BA (Hons) Fine Art for Design

This is a course about people, about individuals. We want to help you to explore your obsessions and interests and what drives you to make work.

When you enrol on fine art for design you will become part of a small, dynamic creative community that shares a common approach: to be playful; to question and challenge; to think-through-making with wit and visual intelligence; to engage with ideas and materials; to invent; to collaborate and discuss; to explore current and predicted future working practices; and ultimately to be skilful, ambitious and employable practitioners.

This unique and distinct course explores the dynamic between fine art and design practice.

It unites essential concepts and philosophies to provide a freedom of visual enquiry and to reflect the cultural and technological changes of contemporary society.
Your visual experience prior to engaging in study at degree level can be relatively short and decisions about choosing subject disciplines increasingly have to be made quickly. Fine art for design allows you to remain fluid and flexible, providing space and time to think, explore and undertake your own personal journey, and to find yourself and your own individual practice/context through study and making work.

This is a course with its heart and focus firmly placed on each individual student. We are passionate about the bespoke development of each one of you and lead this within a vibrant and highly supportive studio culture. The structure of the curriculum actively responds to your individual interests, strengths and aspirations through the development of traditional, emergent and entrepreneurial skills.

The curriculum encourages you to explore and engage with a broad range of studio-based and workshop learning opportunities, including ideas generation, drawing, two and three dimensional making, collaboration, visual language, publication, multiples, analogue and digital approaches, presentation, the function and purpose of work, competitions and awards, exhibition preparation and self-promotion.

Contextual modules promote an understanding of the historical, theoretical and cultural background to contemporary practice.

Each year is designed to build on the previous year’s acquisition of content, skills, ideas and individual research.

To date this bespoke learning experience has led to a range of visual practices, including:

• drawing,
• painting,
• illustration,
• books,
• printmaking,
• graphic art,
• photographic works,
• film,
• animation,
• textile works,
• comics,
• cabaret,
• sculpture,
• puppets,
• an art cart gallery,
• a nine-seater cinema, and
• a life-size snow storm.

Our studio is an important place, an important space. The studio is where ideas can flourish and is a place where you can challenge conventions and develop your own unique perspective. We believe a space that you can call your own is significant. Each one of you will have a dedicated studio space.

All year groups work in the same studio, to allow for the sharing, collation and development of ideas and visual approaches. Working within a studio provides a culture of openness and mutual support, one that inspires critical debate and creative diversity, and results in self-motivated, independent and sustained learning.

Committed and experienced tuition ensures that you are closely supported throughout each year of your studies to enable you to construct your own unique visual practice. Staff are generous with time and encouragement, helping you to acquire the necessary skills and expose you to a range of views and ideas.

Group sizes are small and allow you to build strong working relationships with your peers and course staff.

Visiting speakers are invited to provide critical first-hand experience of their professional working lives and give you insight into life beyond graduation. Recent speakers include: Martin Parr, Graham Rawle, Paddy Hartley, Chris Vine and John McDowall.

You will have the opportunity to explore the application of your unique working practice across a range of commercial opportunities, locations and employment possibilities. You will work on set, negotiated, self-initiated projects and prestigious competition briefs, while establishing professional links and connections.
Students exhibit externally in year 2 in preparation for their degree show and graduates exhibit annually in London at Free Range.

Entry Requirements

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, a National Diploma in a related art or design subject, Access to HE in Art and Design. Mature students with previous art-related experience will be considered.

Students applying directly from A-level will be considered. A subsequent Foundation Diploma in Art and Design may be recommended as a condition.

UCAS tariff points: 240
GCSE: a good profile, including English language, minimum grade C.

Entry Requirements

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, a National Diploma in a related art or design subject, Access to HE in Art and Design. Mature students with previous art-related experience will be considered.

Students applying directly from A-level will be considered. A subsequent Foundation Diploma in Art and Design may be recommended as a condition.

UCAS tariff points: 240
GCSE: a good profile, including English language, minimum grade C.