design facilities for students.

Visiting Ravensbourne this morning, the Mayor met students, staff and creative industry business leaders, before trying his hand at directing a mock political interview in Ravensbourne’s new HD television studio.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:

“Ravensbourne has a genuinely world class reputation for producing future leaders in the arenas of fashion, design and digital media. It is fantastic to see the college secure that reputation for generations to come by investing in this new campus. Not only does the new site provide a major boost to the regeneration of this part of London, the talent it will foster is vital to ensuring the capital maintains its status as one of the best cities in the world for creativity and innovation.”

After his speech the Mayor and the invited guests had the opportunity to sample a range of new digital activity by students and staff which included an augmented reality mobile project, a series of specially composed sound installations, a 3D television demonstration accompanied by a range of innovative science-themed food and drink created by Bompas and Parr and Spark.

Professor Robin Baker OBE, Ravensbourne’s director said:

“I’m delighted that the Mayor could come and see for himself this fantastic building and the leading edge digital facilities that are available here for students and business. I know that the provision of skills training and by extension job creation are close to his heart and Ravensbourne is ideally placed to contribute to these agendas, producing graduates equipped and ready to make a real contribution to the creative industries sector here and internationally.”

Notes to editors:

1) Ravensbourne is a world-class digital destination developing talented individuals and leading-edge businesses through learning, skills, applied research, enterprise and innovation. Ravensbourne has recently moved from Chislehurst to a magnificent new building next to the O2. It is a university sector college innovating in digital media and design, with a vocationally focused portfolio of courses, spanning fashion, television and broadcasting, interactive product design, architecture and environment design, graphic design, animation, moving image, music production for media and sound design. It is a centre of excellence, industry accredited and a Skillset Media Academy.

2) Ravensbourne’s new building, in Penrose Way next to The O2, opened to students at the end of October 2010 following a £70 million investment including £3.5 million from the London Development Agency (LDA), £5.5 million from the Department for Communities and Local Government and further investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), Greenwich Council, Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Skills Funding Agency. The European Development Fund also provided £1.5 million to create low carbon incubator space, incorporating new technologies and a suite of environmentally sustatinable features. Ravensbourne had been based in Chislehurst in Bromley since 1976.

3) Former pupils include:
Stella McCartney, fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer Jay Osgerby (BarberOsgerby), product and furniture designer Camilla Staerk, fashion designer Russell Pinch, furniture designer Emma Hill, fashion designer Jake and Dinos Chapman, conceptual artists Kevin Carrigan, creative director of Calvin Klein James New, menswear designer for Vivienne Westwood Jessica Au, designer for River Island Robert Hewison, literary scholar Simon Hilton, film director & editor Peter James, writer and film producer Tim Pope, film director.

Press release issued by Ravensbourne.

For more details please contact: Jill Hogan, Head of Marketing and Communications
Mobile: 07912 999312 Email: j.hogan@rave.ac.uk

Or: Elizabeth Lee, Mayor’s Press Office, elizabeth.lee@london.gov.uk or 020 7983 4713

Article photography: Paul Sanders