Giles Last
Giles was appointed Head of Jewellery at Central Saint Martins in 2018. He made the Student Medal Project part of the Jewellery Department curriculum around 2005, and - with a few years off - has supported it ever since. Giles re-shaped the SMP format for CSM. From the very start, his methods of teaching gave the students a very interesting framework within which to make medals, often relating the work to film, narrative or other external stimuli. The results have been consistently excellent, with many of his students winning prizes, and at least one becoming a BAMS medal.
He has brought in leading artists such as Jane McAdam Freud to assist with teaching. Giles has always stressed the importance of understanding medals as a medium, and has taught his students how they may use it to express themselves in work that is unrelated to the body (as jewellery is) giving them greater freedom to express themselves. Giles always stresses the importance of workmanship and finishing. He continues to be a very active force in encouraging medal-making and continues to actively support the Student Medal Project and associated exhibitions.