Alumni Services

Memories of Edinburgh

We challenged current Edinburgh College of Art Illustration students to put themselves in your shoes and conjure illustrations from imagined alumni memories of the University and the city.

Felix Miall

Students were free to interpret the ‘Memories of Edinburgh’ brief in their own way and the entries divided into two distinct camps.

There were those who drew on their own personal experiences and those who looked to create a nostalgic picture of the city from a unspecified past moment in time.

Choosing a winner

The College selected a shortlist of 8 that graduates of ECA were then asked to vote on.

Different styles combined with different interpretations meant that opinion was understandably divided.

Quite a tough choice, indeed. Excellent works, each one conveying a possible reading of what Edinburgh is about. All of them dear to one´s memory. (1990, Brazilian graduate)

Narrowing the field

Ellie Walker

After a couple of weeks of intense email voting, clear frontrunners began to emerge including, eventual runner-up Felix Miall, whose entry particularly resonated with one graduate, All of the entries are great but…. I felt as though I was immediately transported back to Edinburgh and was walking along the streets to College. Fabulous! (1986, BA Design & Applied Arts - Interior Design)

Another runner-up, Ellie Walker, received equal praise for her depiction of the realities of life as an art student in the city, Walking, cumbersome design boards under arm, across the meadows, past Castle Gardens, row upon row of tenement windows and the temptation of The Wee Red. The city is ‘walked’ into the art of its students.

We have a winner

There were only a few votes between to top three with Paige Collins emerging as the eventual winner of the alumni vote. The rainy feel of the Princes Street Gardens shot best captures my experience as a student… good old Edinburgh! (2004, Painting)

Many congratulations to Paige and thank you for reminding us that our fondest memories of Edinburgh sometimes involve double-decker buses and near constant drizzle.

Thank you for the opportunity to vote, makes me still feel part of the art college!

1996, Illustration
Paige Collins

Support ECA students

These days’ students look at their education in terms of return on investment and potential graduating salary. In the age of tuition fees, growing debt expensive living costs, we do not want talented students being put off studying at Edinburgh College of Art due to financial worries.

The ECA undergraduate bursary fund has been created to help students and £1,000 will be awarded for the entirety of the recipients study. This allows students to nurture their talent without a fear of the unknown when they graduate.

Thank you for your support.