2012/13 Textile Art, Design and Fashion

The course will provide excellent learning opportunities across a multi-disciplinary platform with an expanded range of technical areas including embroidery, stitch, print, knit, weave, pattern cutting, digital technologies and CAD. We offer the opportunity to experience a variety of traditional skills, cutting edge digital technology and design. After a broad based first year learning fundamental workshop, visual literacy and contextual study skills, a second year exploring two and three dimensional thinking and processes in depth, students will be supported and guided to develop their practice in one of three pathways, Artist, Designer or Maker.

These three routes represent the main pathways into employment and self employment in the creative industries sector.

You will explore the space between tradition and innovation in textiles, fashion and art practice and will achieve this through rigorous process and conceptual engagement. The course is aimed to be in tune with the creative economy. You will be encouraged to take creative risks and pursue professional opportunities throughout the course.

This programme has a rich textiles heritage and emphasises an understanding and investigation of art and design processes and a thorough exploration of the techniques, materials and approaches to contemporary practice in the field of textiles and fashion.

A broad based first year (equivalent to Year 1 and 2 part-time) offers the opportunity to experience the wealth of textile practice available and gain the fundamental skills and knowledge of historical, contemporary and professional contexts. Working initially as a large group on visual research, drawing and the development of ideas, students will then move into workshop practice in small groups, taking either option 1 or 2. In the second semester the whole cohort works together again on visual research before taking the option not experienced in semester1. The fundamental principle is that students experience textiles as a flexible and diverse subject area and understand that processes and techniques once mastered can be relevant to any pathway or context.

The second year (equivalent to Year 3 and 4 part-time) will encourage a more in depth approach, offering the opportunity to investigate both two dimensional and three dimensional approaches to the skills acquired in Year 1. Opportunities for professional practice and entrepreneurship will be central to Year 2 study as real experience is encouraged through participation in projects, competitions, exhibitions and residencies.

At the end of the second year, some students may apply to undertake a one-year, industrial work-placement. Prospective companies will interview potential students for a specific programme of work. Opportunities vary from year to year, and previous placements have included Primark, Dunnes Stores, Bedeck Furnishings, Awear, Douglas and Grahame and Marks and Spencers.

By Year 3 (equivalent to Year 5 and 6 part-time), students will have the technical and contextual skills to identify their pathway. When choosing to consolidate their study as an artist, designer or maker, they will be supported by specialist staff to create a body of work which demonstrates the pathway chosen and their understanding of the critical and professional context of that pathway.

An appropriate blend of established and effective reaching delivery methods will be employed to enhance students’ learning experience and to achieve the learning outcomes. These include:

Tutorials – one-to-one and group will help to develop communication skills and verbally process problems and tasks in hand.

Lectures – Will impart essential information in traditional format. Case studies and the introduction of learning exercises within the lecture format will consolidate learning and introduce an opportunity for discussion and engagement.

Workshop and Studio Practice - Will encourage the importance of independent making, application and problem solving, testing and refining in order to become expert.

Critiques - will encourage effective communication, reflection, sharing of opinions, skills and ideas and provide opportunities for peer learning.

Seminars will encourage debate, reflexive thinking and good communication skills.

Demonstrations will offer the opportunity to learn new skills, ideas and approaches from experts.

Group projects will encourage a flexible approach, good communication skills and personable skills, creative testing and experimentation, peer learning, negotiation and collaboration.

Web supported learning will offer the opportunity to consolidate and deepen face to face learning, communicate and share information with the wider cohort and develop essential digital skills. The course team will use WebCT to supplement and enhance module content including providing additional support for practical workshops, creating links to sources of further information, encourage online discussion groups the development of web based portfolios and continual use of the PD System.

Formative and summative feedback: formative feedback is given in tutorials, critiques and studio seminars in verbal form on a regular basis and is crucial to student progress. Summative feedback is presented after assessment in written and verbal forms and offers a chance for a student to reflect on progress and achievement and to receive suggestions for future direction.

All assessment is based on 100% coursework – submitted in a variety of different art and design outputs, including:

• Documentation & collation of samples, experimental pieces, and working processes.
• Collections of practical and contextual research.
• Written critical/reflective commentaries on studio practice.
• Presentations – including presentation of research on artists/designers/industry and other contextual material.
• Written reports/market reports.
• Professional portfolios (paper and/or web based).
• Essays.
• Dissertation.

Graduates will be equipped to pursue a range of career paths within an increasingly diverse field as self employed and freelance textile artists, designers, and makers of craft objects. For those focusing on business and industry they will work as designers, buyers, product developers and design marketing executives. For those in the public and private sectors they will find careers as arts officers, educators, workshop coordinators, community artists, curators and cultural commentators. Others will choose to become freelance textile artists, designers and makers of functional and non functional artworks, selling their work through art and craft markets, online, or through agents. They will undertake private and public commissions, residencies and will adopt a portfolio approach to building a career.

Student Services Centre
Belfast campus
Tel: +44 (0)28 9536 7202
Email: adbe@ulster.ac.uk

Course Director
Alison Gault
Tel: 028 9536 7390
Email: ae.gault@ulster.ac.uk

• Faculty webpage