ICFAR Ideas and Aperitifs, Cate Elwes and Steven Ball

'Ideas and Aperitifs' were regular evening salons for UAL fine art staff. They offer insights into the research processes and activities of key members of UAL research staff.

ICFAR was one of 12 University-based centres and units at the University of the Arts London, and the only centre specifically focused on fine art practice based research. Hosted at Central Saint Martins, the centre worked across the University as a hub for collaborative research and as a network that brought artists and researchers together in forums, from closed, intimate workshops to public discussions and laboratories. ICFAR worked across the spectrum of fine art practice. All fine art staff at UAL were eligible to propose collaborative projects to the Centre. ICFAR provided support, and helped to generate new projects. A regular salon took place, Ideas and Aperitifs, where staff could meet each other and present new work, and a research leadership forum that focused on the nuts and bolts of writing funding applications. ICFAR were actively engaged in supporting doctoral students through seminars and master classes, and organising doctoral research events in collaboration with other UAL centres, other universities, and in conjunction with the Research Network University of the Arts London (RNUAL), the University wide research-training programme.