Artist Samuel Eyles took time out of his busy schedule (including most recently at London's Affordable Art Fair) to explain what he most enjoyed about his time at London Met's School of Art, Architecture and Design as a Fine Art BA student. He also explained how studying here has helped him in his career – as a student his work even featured in The Guardian.
Why did you choose to study at London Met?
London Met happened to be running an extended degree with a fast-track foundation starting in February, which was perfect timing for me (I’d decided I wanted to go back to education in January) – plus I was living in Limehouse at the time, so the location was ideal.
What are the facilities like here?
I’d say that overall the facilities are very good and they were certainly sufficient to aid me in every area of my practice. The relationships across the different departments are strong and everybody is friendly and happy to help. Overall I was impressed.
Do you get to do much practical work or an industry placement on the course?
There were opportunities to engage with industry professionals and enter competitions if you so wanted.
What did you like best about your course?
What I loved most about the BA course was the completely diverse collection of people on it, especially in terms of age. I also loved the tutors and the teaching style and during my time studying made strong connections and built important relationships. These are of course beneficial in both life and particularly in my career. The way in which the studios operated was also very fresh and exciting and I loved the variety that was offered in terms of cross-critique and studio themes.
Did anything surprise you about your course or London Met?
I was surprised that I took so much from my time at the School of Art, Architecture and Design; the lecturers are incredibly engaged, the weeks are very focused and the studio sizes are fantastic. This is something which I know is lacking at a lot of other art schools. I also learnt a great deal about my field through carefully crafted seminars and I was able to develop and evolve my style with excellent guidance and clarity.
Were you in any clubs/societies here?
In the first year my good friend and fellow student James Johnston and I organised a life-drawing class for students to participate in every week. It was a good opportunity gain experience in running a class (as we both had aspirations of teaching at the time) and also to improve upon technique and better our skills.
What do you like about life in London?
It’s never dull, it’s beautifully diverse and it’s full of opportunities.
What are your career plans?
The next stage of my career will be to enrol in a master's degree. This will enable me to achieve more notoriety within the art world and evolve my practice.
