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University of Kent / ARTS STUDIO
Mercy 2010
HEIDI YSSENNAGGER
Heidi Yssennagger completed her Master’s in Fine Art
in 2008 and, since then, her work has been exhibited
across the UK. Here, she talks about her time studying
at Kent and how it has changed her life.
Why did you choose to study at Kent?
It was a chance decision really. I had been
seriously ill and hospitalised for six months. I
needed something to do to keep me occupied
while recuperating and a nurse recommended
art as a therapy.
Initially, I took a foundation course, and loved it so
much that I decided to continue on to the HND
and then the top-up BA. So what started off as a
time-filler led to a degree; something that I would
not have contemplated at the beginning. My tutor
then advised me to progress onto the MA at Kent.
Did your Master’s live up to your
expectations?
I have to say that I had absolutely no
preconceptions of what the MA course would be
like or, indeed, Kent as a location for study, I had
not spoken to anyone who had previously taken
an MA either, so there were no expectations.
Indeed, I was the first person in my family to even
gain a BA, so this was uncharted territory for me!
As it happens, my MA year at Kent was
exceptional! An incredibly intense year, I had the
most wonderful tutors, who were very supportive
and yet challenging too. I had a great studio
space, where I could concentrate on my work
without distractions.
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The History & Philosophy of Art lectures took
place on Monday evenings, which was great as
they did not eat into my studio time, and I found
most of them very informative and interesting.
They were designed to challenge the students
and to move us up to a higher level of thinking
and reasoning.
I particularly loved the way I was encouraged
to fully exploit my own unique ideas and areas
of exploration throughout the course, and was
not expected to follow a generic pathway. This
ultimately meant that our end-of-year exhibition
was both diverse and exciting, with an incredible
variation of works, genres and media.
Highlights of the course for me were the trip to
New York and the visits to London galleries. The
tutors expertly explained and debated works with
the students, in order to enable us to think about
art from many different viewpoints.
Do you think your course has changed
you?
The course gave me the opportunity to mature
in my making, thinking and writing, I was able to
collate all that I had learnt in my previous years
of study and to make sense of them. In short,
I feel that this year made me into an ‘artist’.
I gained a lot of confidence in myself as an artist,
and the determination to continue with my
chosen path. The course helped me to have
belief in my work and in my own capabilities.
Did your course lay the foundations for
your current work?
I think that if I had not taken my MA, I would
possibly have not had the confidence to keep
going as an artist. The work that I produced on
this course was my ‘master work’ and has been
shown nationally over the past two years, making
the bulk of many exhibitions. My thesis has also
been of great use and has recently been the
basis of a course that I have written and am
hoping to teach at a higher education college
later this year.
I don’t really have a ‘typical’ working day. I am in
my second year of a part-time teaching degree
and have a teaching placement one day a week
at Ashford School of Art and Design, which I am
really enjoying. I teach painting privately, take on
commissions, work with a charity and show my
art at medical conferences. I am also still a
practising artist and always have a ‘project’ on
the go!
How did you enjoy your time at Kent in
general?
I absolutely loved my time at Kent, and was sad
that it was over so quickly. Unfortunately, I did
not have time for a social life, the course was an
intense one-year MA, and I am also a mother, so
partying had to be put on hold!
What advice would you give to graduates
thinking of coming to Kent to study?
Kent is an exciting and inspirational place to
study. I did not regret a single day spent there,
and would happily return. I found that the level of
teaching and support were second to none and
would definitely recommend studying at Kent.