Contemporary Visual Practices

Description

In this module you will be introduced to a diverse spectrum of critical issues in contemporary visual culture. You will explore the links between the historical and the contemporary, and learn how to apply critical theory in visual and discursive analysis. You will engage with a wide range of visual practices in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, drawing on examples of high art, popular culture and new media, as well as experiences of urbanism and the environment. Topics may include curation, heritage, migration, performance, gender, and race. This module aims to allow you to: - gain the knowledge and skills necessary to critically approach a range of issues in contemporary visual culture - develop a good understanding of historical discourses and critical theory, and how these can be applied to things we see and experience in institutions and everyday life - consider the production, circulation and consumption of visual culture, as well as the dynamics between past and present, social and political - address issues of identity in the contemporary global world - such as class, gender, race, and sexuality - consider circuits of visual culture within built and virtual environments, both locally and globally In addition to the refinement of critical thinking skills, there will be a strong emphasis on practices of making and display; this will include the development of curatorial skills and creative interactions with archives, museums and other cultural institutions. This will enhance your research interests and transferable skills, preparing you for further specialisation in the final stage.