Bucks New University Animation & VFX Goes to Poland

Bydgoszcz ("Bidgosh"). Image: Wikipedia

This week I am touring schools with a specialism in art and design in Poland, talking to students about the possibility of studying in the UK. There are many schools and colleges in Poland which train students in the visual arts, and many talented students who probably don't realise what a great career they could have in digital media. The animation and visual effects industry is not yet well developed in Poland, but it is a growing industry, and Students from Poland have the right to work anywhere in the EU, including the UK.

Art School in Bydgoszcz

The trip was organised by Janusz ("Yanoosh") Dargiewicz, a Polish educator and entrepreneur who founded Studia w Anglii (“Stoodiavangly”) in 2006 to help and encourage Polish students to have the opportunity to study in Britain. Since then, he has helped over 500 students from all over Poland to make the journey to enroll at universities in the UK, most notably here at Bucks. 

Gateway - Bucks' new media hub

Higher education in Poland is free for students, which is a huge benefit, but arguably it does not offer the range of new media opportunities that are available in the UK. In particular, the kind of modern facilities we have at Bucks are relatively hard to find here in Poland at University level.

Two Pomeranians. Image: Wikipedia

Our first stop was Bydgoszcz (pronounced "Bidgosh"), a town in northern Poland which is one of those places that has been argued over between Poland and Germany (and even Sweden) for centuries. It's part of Pomerania - the place where the doggies come from. 

Image: Wikipedia

The art school here is beautiful, a stunning late 19th century building with high ceilings, ionic columns and tons of light. It's the sort of place that in London would long ago have been taken over by lawyers or accountants.

Janusz addresses art students in Bydgoszcz

We got a great response from the students, many of whom were delighted to meet representatives from a university in Britain that had actually taken the trouble to come and meet them, and talk about what we do. Later we visited an art school in Wloclawek ("Vwotsvavek") which had never been visited before by an overseas university.

Art by Monika Dzikowicz

With us is Monika Dzikowicz, one of our talented graduates who has recently been directing animated film projects at our film co-operative Nano Films, putting her experience at Bucks to good use, and developing her career.

To see more about the connection between Bucks New University and Poland, see our blog post here.  And to see work done by our Polish graduates, such as Monika Dzikowicz, or Krystof Michalski, follow the links.

---Alex