School of Art - University Electives, Semester 1 & Flexible Term, 2019

Your program requires you to complete courses from a list of University Elective options.  These courses can be from anywhere in the University, or from within the School of Art.  To choose your elective please visit the University Electives site. We have listed Semester 1 and 2 School electives below for your reference. Details of Semester 1 offerings are listed below. Please note that offerings can be subject to change. Details of Flexible Term 2019 School electives are also listed below. These courses can be found under the FlexiTerm 1902 in Enrolment Online. 

To add an elective in Enrolment Online, choose the 'Class Search' tab, select the relevant Term, and search for the name or course code of the course you are interested in.

For more information about a course, please contact the Studio Lead of the offering studio.

Please note: although we would like to offer all of the courses below, courses are subject to viability and may not run if numbers are too low.

Course Information

Offering Studio & Studio Lead

2019 University Electives

Semester 1 University Electives

VART1704 Alternative Photographic Processes
VART3511 Art and Photography
VART3514  Ceramic Fundamentals
VART1325  Drawing Elective
VART3470  Jewellery Fundamentals
VART1221  Lithography: Drawing to Print
VART1316  Painting Elective
VART3478  Photographic Screenprinting
VART3590 Photography 101
VART1398  Sculpture Elective
COMM1272  Studio Production
VART2022  Temporal Drawing
COMM2314  The Modern Soundtrack
VART3500  The Print Original Paradox
VART3633  Visualising Data Through Art

Semester 2 University Electives

VART1704 Alternative Photographic Processes
VART3511 Art and Photograph
VART3495  Art of Place
VART3480  Artist's Books
VART3514  Ceramic Fundamentals
VART1325  Drawing Elective
VART3627  Indigenous Australia and Art
VART3470  Jewellery Fundamentals
VART1221  Lithography: Drawing to Print
VART1316  Painting Elective
VART3590 Photography 101
VART2027  Public Art Projects
VART1398  Sculpture Elective
COMM1272  Studio Production
COMM2314  The Modern Soundtrack
VART3500  The Print Original Paradox
VART3473  3D Printed Objects
VART3464  Video Art

Semester 1 University Electives

This course introduces you to the beginnings of Photography to the present day. You will examine the early photographers exploring the chemical and physical phenomena that define the medium of photography. You will also explore the techniques, processes, history, and cultural connections that are such a significant part of photography. The studio will be presented through a variety of activities including workshops, darkroom, experimentation, lectures, critical analysis, discussion, practice, presentation and reflection. 

In this course you will investigate how photography functions within a fine art context. This is investigated through an overview of historical and contemporary photographic ideas and practice. You will be exposed to a diverse range of significant local and international artists who draw upon a variety of photographic technologies in their practice, and investigate the language of photography and how it informs fine art photographic image making. The course provides you with opportunities to respond to lectures and explore ways of processing and articulating your own ideas with traditional and experimental photographic techniques. Class activities aim to engage you in applying photographic discourse to your contemporary art practice.

In this course, you will explore and experiment with the physical properties of clay and develop fundamental skills in the making of objects through ceramic hand-forming methods. You will also gain an understanding of the relationships between idea, concept, form and material as you begin to develop an individual approach to your art practice.

In this elective course you will learn studio skills and competency in drawing the figure.
You will explore the methods, materials, and concepts concerning life drawing. These range across the application of appropriate materials in a range of drawing modes and studio settings; perspective and non­perspective approaches to visual representation; proportion, form, weight and volume; figure/ground relationships; positive/negative space; use of props and backdrops; details of head, feet, hands; depiction of movement; serial and sequential works. Your learning will include drawing from the model, group workshops and demonstrations.

In this course you will be introduced to the basic knowledge and skills required in the making of jewellery and small-scale objects. You will explore new possibilities for creating jewellery and objects, through the relationship to the body and experimentation with a broad range of materials, including metal. This course will provide the introductory knowledge required to working the Gold & Silversmithing studios. For further information about the learning outcomes please see the PART A http://www1.rmit.edu.au/courses/047006

Through practical workshops this course introduces and explores a range of processes and techniques of lithography as a medium for drawing. Line and wash techniques will be developed over a series of projects. This elective provides an introduction to lithographic skills processes, such as, preparing a stone, drawing on a stone, processing the stone with adding and subtracting to your image as well as providing ongoing students with an opportunity to extend existing skills. You will gain an understanding of safe handling of materials and processes within the lithography studio, and how to apply these to the visual expression of conceptual principles.

This painting course will help you to understand the relationships between idea, concept, form and material as you begin to develop an individual approach to your art practice. Structured projects introduce you to composition, colour mixing, limited palette, working from observation, collage and a variety of technical approaches to painting.

This course will introduce you to screenprinting processes and technologies that focus on photographic and text based printing. The objectives of the course are to provide you with the skills and knowledge to: produce photographic screenprints; reflect upon the role of photographic screenprinting in contemporary art; and expand the aesthetic and conceptual possibilities of your art practice.

The course approaches the medium of photography firstly as a unique approach to human communication, secondly as an art form, and thirdly as a medium that requires the acquisition of a unique set of technical skills. In studying this course you will be shown how photography has developed throughout its history. We will discuss how our growing understanding of the principles of human perception and communication has influenced photography. You will be introduced to basic principles of the camera and you will also be provided with techniques for responding to the content and structure of photographs.In this course you will experiment with image design and creation to communicate specific messages to target audiences.This course will provide you with the opportunity to examine and establish professional image capture workflows using a DSLR and/or interchangeable lens camera. You will develop skills in how to control image formation and the resulting visual communication using semi-automatic and manual exposure controls to capture a broad range of subject matter with control and accuracy.

This course allows students to explore the rich possibilities offered by print processes as a foundation for conceptual investigations in art. Practical demonstrations will introduce you to the inherent properties in printmaking processes that encourage an innovative and responsive approach to art practice, with a focus on relief (lino and wood block) and intaglio (etching), with digital image manipulation. The course is also designed to motivate and involve students in analytical thinking about visual perceptions, through processes of reproduction. A set of related projects will address the notion of process driven art making, materials and methods of production, the role of presentation, and health and safety issues within the print studio.

This course is designed to introduce students to the traditions of sculpture within the framework of a current art practice and to develop sculptural values and competence in the use of materials and techniques. In this course you will develop a greater understanding of sculptural concepts and materials through the establishment and/or further investigation of a personal art practice based in object making. Students will be introduced to the skills of modelling, carving, wood and metal construction using materials such as clay, plaster, wood and wire.

This course will introduce you to the use of the recording studio as a creative tool. You will be presented with an overview of the history, philosophy and techniques in utilizing the recording studio for creative outcomes. Using listening examples, you will learn how to objectively analyse and dissect pieces of music to reveal the techniques and approaches used in producing a wide range of audio material. This will be reinforced by practical examination of a variety of these techniques through using the recording studio. In your work for this course you will be expected to use the skills and information you garner in this course to develop and experiment with your own production style and approach.

Engaging with processes of expanded drawing such as generative drawing, performative drawing and animation, you will explore the use of duration and/or temporality and ways in which mark-making may be understood as a process of change and development over time. Incorporating both collaborative and individual class projects, this course will also be complimented by a range of lectures, demonstrations and group tutorials.

This course provides an overview of key trends and concepts that have informed the development of sound design and music in narrative film. Learning activities will be based around the introduction of critical, theoretical and practical examples of cinema sound design and music through weekly screenings and discussion.

In this course you will explore and experience a range of materials and processes using digital manufacturing techniques and CAD modelling software to build jewellery and objects. Digital manufacturing processes covered will include laser cutting, object printing, and thermojet wax printing. CAD modelling will focus on learning basic to advanced rhino software. You will develop strategies for the integration of digital manufactured objects into the building of 3 dimensional forms. You will explore conceptual, perceptual, formal and aesthetic concerns in the rapid prototyping of jewellery and objects and reflect on these in relation to your own practice. For further information about the learning outcomes please see the PART A http://www1.rmit.edu.au/courses/047009

In this course you will investigate the ways in which we can observe and make sense of human and machine-generated data, through fine art. You will explore the use of data and statistics as a primary material and as a source of narrative within your own art practice. Through a series of seminars, practical workshops, group and individual projects, you will observe and experiment a range of analogue and digital principles and techniques for the collection, analysis and visualisation of data. You will produce your own data-driven artworks through a variety of media: from analog sculptural works using found objects and materials, to 3D printing, new media, kinetic, photographic, electronic, sound or hybrid visualisations. 

Flexible Term University Electives - Summer School and Intensives

This elective has been designed to provide Fine Art students with an expanded understanding of the book as a vehicle for artistic expression, through exploring the relationship between binding method and content. In this class, you will explore the possibilities offered by the artist’s book for the presentation of visual information and ideas through expanded notions of the book. A broad range of book binding techniques incorporating both adhesive and non-adhesive book binding methods will be introduced in face-to-face studio workshops, supplemented by lectures, excursions and peer-to-peer learning that will help to advance concepts and content as you create your own original book-based art objects.

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 27th January, 2019. The census date for this course is 29th January, 2019.

In this course you will explore the physical properties of a range of materials and processes used in small scale metal casting. Processes covered will include lost wax, cuttlefish, multiple and ingot casting. You will develop strategies for the integration of casted objects into the building of three-dimensional forms. This course will assist you to develop conceptual, perceptual, formal and aesthetic concerns as related to the casting of metal objects.

For further information about the learning outcomes please see the PART A http://www1.rmit.edu.au/courses/047007

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 7th February, 2019. The census date for this course is 9th February, 2019.

In this course, you will explore and experiment with the physical properties of clay and develop fundamental skills in the making of objects through ceramic hand-forming methods. You will also gain an understanding of the relationships between idea, concept, form and material as you begin to develop an individual approach to your art practice.

This intensive course in observational drawing is conducted over six days of six hours duration. It does not require previous experience. It is designed to establish a strong skill base in drawing from observation and to place that activity in the context of ideas and process, notions of display and critical feedback.
The course is based within the genres of life drawing, object drawing and visual field drawing (both with and without the figure), including a self-directed Drawing project that will provide participants with the opportunity to develop large format drawings combining elements from the previous experiences of the intensive as well as other approaches to making and installing from their own practice. Theoretical and conceptual discussion is an ongoing component of the intensive in addition to videos, reading lists, feedback forms, documentation and group discussions.

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 23rd January, 2019. The census date for this course is 25th January, 2019.

The European Study Tour involves travel to London, Munich and Amsterdam. Learning takes place in those locations through experiencing and object based art exhibitions, major international collections of jewellery and object, museums, contemporary art galleries, Munich Jewellery week and private artist studio visits. Participants will also be immersed in the culture of these cities and this will also be an essential part of the experience. This subject is a 12 Credit Point subject and will include project based assignments that will be assessed. During the tour, you will be immersed into a European cultural environment to experience both contemporary and historical artworks (object based and broader), jewellery/metalsmith artists and their practice, as well as the museum/gallery encounter.
Other Information:
This course is overseas activity and students will need to budget for a tour fee, accommodation, daily allowance and travel costs.
To participate in this tour all students must be registered on Mobi, RMIT’s global mobility portal. There is pre-departure planning sessions to prepare for the overseas activity.
Please email kirsten.haydon@rmit.edu.au for more information and proposed itinerary.

The 2019 Global Intensive, Venice & Rome – Contemporary & Eternal, begins in Venice on Monday 1st July, and travels to Rome on 8th July before concluding on Saturday 13th July.

This will be a new study tour, focusing on contemporary and historical art, architecture and public space, as found at the 58th Venice Biennale (curated by Ralph Rugoff), throughout the city of Venice, and in the ‘eternal city’, Rome.

Itinerary outline: Venice Biennale, Venice Historic and Modern, Venice Islands & Oceans, Padua.
Rome Public Space, Rome Spiritual Space, Rome Eternal City, Rome Hills, Rivers and Gardens.

Please email kit.wise@rmit.edu.au for more information and proposed itinerary.

This study tour includes the Setouchi Triennale in Naoshima, as well as Kyoto and Tokyo. It involves visits to artist studios, museums and galleries, as well as sites of significant cultural importance. The study tour will include a practice-led art project responding to a public site in Tokyo developed in collaboration with local stakeholders. A series of lectures will be delivered before the tour to introduce students to the history, culture and art worlds of Japan.

In this course you will be introduced to the basic knowledge and skills required in the making of jewellery and small-scale objects. You will explore new possibilities for creating jewellery and objects, through the relationship to the body and experimentation with a broad range of materials, including metal. This course will provide the introductory knowledge required to working the Gold & Silversmithing studios. For further information about the learning outcomes please see the PART A http://www1.rmit.edu.au/courses/047006

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 7th February, 2019. The census date for this course is 9th February, 2019.

Through practical workshops this course introduces and explores a range of processes and techniques of lithography as a medium for drawing. Line and wash techniques will be developed over a series of projects. This elective provides an introduction to lithographic skills processes, such as, preparing a stone, drawing on a stone, processing the stone with adding and subtracting to your image as well as providing ongoing students with an opportunity to extend existing skills. You will gain an understanding of safe handling of materials and processes within the lithography studio, and how to apply these to the visual expression of conceptual principles. 

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 7th February, 2019. The census date for this course is 9th February, 2019.

This painting course will help you to understand the relationships between idea, concept, form and material as you begin to develop an individual approach to your art practice. Structured projects introduce you to composition, colour mixing, limited palette, working from observation, collage and a variety of technical approaches to painting.

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 23rd January, 2019. The census date for this course is 25th January, 2019.

This course will introduce you to screenprinting processes and technologies that focus on photographic and text based printing. The objectives of the course are to provide you with the skills and knowledge to: produce photographic screenprints; reflect upon the role of photographic screenprinting in contemporary art; and expand the aesthetic and conceptual possibilities of your art practice.

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 31st January, 2019. The census date for this course is 2nd February, 2019.

This course is designed to introduce students to the traditions of sculpture within the framework of a current art practice and to develop sculptural values and competence in the use of materials and techniques. In this course you will develop a greater understanding of sculptural concepts and materials through the establishment and/or further investigation of a personal art practice based in object making. Students will be introduced to the skills of modelling, carving, wood and metal construction using materials such as clay, plaster, wood and wire.

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 13th February, 2019. The census date for this course is 15th February, 2019.

This intensive summer class is delivered through a series of face-to-face lectures and seminars. You will examine the historical and theoretical background of select issues, ideas and practices in contemporary art and explore the importance of continuity and change as it relates to art practices across histories and contexts.

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 20th January, 2019. The census date for this course is 23rd January, 2019.

In this course you will explore and experience a range of materials and processes using digital manufacturing techniques and CAD modelling software to build jewellery and objects. Digital manufacturing processes covered will include laser cutting, object printing, and thermojet wax printing. CAD modelling will focus on learning basic to advanced rhino software. You will develop strategies for the integration of digital manufactured objects into the building of 3 dimensional forms. You will explore conceptual, perceptual, formal and aesthetic concerns in the rapid prototyping of jewellery and objects and reflect on these in relation to your own practice.

For further information about the learning outcomes please see the PART A http://www1.rmit.edu.au/courses/047009

*Please note: The last day to add this course is 2nd February, 2019. The census date for this course is 4th February, 2019.