Aimee Grundell has been one of my favourite seminars to date. Her approach to learning and life after a university course was extremely honest and upfront. Running her own company, which she founded, AG Studios specializes in interiors, exhibitions, interactive experiences, signage, experiences, furniture, and art products. Starting company can be a scary thing, and not knowing when your next income may come in is an even bigger leap, yet Aimee expressed that her work ethic started from a place of experimentation. She was honest about the fact that she may not know everything, but eager to learn and experiment to find out the answers to each specific brief that comes in, which has built up the company to what it is today. She now has her own team, with each member having their own area of expertise to cover many aspects. This was so interesting, and I admire her authentic approach to not only this seminar, but also her business. 

 

My favourite story from her seminar, was how AG Studios received a commission from Lotherton Hall to design an interactive walk themed on the ‘12 days of Christmas’. Targeting younger audiences, the walk was curated to encourage children to interact with the exhibits, as she explains “Press a button hear a noise, the faster you spin it the brighter it gets, put a coin in watch a mechanical animation show” (Grundell, 2021). Whilst talking through the ins and outs of the process, Aimee explained that it was the largest commission the company had taken on, at the time. Part of the brief was staying on a budget, which encouraged the team to think outside of the box when it came to creating each experience in line with the 12 Days of Christmas carol. Using unconventional materials kept cost down, whilst also making it weatherproof to survive being outside over the winter. This may have seemed like a disadvantage at the time, but Aimee explained that it gave them a chance to learn new skills, knowledge with how to work with new tools and getting to know a variety of contemporary materials. 

 

This seminar was extremely useful, it gave me so much insight into an unconventional way to progress after leaving university. Grundell gave an honest and authentic overview, of how being willing to learn, experiment and take risks leads to an exciting approach to creating experiences professionally. 

​

Reference: 

​

Grundell, A., 2021. Interactive: Where art & engineering collide. [online] Aimeegrundell.com. Available at: <https://www.aimeegrundell.com//interactive> [Accessed 28 April 2021].