Course Details

Course Information Package

Course Unit Title	DESIGN APPLICATIONS
Course Unit Code	MID513
Course Unit Details	MA Fine Art: Contemporary Art Practices (Electives Courses) - MA Interdisciplinary Design (Elective Courses) -
Number of ECTS credits allocated	6
Learning Outcomes of the course unit	By the end of the course, the students should be able to: Examine the varied historical and cultural definitions and interpretations of landscape, body and object in art and design (theoretical disciplines). Demonstrate an understanding of how various narratives could be found within the notions of body, space, place, landscape and object are used to stimulate unique creative ideas. Define the relevance of landscape, body and object as cultural products to contemporary art and design critical study, and their impact on international artistic practices. Define the relevance of landscape, body and object as cultural products to contemporary art and design critical study, and their impact on international artistic practices. Generate a multiplicity of meanings, directions and dimensions of their project through conceptual and visual experimentation and research. Develop advanced creative thinking; an analytical and visual expression through a process-oriented approach. Engage in a group dialogue and a critical evaluation of a work within the historical, cultural and social context of art and design. Investigate various pathways to experiment with and combine traditional and new media to communicate concepts clearly. Analyze and interpret new and complex visual information in relation to project ideas. Relate the processes of their research findings to a specific artist’s work. Present final results in a clear, concise and professional way. Research, experiment and present self-initiated work of an advanced level in response to the curriculum Work with and present the methods, processes and strategies of an artist studied and the context of his/her artwork. Present alternative and innovative methods drawn on, as well as approaches employed within other disciplines to develop skills in expressing ideas visually. Display final sketchbook and discuss own processes from beginning to present day.
Mode of Delivery	Face-to-face
Prerequisites	NONE	Co-requisites	NONE
Recommended optional program components	NONE
Course Contents	Concepts, methods and processes of a contemporary artist’s practice The illusory and the real through the alteration of scale and perspective, and the importance of a choreography of space and objects in a contemporary art practice, such as that of Juan Munoz. The notions of non-functionality, uncertainty, danger, visibility and invisibility and the viewer’s understanding of, and participation in, an art work The engagement of drawing in the process of capturing and exploring ideas and concepts Landscape, Body, Object The diverse narratives within the notions of space, body and object. Landscape as Body: The identity formation of landscape as comprehended by various social groups and how landscape shapes human thinking and behaviour. The understanding and interpretation of landscape as depicted in different disciplines of creative arts such as novels, fine art and film. The act of constructing real and imagined landscapes. Body as Object: The construction and promotion of masculinity as an object of desire by art, fashion, design and the media in the second half of the 20th century. Representations of male and masculine prototypes/stereotypes in mainstream media. The body as artistic material for the making of a performance art. Object as Space: The multiple classifications of the object. The importance of objects in the development of imagination. The (metaphorical) transference of an object to a container collecting experiences, memories, feelings and emotions through its practical, symbolic, spiritual use and function (fingerprints, stains, traces). Working Process as a Final Sketchbook Product The importance of the working process as a final sketchbook product and as part of an overall experience of a potentially performative action itself. The exploration and renegotiation of various methods, processes and strategies through a visual experimentation to shape and articulate a unique personal thinking as creative individuals. The narrative, decorative, iconographic and conceptual perspectives of the sketchbook. The creation and presentation of a body of work as a diary/notebook of a narrative of ideas and thoughts on an object (inanimate or animate) based on the research on a contemporary artist’s practice.
Recommended and/or required reading:
Textbooks	Fiona Candlin and Raiford Guins, The Object Reader, Routledge, 2009 Rachael Ziady DeLue and James Elkins (ed), Landscape Theory, Routledge, 2008 Tim Cresswell, Place, a Short Introduction, Blackwell Publishing, 2004 Giannino Malossi (ed), Material Man, Abrams, 2000
References	Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space, Beacon, 1958 (1964 translation) Juan Munoz, Double Bind at Tate Modern, Tate, 2001 Tacita Dean and Jeremy Millar, Place, Thames and Hudson, 2005 Cornelia H. Butler and Catherine de Zegher, On Line. Drawing Through the Twentieth Century, MoMA, 2010 Defining Contemporary Art-25 Years in 200 Pivotal Artworks, Phaidon, 2011
Planned learning activities and teaching methods	The course is delivered through an extensive project briefing, illustrated lectures and visual presentations on Art and Design. A combination of group discussions and critiques on students’ personal research and visual experimentation as a final product, in addition to practical workshops, will encourage students to work with a more diverse and developed visual experimentation. An essential part of the teaching methodology is the personal tutorials offered to students during the semester.
Assessment methods and criteria	Preparatory work, research 30% In-class participation, discussion 30% Final Visual work 40%
Language of instruction	English
Work placement(s)	NO