Modules
Art and Ideas - Critical and Contextual Strand,
Semesters 1,2,3,4
The Art and Ideas strand encourages fine art students to re-think the nature of the Visual Arts and supports their studio work. In addition it develops study skills necessary for the Personal Study in Level 3. The integration of theory and practice provides the stimulating scholarly debate that is central to learning and teaching, and offers students an opportunity to relate cultural theory to their own studio practice.
It is essential to understand why artists make work in the way they do, and to be aware of theoretical and philosophical contexts to developments in Art that we see daily in the news. Why is Tracy Emin's work so highly regarded that she was chosen to represent Britain at the Venice Bienalle in 2007? You don't have to like her work, but you need to be able to see her work as part of a larger discourse about the nature of Art.
FAL140: Art Contexts and Themes
The module contextualises themes, styles and histories of art, and explores the vocabularies of visual art over the centuries. The module will explore critical methodologies, philosophies of visual, political & social representation, formalism, iconography, semiology, material practices of painting, sculpture etc, spatial representation and the development of genres such as landscape and portraiture.
FAL150 - Art Concepts and Theories
The module will focus on notions of modernity and of 19th Century and 20th Century Modernism with the development of Avant-garde positions as the paradigm for the development of art during the period, and will consider key concepts, issues, themes, and movements within modernist art, architecture, photography and film. The module will explore the fracturing of modernist practice and the subsequent formulation of Post-modernism.
FAL240 - Discourse 1
This module aims to develop a methodological approach to the analysis of art works and further extend the issues of research and the relationship between theory and practice. The main aim of the module is to demonstrate how theories can be applied to a range of cultural production and become part of an analytical/critical discourse of interpretation, making and meaning. Contemporary art practice within broad areas of cultural production (film, music, literature, media etc.) will be linked through ‘Discourse analysis’ such as Signification, Production, Categories/genres, Narrative; Gender/Sexuality, Power and Site.
FAL250 - Discourse 2
This module consolidates the issues of research and the relationship between theory and practice, and can be categorized in terms of 4R’s: Reflection, Research, Revision, Realisation. Students will investigate a selected study topic and produce a written document that positions their topic within a discourse analysis.
Teaching on the Critical and Contextual strand is varied:
- Weekly lectures or seminars - approximately 1.5 - 2 hours per week
- Individual tutorials as necessary.
Assessment is of written work or seminar presentations to a small group and two members of staff. Written work is moderated by the module tutor team.