CSM Memoirs

BA Fashion Print ex-student recalls her favourite memories at CSM:

• Empty print room. Second floor of Charing Cross Road, walking through the blue swing doors and finding only Imogen Evans in her office. Silence and space was a rarity, and with rumours of the new print room at King's Cross being smaller, with more students per class, I imagine these will be more like gold dust.
• Soho. Leaving college in the afternoon and taking a thirty-second walk to Old Compton street for an impromptu evening of debauchery. 
• Less health and safety, and more room for experimentation in the print room. Health and safety is important, yes, but I believe it can also hinder a print student's learning and understanding of everything she/he can accomplish in print design. Some students learnt they could flood the dye room twice in one day if they ignored the rules, and left the taps running unsupervised.  I got acetic acid in my eyes on more than one occasion, but I did learn to wear goggles in my own time, when mixing chemical substances. Adding copious amounts of cobalt blue dye to your mix spells recipe for disaster — models with blue armpits don't look appealing. However, good surprises were always worth the hours spent waiting for things to dry, steam and dry again.

Leaving Charing Cross: I’m not entirely sure how I feel about CSM moving to King's Cross.  Sad when I first heard but I no longer study there and after many expensive hours with my therapist, I have managed to get over the initial shock.

Some say it’s the students that make the college. Some say it’s the tutors. I haven’t heard anyone say it’s the building itself, but certainly the area in which it is situated helps inspire its frequenters. As an ex-student, you know it’s an amalgamation of all three — students, tutors, location. Assuming they’re not getting rid of the staff and CSM intends on accepting new students for the following 50 years, 2 out of 3 aren’t changing.

King's Cross isn’t Soho, but it is in central London and a hell of a lot closer to Paris.

Good Times: Print tutor David Kappo with the legendary Nathalie Gibson at the BA Fashion after-show party

Colour-drenched memories:
BA print room located on second floor, CSM

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In summer 2011, Central Saint Martins relocates to a new home at King's Cross. The move to this extraordinary state-of the-art space will mark a new era in arts education.