Dezeen School Shows: a redesign of traditional Turkish dining tables that encourages communal eating is among the projects from the University of the Arts London Chelsea.

Also featured is LED wall lighting designed to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder and garments influenced by patterns and textures within nature.

University of the Arts London

Institution: University of the Arts London
School: Chelsea College of Arts
Courses: Courses: BA (Hons) Fine Art, BA (Hons) Graphic Design Communication, BA (Hons) Interior Design, BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design, BA (Hons) Textile Design, MA Curating and Collections, MA Fine Art, MA Textile Design, Graduate
Diploma Fine Art, Graduate Diploma Graphic Design, Graduate Diploma Interior, Design and Graduate Diploma Textile Design

School statement:

"Chelsea College of Arts has a reputation for producing some of today's leading artists and designers. Our students are encouraged to radically engage with contemporary fine art and design practice.

"We offer fine art, design and curating courses. At Chelsea, we look at art and design in a social, cultural and political context. We are particularly interested in the effects of globalisation. This could either be on the creative practice itself or its response to it.

"View our recent graduate's work online through the UAL Showcase.

"Join our open days or college tours to learn more about Chelsea College of Arts and our courses."

A to O by Soeun Lee

"A to O is a project that investigates the emotional complexity of human obsession – an invitation for people to confront that part of themselves.

"The project explores the theme of obsession through immersive installation, transforming abstract emotional tension into a physical environment.

"It does not judge these emotional states, but illuminates them – prompting the viewer to encounter something deeply internal through a shared, physical space.

"Soeun Lee is a textile designer specialising in print. She uses textiles as a spatial and sculptural intervention; exploring how textiles can build the space and how material can shape both physical experience and emotional response."

Student: Soeun Lee
Course: BA Textile Design

Pattern Perception by Lily Dixon

"Pattern Perception is a sample project that, through making, aims to give purpose to found patterns and forms from our surroundings.

"Textiles is often a tool for storytelling and with a focus on sampling, the project tells us a story of how our surroundings can be interpreted.

"Using traditional textile techniques and pushing the boundaries with modern ones, the perception of these found patterns develops into something new and unique to the individual.

"Lily Dixon is a multidisciplinary textile designer who has a passion for preserving the craft of textiles through combining traditional with modern techniques."

Student: Lily Dixon
Course: BA Textile Design

The Many Faces of Print by Luna Smith

"The Many Faces of Print is a process-led response to a love of colour and an interest in geometric pattern.

"The aim is to invite others to interpret their own ideas to encourage collaborative opportunities and drive innovation, pushing the boundaries of textile design forward.

"Research into colour stories, composition of pattern and surfaces of different qualities led to a series of samples that reveal different colour palettes, material enquiry and potential outcomes.

"Luna is a textile designer from London. Luna's main interests are within colour and exploring this in geometric design, investigating timelessness through this."

Student: Luna Smith
Course: BA Textile Design

Everything, Already There by Lily Woodhouse

"Everything, Already There is a material investigation into the fabric of the everyday.

"Originating from an interest in acts of noticing, the project uses archaeological methods to investigate a site within Chelsea College of Arts.

"Fragments of material and visual data were collected and translated into textiles which evoke the textures and colours of the ground.

"This intervention disrupts our expectations of the space, encouraging viewers to imagine reality as something that can stretch and shift.

"Working primarily with knitting, Lily Woodhouse is a British-born Cantonese artist whose textile practice explores the boundaries of perception."

Student: Lily Woodhouse
Course: BA Textile Design

The Sofra by Zeynep Beren Kadioglu

"For centuries, the sini, a low, circular copper floor table, was central to Turkish communal dining. Meals around the sini were more than nourishment, they were ceremonies of connection.

"During the 19th century, Ottoman palaces embraced Western dining practices, replacing sini tables with Western four-legged tables.

"The Sofra project interprets the floor eating traditions by reintroducing the cultural and social values of the floor table into the streets of London.

"By inviting the Turkish diaspora and local communities to gather around the sini once more, the project celebrates food as a shared experience, fostering connection and belonging through communal dining."

Student: Zeynep Beren Kadioglu
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design

Restoring Provenance by Luca Greenway

"Restoring Provenance explores how we might work with leather in a more ethical and environmentally conscious way.

"The project highlights the role of regenerative farming and agricultural biodiversity in promoting livestock health and reducing the environmental impact of raising cattle.

"The project's outcome, the Hereford Chair, features a solid oak frame and leather supplied by British Pasture Leather, an organisation that facilitates a transparent and traceable material supply chain.

"This approach to working with leather restores provenance to a material that is commonly stripped of its story, reconnecting it to the animals, farmers and tanners involved in its production."

Student: Luca Greenway
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design

Reflection of Dawn by Anna Narathasajan

"Light is an essential factor in our wellbeing. However, during the UK winter season, there is a significant lack of natural daylight. This problem has been linked to health issues including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), lower mood and sleep deprivation.

"Design can utilise advancements in lighting technology to create meaningful solutions to address this problem. Reflection of Dawn combines the aesthetics of nature, with functional full-spectrum 4000K LED lighting to support wellbeing.

"When a person moves close to the object, the light magically turns on, casting a tree shadow that evokes a feeling and experience of a sunny day."

Student: Anna Narathasajan
Course: BA Product and Furniture Design

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and University of the Arts London Chelsea. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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