Course Title: Sculpture Studio 1A1 The Body and Space in Sculpture

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Sculpture Studio 1A1 The Body and Space in Sculpture

Credit Points: 12

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
VART1910	City Campus	Undergraduate	340H Art	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009
VART2059	Hong Kong Arts Centre	Undergraduate	340H Art	Face-to-Face	Offsh 1 08, Offsh 1 09, Offsh 1 10

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Kevin White

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2517

Course Coordinator Email:kevin.white@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Bld 2.B.9

Course Coordinator Availability: Via Appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

This course is designed to give students an understanding of the Body in Space as both the subject and site of sculpture.

It provides practical and theoretical methods for translating the body in space, employing analytical, technical and interpretive processes.

Over the course of the semester a series of studio classes, seminars and projects will address contemporary and historical perspectives.

In this course the central theme is the head/face and identity. Students will begin with traditional clay modeling skills and body casting. Expanding upon this base are projects dealing with Concurrent Research and Figurative Space and Public Identity. These components conceptualise the relation of objects to the body and the body and face out to the world.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

By the end of the program students will have acquired familiarity and self-sufficiency in a number of modeling languages, an insight into the historical ground of figurative sculpture and a sense of how such skills can be used in contemporary practice and ideas.

Each class will involve the discussion of student’s work in progress.

1) Develop knowledge and abilities in the study of the human body using a range of two and three dimensional media and approaches.
2) Develop anatomical, representational and translational skills in representing the human body.
3) Become critically aware of the historical and theoretical investigations of the human body in the visual arts and how these investigations can be applied to contemporary art practice.
4) Investigate and develop creative processes relevant to the interpretation of the cultural contexts of the human form.
5) Develop manual dexterities in figurative modeling in clay and other media.

Overview of Learning Activities

This course incorporates a number of projects investigating the human body and its spatial context. Technical processes appropriate to recording, modeling, casting and other translational processes will be explored. This investigation will be supported by a number of lectures investigating anatomical, theoretical and technical issues in contemporary figurative sculpture. Additional information concerning relevant areas of investigation will be presented to address issues raised by students as they progress through this course.

Three projects introduce students to aspects of figurative representation and related spatial considerations. Project 1 is an ongoing project that develops a sequence of Marquette’s, research and documentation. Project 2 revolves around the constructed modeling of a head and/or bust. Project 3 examines the face as a public site and leads to a consideration of the autonomous object, performance, installation and exhibition.

Overview of Learning Resources

Refer to references

Overview of Assessment

Learning in this course will be demonstrated through evidence of production, participation in feedback sessions and assessment of your work during the semester.

Your grades are based on the lecturer’s expectation that you will:

1. Attend all feedback sessions, and exhibit assessable work at each session. Assessment and Feedback sessions are held in or around weeks 7 and 13 of this course. If work is not exhibited at a feedback session, then no grading can be given, and therefore you will fail that review.

2. Project One: Research, Documentation and Marquette’s: Physical evidence of on-going, concurrent research processes undertaken throughout the semester and documentation of research, artworks and other materials developed for this Course.
Project One assessment criteria is equal to 20% of the total mark

3. Projects Two, and Three: All works of art exhibited in Feedback sessions are to be finished to a resolved, professional standard of presentation commensurate with your year level. The work needs to answer the criteria set for each project
Project Two, feedback session and assessment 40% of the total mark .
Project Three, feedback session and assessment 40%. of the total mark.

Assessment Process
Assessment will be conducted by a panel of staff from the course area.

Submission of Assessment Tasks
Week 7: Project Two, Assessment and Feedback session.
Week 13: Project One and Project Three, Assessment and Feedback session.