Our Animation students are preparing for an exciting Erasmus+ short-term learner mobility to Helsinki, Finland, where creativity, culture and international learning will come together in a truly memorable experience.
Over the course of their mobility, students will immerse themselves in the rich artistic and cultural landscape of Helsinki, using the city as both a source of inspiration and a creative studio. Their programme will include visits to key cultural locations such as the Design Museum, Helsinki Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, Helsinki Zoo, Suomenlinna and the world-famous Moomin Museum in Tampere.
A central theme of the mobility will be the work and legacy of Tove Jansson, the celebrated Finnish artist, illustrator, writer and creator of The Moomins. Students will explore her artistic style, not only through her iconic Moomin illustrations, but also through her broader body of paintings, drawings and visual storytelling. Visits connected to Jansson’s life and work, including Helsinki locations associated with her creative world, will help students understand how place, character, atmosphere and imagination can shape visual narratives.
As part of their Erasmus+ assignment, students will develop their own original animal-themed characters, inspired by research undertaken during the trip. Helsinki Zoo will provide a particularly important setting for observational drawing, photography, sketchbook work and visual research. Students will then use this material to create character model sheets, expression sheets and finished drawings of their characters placed within Helsinki settings.
This project will encourage students to take creative risks, experiment with both traditional and digital approaches, and step outside their usual visual style. It will also support the development of key animation and illustration skills, including character design, expression, world-building, location drawing, visual research and concept development.
Beyond the creative brief, this mobility offers students the chance to develop independence, confidence and intercultural awareness while experiencing life and learning in another European city. From travelling together as a group to navigating new cultural spaces, engaging with Finnish art and design, and responding creatively to an unfamiliar environment, this Erasmus+ experience will be an important milestone in their personal and professional development.
We are incredibly proud of our students as they take part in this exciting international learning opportunity. We wish them and their accompanying staff a safe, inspiring and productive mobility in Helsinki, and we look forward to seeing the imaginative characters, drawings and creative outcomes that emerge from their Finnish adventure.
🇮🇪✈️🇫🇮 – Here’s to creativity without borders, learning beyond the classroom, and animation brought to life through Erasmus+!
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