FORMAL MFA INTERVIEW
Transcript of Interview Between Applicant and MFA Panel
Panel Members:
• Interviewer 1 (I1): Course Director, MFA Fine Art
• Interviewer 2 (I2): Lecturer in Sculpture and Expanded Practice
• Applicant (A): Andrew Cooke
I1:
Thank you for joining us today. We’d like to begin by asking you to talk about the core of your current practice. What is the central focus of your work at this stage?
A:
At the heart of my practice is an attempt to understand what it feels like to live in a world that isn’t designed for my mind. That has been consistent since my undergraduate degree. Clay allows me to translate internal states into physical form — it’s instinctive, responsive, and honest.
I often work with themes of animal instinct: fight, flight, masking. These aren’t abstract ideas for me; they’re lived experiences of navigating non‑dyslexic environments. The motorcycle helmet has become a recurring motif because it represents protection, shielding, and the need to manage sensory and cognitive overwhelm.
My practice is essentially about giving shape to experiences that are difficult to articulate verbally.
I2:
Thank you. Could you expand on the research question that drives your work? What are you investigating?
A:
I’m exploring why creativity is treated as a natural right in childhood — something we all do freely — but becomes restricted, judged, or gatekept in adulthood.
As a working‑class man, I was encouraged to see myself only as a tradesman. I enjoyed the work, but I always felt there was something more in me. I’m interested in why people like me often feel excluded from the art world, and how class, masculinity, and neurodivergence shape that exclusion.
This isn’t just an academic question for me; it’s personal and cultural.
I1:
Your background clearly informs your practice. How do you see that influence manifesting in your work?
A:
My trade background is central. I think with my hands. I solve problems physically. I understand materials because I’ve worked with them directly. That practical, embodied knowledge shapes everything I make.
Being dyslexic also shapes my process. I think in images, instincts, and metaphors rather than linear text. For years I saw that as a disadvantage, but now I recognise it as the core of my creativity.
My practice sits at the intersection of trade logic and neurodivergent cognition.
I2:
Why do you choose the materials and processes you use?
A:
Clay is my anchor because it records everything — pressure, hesitation, emotion. It doesn’t require translation before I engage with it.
The motorcycle helmet and other protective objects come directly from my lived experience. They’re not invented symbols; they’re things I’ve relied on. They allow me to discuss masking, safety, and instinct without needing to over‑explain.
I1:
You’ve mentioned AI in your written materials. How does AI fit into your practice?
A:
AI functions as a translation tool for me. It helps me convert the instinctive, image‑based thinking in my head into language that neurotypical and academic audiences can understand.
It doesn’t replace my thinking — it supports communication. I’m also interested in how AI can make learning more accessible for people who were excluded from traditional education.
I2:
Who is your work for? Who do you hope it reaches?
A:
My work is for people who feel outside the system — working‑class men, neurodivergent thinkers, anyone who was told they weren’t academic or artistic.
But it’s also for the wider community. I want to challenge the idea that creativity belongs to a certain type of person. I want people to remember that they were creative once, before the world told them otherwise.
I1:
What would you hope to gain from undertaking an MFA at Ulster?
A:
I want the space and structure to deepen my research into class, creativity, and neurodivergence. I want to push my materials further, refine my visual language, and situate my work within a broader critical context.
I also want to develop accessible ways of discussing art — approaches that don’t rely on academic jargon. I want to contribute to conversations about who gets to be an artist and why.
I2:
And where do you see your practice going after the MFA?
A:
I see myself continuing to build a practice rooted in instinct, honesty, and lived experience. I want to create spaces where people who feel excluded can explore creativity without shame.
I want to keep developing ideas around protection, instinct, and translation as central themes in my work.
I1:
Thank you. Before we conclude, we need to confirm your undergraduate classification. What degree result did you receive in your BA Fine and Applied Art?
A:
I received a 2:2.
(A brief pause.)
I1:
Thank you. I’m sorry, but the MFA programme at Ulster requires a minimum of a 2:1 for direct entry.
A:
I understand. I’ve lived with rules like that my whole life. But the 2:2 doesn’t reflect my ability or my thinking. It reflects trying to survive in an academic system that wasn’t designed for someone like me — dyslexic, masking, trying to keep up.
The work itself was strong, and everything I’ve made since has been stronger. A number on a transcript doesn’t show the depth of my practice or the life I’ve built through making.
I2:
Your practice and thinking are certainly at MFA level. The classification requirement is a bureaucratic threshold, not a reflection of your potential.
A:
So let me propose something.
What if I designed my own MFA — a DIYMFA — where I take the structure and rigour of a traditional MFA and adapt it to suit how I learn and think?
And what if I use AI as a tool to translate my instinctive, image‑based thinking into academic language? Not to change who I am, but to communicate more clearly.
I1:
That is a compelling idea. You’re describing a parallel MFA model — one that mirrors the expectations of postgraduate study but is redesigned around your strengths rather than your barriers.
A:
Exactly. I’m not avoiding the work. I’m avoiding the parts of the system that were never built for someone like me.
I2:
What you’re proposing is not a workaround. It’s a legitimate research project. You’re addressing:
• class and access
• neurodivergent learning
• alternative pedagogies
• AI as an accessibility tool
• and the politics of art education
This is MFA‑level thinking.
A:
That’s the point. I don’t want to be let in through the back door. I want to build a door that works for people like me.
I1:
To be candid, your proposal is more radical and more original than many MFA projects we see. A DIYMFA built around working‑class experience, neurodivergent cognition, instinct‑based making, and AI‑supported translation is a significant contribution to the field.
You don’t need a 2:1 to pursue that work.
