Professor Alice guides students through the program. [Photo/en.xmu.edu.cn]
Xiamen University students completed a two-week summer school at the Farnham campus of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in the United Kingdom from Aug 3 to 14.
Professor Alice led a course on "Narrative Expanded Screen", introducing students to the ways emerging technologies can enhance storytelling and transform physical spaces. In graphic design classes, students used professional tools such as Photoshop and InDesign for image editing and layout, experimenting with visual rhythm and spatial composition to turn posters into immersive, three-dimensional experiences.
Students try out motion capture technology. [Photo/en.xmu.edu.cn]
In multimedia film and photography classes, professors Tony and George introduced students to motion capture, 360-degree panoramic filming, and virtual production studios. Students used motion-capture equipment to give digital characters a sense of emotion and weight and saw virtual and real elements generated simultaneously on set. The experience showed them how emerging technologies can expand creative possibilities, while independent thinking, artistic vision, and aesthetic judgment remain central to the creative process.
A final exhibition brought together the students' work and invited them to reconsider exhibition design and audience experience in a public setting. Faculty members specializing in graphic design, illustration, film, and games viewed the works and offered cross-disciplinary feedback.
One student said the workshops and practical courses helped break established creative habits, while another said working with VR and AR technologies prompted new thinking about the relationship between technology and art.
