School of Art - University Electives, Semester 1 2020

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 2020 School electives/intensives are found on their own page.

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/Coordinator

2020 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
VART3627 Practicing with Indigenous Art (Flexible Term Intensive)
VART1398  Sculpture Elective
COMM1272  Studio Production
VART2022  Temporal Drawing
VART3500  The Print Original Paradox
VART3633  Visualising Data Through Art
VART3473 3D Printed Objects

Semester 2 University Electives

VART1704 Alternative Photographic Processes
VART3511 Art and Photography
VART3495 Art of Place (Flexible Term Intensive Mid Semester Break)
VART3480  Artist's Books
VART3514  Ceramic Fundamentals
VART1325  Drawing Elective
VART3470  Jewellery Fundamentals
VART1221  Lithography: Drawing to Print
VART1316  Painting Elective
VART3590 Photography 101
VART2027  Public Art Projects
VART1398  Sculpture Elective
COMM1272  Studio Production
VART3500  The Print Original Paradox
VART3464  Video Art
VART3473 3D Printed Objects

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 materials and develop fundamental skills in the making of objects through ceramic methods. You will also address conceptual and technical concerns related to the making of objects. This course will also help you to understand 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 assist you to develop conceptual, perceptual, formal and aesthetic concerns as related to jewellery objects.

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 elective will give you an elementary understanding of the concepts and materials and contexts used in the production of paintings. You will be encouraged to experiment with and respond to materials; develop an awareness of visual perception and intuitive sensibilities; and see painting as a self-reflexive ongoing practice, which may link to your major area of study.
You will extend your knowledge regarding Painting through experimentation with different painting supports; preparation of grounds; various painting media; colour mixing; colour theory; compositional and spatial considerations. Studio based learning via projects and instruction sessions where you will be producing paintings, drawings and collages. There will be individual consultations with the lecturer involving feedback and appraisal on exercises and self-directed projects where appropriate.
Advanced projects are negotiated with students with a greater experience in the subject. The course is supported by individual visual research, including the production of a visual diary. Group tutorials, critiques, demonstrations, student presentations and gallery visits. Methods of Production, Health and Safety will be experienced.

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.

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. 

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