About

Meet the Technical Team

The technical team at CCI can be contacted on Slack during office hours. However, new questions should be posted in #technical (on Slack) first rather than going directly to a specific member of staff.

If you've spoken to a staff member, you can book a tutorial online during office hours.

South London Technicians

Photo of Lexin Zhou Photo of Agnes Cameron Photo of Lieven
Lexin Zhou Agnes Cameron Lieven van Velthoven
she/her she/her he/him
Physical Computing Specialist Technician Creative Code Specialist Technician Creative Code Specialist Technician
Expertise:
  • Arduino
  • Electronics
  • Industrial design
  • DMX and installations
 Expertise:
  • Code: Python, JavaScript (web + Node, React), C
  • Git and Github
  • Electronics
  • e-Textiles: knit and embroidery
 Expertise:
  • Code: C#, shaders, Processing, p5.js, Arduino
  • Graphics, 3D, Blender
  • Real-time interaction, cameras, Kinects
  • Sound
Photo of Chris Photo of Rohit Photo of Mayra
Chris Bull Rohit Ramesh Thampy Mayra Berrones
he/him he/him she/her
Digital Fabrication Specialist Technician Robotics Specialist Technician AI & Data Science Specialist Technician
Expertise:
  • Laser cutting
  • 3D Printing
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Fusion 360
Expertise:
  • Code: Python
  • CAD: Autodek Fusion, Inventor
  • Robot Operating System (ROS1)
 Expertise:
  • Code: Python
  • AI: Machine learning algorithms, Deep learning models

Central London Technicians

Photo of Ilia
Ilia Pavlov
he/him
AI & Data Science Specialist Technician
Expertise:
  • AI

Technical Management

Photo of Tom Lynch Photo of Pete Mackenzie Photo of Tom Webster
Tom Lynch Pete Mackenzie Tom Webster
he/him he/him he/him
Head of Technical South London Technical Coordinator Central London Technical Coordinator
Expertise:
  • Electronics
  • Mechanical
  • JavaScript
 Expertise:
  • Sound & Audio
  • Computational Arts/performance/installation
  • Embodiment/tracking/VR

Staff Schedule

Site Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
Lexin PR 10:00 - 18:00 10:00 - 18:00 10:00 - 18:00 10:00 - 18:00 10:00 - 18:00
Agnes PR 10:00 - 18:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Lieven GB 11:00 – 19:00 11:00 – 19:00 11:00 – 19:00 11:00 – 19:00 11:00 – 19:00
Chris PR 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Rohit GB 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Mayra PR/GB 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Tom L X 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Ilia HH 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Tom W HH 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00
Pete PR/GB 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00 09:00 - 17:00

Recommended Kit List

New students to UAL Creative Computing Institute often ask us what equipment we recommend before they start with us:

Your own computer

Having your own computer is not a requirement for any of our courses because we operate laptop lockers at all CCI locations that can be used anywhere on that site, as well as desktop PCs in open access and technical areas.

That being said, it is more advantageous to have your own computer, as it gives you flexibility about when and where you can study. All our courses are part of a computing curriculum, so computing is our primary medium.

If accessing your laptop is financially difficult for you, you may be able to access limited funding through the hardship fund, which kicks off after the start of each year.

We have advice where you can read more about buying a new computer.

UAL Diploma in Apple Development
Students studying the UAL Diploma in Apple Development, should choose a Mac as the Apple software development tools only work on macOS.

Software

There are no specific software requirements for studying at CCI. We use free and open-source software for teaching wherever possible.

All students are provided with access to Microsoft Office 365 free of charge.

Students might occasionally use some other paid/licensed software, but this is not a requirement in most cases. Where necessary, we always provide free software on-site on our loan laptops and desktop workstations.

We occasionally use paid software: Max MSP, Ableton Live, and MadMapper. We also sometimes use Touch Designer, which has a paid upgrade for certain features, but generally, the free version is suitable.

Reliable internet connection at home

Read more about finding an internet provider.

Technical Resources

This section is about what resources you can access.

Technical Resources

What does open, project and no access mean?

There are 3 modes of access across the technical resources:

Open Access

You can walk in and access this during the opening hours inside of UAL Term Time. You may need a safety induction. If you are unsure, please ask a technician.

Project Access

You can request access on a per person, per project basis, and subject to approval by the technicians who manage that resource, you may be able to use it.

To request access to these resources, please email cci.technical@arts.ac.uk and copy your course leader or supervisor, telling us:

No Access

You have no access to this technical resource.

Technical Resources

What technical resources can CCI students access at UAL?

UAL has a wide range of technical resources built to serve the learning outcomes of the courses in each college, to ensure these resources are available to the students who need it those resources are restricted to certain courses.

Access to Home College Resources
Access to home college resources is at the discretion of your home college technical team, please get in touch with your college technical team if you have access problems, or contact cci.technical@arts.ac.uk for support.

Technical Resources
CCI Camberwell Chelsea Wimbledon LCC LCF CSM
CCI PhD students See CCI resources grid Project Access
CCI UG and PG students South London Project Access No Access
Central London No Access
UAL Diploma students Camberwell Normal year 2 access No Access
Chelsea No Access Normal year 2 access No Access
Wimbledon No Access Normal year 2 access No Access
LCC No Access Normal year 2 access No Access
LCF No Access Normal year 2 access No Access
CSM No Access Normal year 2 access
Technical Resources

Who can access CCI technical resources?

The following grid gives a detailed visual breakdown of which CCI technical resources are available and to who:

CCI Wide

CCI Wide resources are generally only available to current CCI students, staff or fellows, with the following exceptions:

Creative Computing Institute Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon UAL Public inc. alumni
Current students, staff and fellows Final year Diploma students Computational Arts students UAL Incubator Camberwell PG design students Other Camberwell students PhD students and other staff Other UG and PG students
Room Booking Project Access No Access
Technical Skills Workshops Open Access No Access
Laptop Lockers Open Access No Access
Equipment Loan Open Access No Access Project Access No Access
Kitchens & PCs Open Access South London only No Access Greencoat only No Access

Peckham Road

Peckham Road resources are open to all current students, staff, fellows and Final Year Diploma students, with the following exceptions:

Creative Computing Institute Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon UAL Public inc. alumni
Current students, staff and fellows Final year Diploma students Computational Arts students UAL Incubator Camberwell PG design students Other Camberwell students PhD students and other staff Other UG and PG students
Electronics Open Access No Access Project Access No Access
Textiles Area Open Access No Access Project Access No Access
Laser Cutter Open Access No Access Scheduled Access No Access
3D Printing Open Access No Access

Greencoat Building

Greencoat Building resources are open to all current students, staff, fellows and Final Year Diploma students, with the following exceptions:

Creative Computing Institute Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon UAL Public inc. alumni
Current students, staff and fellows Final year Diploma students Computational Arts students UAL Incubator Camberwell PG design students Other Camberwell students PhD students and other staff Other UG and PG students
Dark Lab Open Access Project Access Open Access Project Access No Access
Robotics Lab Open Access Project Access Open Access Project Access No Access
Prototyping Lab Open Access No Access Open Access No Access

High Holborn

High Holborn resources are open to all current students, staff and fellows, with the following exceptions:

Creative Computing Institute Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon UAL Public inc. alumni
Current students, staff and fellows Final year Diploma students Computational Arts students UAL Incubator Camberwell PG design students Other Camberwell students PhD students and other staff Other UG and PG students
AI & Computing Lab Open Access No Access Project Access No Access
Cyber Security Lab MSc Computer Science only No Access
Nerve Lab Project Access No Access Project Access No Access
Technical Resources

What kit can I borrow?

An extensive array of equipment is available in addition to the fixed equipment listed here.

Please bear in mind that the way technical services operate is as a collaboration; we're not just a kit room; we expect you to come to us early in your project life cycle and work with our team to validate the need for the equipment.

If you have suggestions for new products we should get, please email cci.technical@arts.ac.uk, and we'll consider it.

You are responsible for looking after and returning the equipment before you finish your course. The equipment must be returned to the correct building. We use a colour code on the labels to help everyone remember which item goes in which building.

Illustrated example colour coded icons

View the full catalogue - This is only visible from UAL-WiFi on campus or via the Staff VPN.

Important:
While this equipment is available to all students to use, we don't usually loan single items over £100 for off-site use due to insurance issues.

Kit List

This list was updated on 12/11/2024.

Lone Working Policy

Our buildings are usually staffed from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday during term time.

Outside of these times, students must follow the 3 Student Rule.

Loan Working Policy

This policy ensures you are safe when working unusual hours when fewer people are around. This is in case you are injured or someone tries to attack you.

  1. You must not undertake dangerous activities.

  2. You must ensure there are always at least 2 other people in the same area as you most of the time.

Being in the same area means: You can see and hear the other people most of the time, with breaks only to go to the toilet and shop for 5 minutes.

If someone leaves to work elsewhere or goes home and you are alone, or there are less than 3 people in the area, you have to move or leave the site.

Emergencies

If there is an incident, contact security staff at reception; they can provide First Aid and Security response and call emergency services.

The idea behind the 3 people is:

  1. Person injured or incapacitated
  2. Person to stay with the incapacitated person
  3. Person to get help.

Dangerous Activities

The following activities must not be undertaken when staff are not present:

Welcome to the CCI Wiki...

This is where students, staff and the public can access helpful resources developed by the CCI team.

Technical Resources

South London

Central London

Frequently Asked Questions

External Links

Accessibility Statement

This website is run by the Creative Computing Institute. This accessibility statement applies to this website only. Other websites and browser based systems on the arts.ac.uk domain have their own accessibility statements.

This website uses HTML 5 (HyperText Mark-up Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to render content. We have also used other technologies including JavaScript on certain areas of the website.

We commit to ensuring this website is as accessible as possible and we want as many people as possible to be able to use it. This means that you should be able to:

We have also tried to make the website text as easy to understand as possible although we recognise we have more work to do on this.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know that some parts of the website are not fully accessible:

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in an alternative, more accessible format please contact cci@arts.ac.uk. Please include details of the content you need and the required format or the service you are trying to access. We will then work with the team who own the content or the service to get you what you need.

We aim to provide you with an initial response within 2 working days and will provide clear information about how we will deal with your request.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: cci@arts.ac.uk

We aim to provide you with an initial response within 2 working days and will provide clear information about how we will deal with your enquiry or complaint.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

For information about contacting us by phone or to arrange a visit to our offices please visit the main CCI website or email cci@arts.ac.uk.

More information about accessing our buildings is available from AccessAble.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 08/02/2021. It was last reviewed on 11/07/2021.

CCI Stickers, a history...

We print stickers on a regular basis. However, we rarely reprint an old design, so you can date your sticker by design.

2019

Orange Sticker

This was the original CCI sticker used mainly on the original laptops, only about 100 were printed in August 2019.

Designed by Tom Lynch.

2020

We ❤️ Creative Computing

Designed by Conor Rigby.

This sticker was printed in February 2020 just before the pandemic for the inaugural CCI launch event. We're not sure how many were printed.

2021

ASCII Sticker

Only 50 of these were ever printed. Most were used as signage in September 2021.

Designed by Conor Rigby.

Pride Sticker

There have been 3 batches of 250 stickers in May 2021, September 2021 and February 2022.

Designed by Tom Lynch.

2022

Mirror Sticker

There have been 2 batches of 250 stickers in December 2022 and January 2023.

Designed by Tom Lynch.

2023

Anaglyph Sticker

There was 1 white and 1 black batch of 250 stickers in September 2023.

Designed by Lieven van Velthoven.

Technical Skills

These stickers were the first ever technical skills stickers printed in September 2023, in a batch of 100 of each design.

Designed by Agnes Cameron.

2024

CoCo CCI

This sticker is a pastiche of a well-known brand. It was issued in February 2024, and only 50 were printed.

Designed by Pete Mackenzie.

Pink Shadow

There has been 1 batch of 250 stickers in February 2024.

Designed by Pete Mackenzie.

Wiki Stickers

These a batch of 50 of each design of these were printed in February 2024.

Designed by Agnes Cameron.

Offer Holder Day

These are a batch of 2x 100 stickers printed in April 2024 for the Offer Holder Day.

Designed by: Keya Datta and Evan Raskob

Sticker 1

Sticker 2

CCI Gold

There has been 1 batch of 750 stickers in September 2024.

Designed by Tom Lynch.

Wireframe

There has been 1 batch of 10 stickers in October 2024.

Designed by Tom Lynch.

CCI Technical Treasure Hunt

For the first time in 2024, the CCI technical team have organised a treasure hunt to get to know about resources, expertise and equipment across our different campuses. To take part in the treasure hunt, grab a card from one of the opening events, from the workshop at Peckham Road, or print your own (bonus printer round!).

Visit each technician to get a different stamp -- it's also a good time to introduce yourself and ask questions about what they specialise in.

Read more about each technician here: Meet the technical team

The first 100 students to return a complete treasure hunt card to Pete will recieve a t-shirt! Anyone with 3 stamps or more will also get a sticker.

The addresses and opening hours of the different CCI buildings are available on this wiki page. Check out the Buildings, opening times and virtual tours for more info.

Not all technicians are in every day + some of us work different hours. The best place to find out when a technician will be in is this wiki page.

First time navigating CCI buildings?

Here is a map that will help you find your way between different CCI buildings.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Glossary of technical terms

This is a collaborative glossary of technical terms to help students learn the language of technology.

Any CCI staff member or student can edit this page. Please follow the format others have given.

You can also make suggestions via Slack using the Workflow tab in #technical.

Caution to editors: As this document is likely to be edited by multiple people at once, your edit might be lost by someone saving over with their edits which didn't include yours, so please work in an external text editor using Mark Down and make sure you copy and paste into the document quickly to minimise clashes.

ASCII

ASCII (short for American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a coding system which maps characters to numbers and vice versa. The numerical values range from 0 to 127, and 33 of these are control characters (originally specified for controlling printers and display devices), leaving just 95 for printable characters.

No accented characters or emojis are included - they are covered by more complex encodings such as Unicode - and, this being an American invention, the dollar sign ("$") is present but the pound sign ("£") is not.

For more information see Wikipedia.

CSV / Comma Separated Values

Added by Tom Lynch

This is a method of encoding tabular data in a machine-readable format using an agreed ASCII character to separate data columns, usually a comma, but sometimes tabs, and new lines as rows.

Typically, the choice of ASCII character is based on whether the data is likely to have that character in a cell; for example, a cell can't have a comma if the data is encoded with commas or without using an escape character.

This data:

Name Age
Tom 36
Kyle 34

Would be encoded like this:

Name,Age
Tom,36
Kyle,34