Thesis about Windrush generation is named one of best in Britain

Sarah Bradshaw, a part 1 architectural assistant at Leeds based architecture practice, Brewster Bye, entered a thesis she completed at The University of Huddersfield into the Adobe Digital Edge Awards.

The thesis, which is named ‘The Expedition – what could have been’ was shortlisted into the top 20 out of hundreds of entries.

A spokesman said: “The top 20 entries were then split into two categories, and from each category three runners up and one winner was chosen. Sarah was invited to discuss her work further with a member of the Adobe team and found out afterwards that she had been named as one of the runners up for this year’s Adobe Digital Edge Award.”

The Adobe Digital Edge Awards celebrate student projects that use creative cloud apps, like Photoshop, Illustrator or Premiere Pro in their university work.

She was also asked to record a short video that explains more about her work and the reasons for entering the competition. She has been invited to join a virtual panel as part of Adobe Max 2022, a major creativity conference, which takes place on October 19.

She said: “My thesis was all about living, but not living as a verb, but living as a noun. The way I chose to show living in this way was through the journey of the Windrush generation. The expedition is the building that could have been, it is an example of what people needed in 1948 when they arrived in the UK, but unfortunately didn’t get. It shows how people’s lives were controlled and shaped at the time and how, even today, it still impacts the lives of so many and also how other people see the Caribbean British generation.

Ms Bradshaw, who is from Bradford, added: “The building I designed aimed to be a direct reflection of the generation’s journey. It was a space that could allow people to understand the journey, but not just when they travelled from the Caribbean to England on the ship, but also the life they faced when they arrived in the UK. I used poetry and videography to portray the message of the people, as I wanted it to be a project that could reach and educate a wider audience through visual digital literacy, rather than just an architecture project.

" I created multiple visuals that when analysed, could tell the story of the people in one image. It was important to me to portray the message in the best way possible, as I didn’t want to discredit or reduce the story down, as it is not only a piece of British history, but also a part of my family’s history.

“It was truly an honour to create such a powerful piece of work and I am glad it is now being seen by a much wider audience.”