Project 2

Art Now! The art of communicating ideas

Artists and designers react and respond to current

events, feeding off them to generate ideas and
then producing and contributing work that gives
us new points of view and a new understanding of
the events themselves. Their art may ask
questions of the audience and may use consistent
creative strategies to do so. This is called having
an ‘art practice’

8
Deadline
15.01.21
WEEKS

Start date
09.11.21
Unit 2 Developing specialist practice

Project Overview

Research and contextualise creative ambitions within specialist practice

LO1 Apply research methodology and use technical skills and practical experimentation to develop
ideas within a specialist practice

LO2 Use self-reliant learning strategies to develop ideas and solve complex problems within the
context of specialist practice to inform and realise creative solutions
Review and apply presentation skills in order to communicate their creative practice to a

LO3 selected audience

Use critical evaluation and reflective skills in order to take responsibility for own

LO5 learning and development

LO4
In this project you will need to record and respond to the things happening
now. You will experiment with ways in which you might use research into
current events and issues as creative inspiration to make work that both
represents your position but also challenges it. You will need to explore
media and methods of production to communicate ideas and engage
audiences.
You must reflect on the first stage of this Foundation year and select a
specialist area that best suites your practice and ambitions. This can be
anything of your choosing. You can use Fashion, Painting, Illustration, Film,
Animation, Architecture, Print and anything in between to express your ideas
on current events, politics, women’s rights, feminism, climate change, gay
rights, poverty, class or anything else happening in the world today.

Be current. Be Relevant.
Art and design research methods
2
WEEKS

Can you react to an idea in the same way you reacted to a space?

You will select an area of interest of your choice

What are you passionate about? What do you want to say? What do you want to
challenge?

Work in your chosen specialist medium. What is your specialism? This might include:
Painting
Illustration
Fine Art
Architecture
Fashion
Interior Design
Film
Print
Photography

Vivienne Westwood
Art and design Research

Engage with current affairs and issues! What are you passionate about? What annoys you? What you think
is wrong? What is fantastic? What needs celebration? What needs more awareness? What needs
defending?

 Collect newspaper cuttings, articles from websites, opinion pieces, statistics, interviews, imagery
and any other information that lets you build a thorough picture of the issues you are interested in
and passionate about.

 Sketchbook work should be continued on a daily basis throughout the project

Use ‘This will change your life’ to identify new interesting sources for inspiration (films, books,
music). Watch the news, read opinions, digest the facts. What do you think?

• Identify artists that inform your understanding of how to react to these issues, events and ideas.
Research these, present the evidence in your sketchbook. How might these artists influence the
way that you will work?

• Collect as much information as you can. Keep up with the way things are developing. Make your
research current. Talk to people, interview people, engage with the latest news and ideas on your
chosen topic. Detail all of this in your sketchbook.

• Keep detailed reflective notes on the ways that your ideas are forming in reaction to the research
that you are gathering. Consider and plan for new areas of investigation and make connections
with your personal practice.

Bob and Roberta Smith

This Is England (film directed by Shane Meadows)
 4
Art and design Materials and methods
Art and Design Problem solving

WEEKS

You will use your research to begin developing ideas for creative outcomes using your chosen specialism.
Sharing your findings and receiving feedback is essential to this process.

 Present research work for critique to peers and tutors, reflect on feedback and begin to build the
next stage of your investigation.

 Produce a broad and wide-ranging set of creative responses to your research. This could take the
form of.
 Mind-maps or detailed notes exploring initial thoughts and responses.
 Drawing- playing with ideas and motifs pulled from research
 Shoot plans or story boards
 Initial concept drawings

 Select and manipulate your strongest ideas. This could take the form of.
 A range initial material experiments and samples that explore possible processes.
 Developed design concepts

 Allow your ideas to change direction and move away from 2Dimensional imagery into 3Dimensional
structures/ photography/ film/ fashion/ architecture depending on your developing specialist
pathway aim

 Reflect on how your chosen ideas communicate to your audience? , Where might this project lead?
How does your chosen subject impact an audience when presented using your chosen specialism?

 Explore and record new information, artists, films, ideas in sketchbook to inform the development
and keep the project active and responsive.

Marina Abramovic
 Art and design Materials and methods
Art and Design Problem solving

Take the developing ideas and creative processes and refine the approach and methods to distil your
concept. You will need to scrutinise your what you have done and select the most effective ways to finalise
ideas and communicate your intentions.

 Present ideas development, expriments/samples, initial creative outcomes for critique. Reflect on
feedback to make plans for the resolution of the project.

 Refine the use of materials, methods and processes and align them to conceptual concerns. Ensure
that the content of your work and the way that you make your work make sense to your project’s
aims.

 Reconsile your conceptual ambitions and the ways in which an audience will engage by planning
and exploring ways to present your work effectively that reflects and meets the expectations of
both your chosen specialism and the audience but also challenges and questions them.

Kara Walker
Art and design Materials and methods
Art and Design Problem solving

Art and design Reflection and Evaluation

Art and Design Presentation
2
WEEKS

The work that you make is truly only completed when confronted with and audience, your ideas
and conceptual approaches will be tested by that way an audience reacts and responds to your work. This
is a vulnerable time for an artists but it is also a necessary process for work to be resolved. You will also
need to sumarise, reflect, evaluate and take stock of the project as a whole to fully understand what you
have done and how it will lead into the next and final stage of the Foundation year.

 Complete and resolve the material stage of your project either in an outcome or a series of
outcomes that embody the projects focus and concerns.

 Develop and experiment with presentation plans. Consider what would best serve the work and
most engage an audience. This could take the form of.
 Studio/college based exhibition of your work.
 Off site presentation and record of the event.
 Online presentation or publication.
 Printed book or zine.

 Write a 750 word evaluation that critically analyses the project’s successes measured against the
project’s aims and ambitions. You will need to explore the effectiveness of the investigation into
your selected theme, your use of specialist materials, methods and processes and ability to
communicate and engage with an audience.

Grayson Perry
Unit 2 Developing specialist practice
Grading Grid
Descriptors
Context
Understanding and application of
subject knowledge, and underlying
principles.
Research
Identification and investigation of
varied primary and secondary
visual, academic, ethical and
cultural sources.
Development of Creative Practice
Skills to enable the realisation of
ideas, appropriate to creative
practice.
Problem Solving
Solve problems and adapt to
unforeseen challenges in the
realisation of creative practice.
Planning, progress and production
Management of own learning and
progress through active reflection,
negotiation, planning, self-direction,
subject engagement and
commitment.
Evaluation and Reflection
Taking active responsibility for own
learning, development and decision
making using critically evaluative
and reflective skills.
Communicating and Presenting a
Creative Practice Communicating
and presenting a creative, individual
or collaborative personal practice
Fail
Insufficient understanding of
subject knowledge and underlying
principles.
Context lacks clarity in aims and
purpose
Insufficient evidence presented of
how research is used to inform and
develop ideas
Skills development and processes
are neither explored or
demonstrated.
Judgement and execution of
techniques are poor and fail to
communicate creative practice
Insufficient engagement with
seeking alternative approaches to
solving problems.
Insufficient evidence of testing and
impact.
Insufficient purpose or active
reflection and planning.
Insufficient self-direction, subject
engagement and evaluation against
aims.
Insufficient evidence of ongoing and
summative critical reflection and
evaluation used to develop ideas
and practice and reflect on decision
making.
Insufficient or ineffective
communication and presentation of
ideas.
Pass (L3)
Relevant understanding of subject
context is used appropriately to
make judgements, articulate aims
and clarify purpose.
Relevant information has been
gathered, documented and used in
the development of ideas.
Relevant information has been
gathered, documented and used in
the development of ideas.
Relevant understanding and
exploration of alternative ideas and
processes to identify and resolve
practical and theoretical problems
within creative practice.
Relevant, meaningful and active
planning and reflection, against
aims.
Evidence of self-direction, subject
engagement and commitment.
Relevant and valid, ongoing and
summative critical reflection and
evaluation informs learning, and
communicates decision making and
the development of ideas.
Realistic evaluation of own practice
used effectively to identify and
communicate progress.
Relevant and effective
communication, with sufficient
clarity, organisation and consistency
in presenting ideas appropriate to
the intended audience.