In order to gauge the practical and ethical implications of my project, I scheduled two meetings, one with the Dean of the School of Media and Communication (SMC), and one with a disability advisor at London College of Fashion (LCF).
Meeting with Dean of SMC 29.10.2025
I introduced the project to Jessica Bugg, Dean of SMC at LCF, this was a helpful way to frame and outline the intentions of the project, through the lens of social purpose.
The Dean’s responses were very positive, while there were some helpful comments about the importance of considering the wider implications of my project.
We discussed that the project could benefit from being realised as a pilot project, to assess if it can have a positive impact of the student’s use of space and the LCF East Bank building. While we discussed that the project can be viewed as an ‘open access’ intervention, which would potentially aid in it’s perception and benefits by the wider teams at East Bank. I am drawn to the term open access, as defining what or where is ‘open’ in the institution is very relevant and important, particularly in decolonising practices. (Bhambra, G, Gebrial, D and Nişancıolu, K. 2018).
The Dean suggested that I speak with James Montgomery, the Technical Manager for Media, Communication & Performance. I did this, and James was supportive of the initiative. I discussed the potential of co-creating the space with a group of students. He offered his support in providing me with information regarding the sourcing of building materials, should these be required, depending on the initial outcome of the research phase of the project.
Meeting with Disability Advisor 05.11.2025
I met with Hannah Leddy, Disability Advisor at LCF. We focussed on the ethical implications surrounding approaching student who have an Individual Support Agreement (ISA) in place. While Hannah was very supportive of the project’s aims and intentions. We both agreed that the manner in which the questions are framed would need to be considered, to ensure that they were not explicitly aimed only at students with an ISA, so to avoid the potential danger make those students feel under review.
Hannah went as far as providing detailed feedback via email:
“As a disability adviser through talking with students it is clear that having a space where they can go to rest in a quiet space close to where their classes are taught if they are feeling overwhelmed would be very beneficial to their wellbeing. Being able to take short breaks from class and access to a quiet space are commonly requested reasonable adjustments. At LCF students have often told me that they feel they would benefit from having a space that they can complete group projects in a quiet environment away from the hustle and bustle of the heart space. At present there is no designated space at LCF for group study. Creating a flexible breakout space where students have more influence over the function of this space would support students to be able to build their own inclusive communities within our college building in line with UAL’s commitment to embedding social purpose into our academic and environmental design.” Leddy, H. 05/11/2025