Module: FAR5000-40 Studio Practice Frameworks and Enquiries

Level: 5

Credit Value: 40

Module Tutor: Camilla Wilson

Module Tutor Contact Details: C.Wilson@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

Description of module:

This module is designed to support the development of your own (individual or collaborative) art practice. Teaching and learning strategies will promote curiosity, risk taking, analytical thinking and evaluation. You will be encouraged to develop a body of focused, experimental, material research and through an ability to reflect, analyse and decision make, develop these investigations towards the realisation of artworks, testing out ways to present this work to an audience. Through this module you will be supported to develop a critical language in order to articulate your enquiry, informed by your contextual research and relevant subject knowledge.

2.Outline syllabus:

This module is studio centred and designed to support your increasingly focused practical investigations in order to extend your formal and material understanding. Through your proactive engagement with specialised practical workshops there is the opportunity to extend and nurture the technical skills necessary for the development of your more specific enquiry.

Through studio based individual and group tutorials and critiques you will be encouraged to advance your ability to critically reflect on the problems and strengths in your work informed by an expanded and relevant subject understanding.

Open studio events and studio based group critiques will require you to test out ways to present the work you are making to an audience.

You will attend, and reflect on the lectures by a range of visiting artist from a variety of disciplines supporting your expanded knowledge of the range of processes, methods and ideas adopted by other artists. Alongside these lecture you will engage in your own relevant contextual research analysing the work of three artists with a robust analytical focus.

Talks and workshops from the core team, visiting artists and other professionals from the field will support your engagement with relevant professional development skills.

These will include:

• Developing an artist statement

• Strategies for display

• How to talk about your work.

At the end of the module you will present your work in a short formal talk and visual presentation to a small group of peers. In advance of this presentation a group tutorial will support you to develop a clear and contextualised account of your working practice.

3.Teaching and learning activities:

The following list identifies the teaching and learning activities central to the subject. They reflect the bespoke nature of learning within the discipline of fine art. They will be delivered as either level specific or in certain cases with cross level content.

Module briefings and year group meetings: The module coordinator will meet the whole year group at regular intervals throughout this module. In these meetings key teaching and assessment processes will be outlined. These sessions will also provide a space for you to discuss and reflect on the course as a group.

Studio based individual and group tutorials: During this module you will meet with a tutor/s regularly to discuss and reflect upon your developing understanding and practical progress. These core tutorials will be timetabled and may be with a small group of peers or on your own. Peer led reflective dialogue will be central to the teaching and learning on this module. In addition to these timetabled core sessions you will be able to sign up for tutorials with a variety of tutors both from the team that teach on the course and from other visiting practitioners.

Critiques: Working as a small group, facilitated by a tutor, you will present your work to each other. These sessions will promote critical, reflective, constructive peer review exploring the content, context and the display of the work presented.

Technical workshop: These sessions will take place in the school workshops and be run by one of our team of technical demonstrators. They will not only introduce you to some of some key practical skills, how to work safely and confidently but to the philosophy of the workshops as spaces to experiment, test out ideas and think through making. More specialized, advance workshops will occur throughout the course and your engagement with them will be dependent on your developing ideas/enquiry.

Artists’ lectures: Visitors from a broad range of disciplines will give talks and lectures on their work and their professional trajectories.

Study trips: Scheduled visits to galleries and museums will play a key role in providing access to current practice and cultural debates. These visits will help you contextualize your own work.

Independent study: Working independently is central to the teaching and learning philosophy of a Fine Art course. Working in your studio, in the library or the workshops you will begin to develop and reflect upon the ideas, debates covered in the module

Professional practice lectures/workshops: These timetabled lectures and taught sessions will introduce, explore and refine relevant professional development skills.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Present arts works and (experimental) development work

• % Weighting: 80%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Reflective, verbal analysis of your work

• % Weighting: 20%