Digital Creativity and Art & Design History

DIGITAL CREATIVITY

This course will educate students towards creating work that bridges the gap between traditional creative practices and their modern technologically facilitated counterparts from gaming, to graphic design to music and dance. It responds to the continuing appropriation of emerging digital technologies by artists with the aim of discovering new approaches for creative expression, often referred to under the umbrella term ‘Creative Convergence’. The course responds to the teaching and research interests of staff within the subjects of Music, Performance and Visual Arts, as well as colleagues in the areas related to Computer Science. You will learn how to use a variety of technologies and realise assessed projects; these may include motion capture, haptic feedback, interaction design, data sonification & visualisation, animation & sound design, and coding/scripting in relevant languages strictly for creative output. The practical seminars will act as laboratories to experiment with these technologies and enhance your skillsets, working towards a signature practice that primes them for the digital creative sector. The lectures provide a theoretical basis for you to critically position your work, further developed through student-led discussions in tutorials. The lecture content also informs the seminars, ensuring you are able to perceive the practical application of these ideas. In your first year of study, you will be introduced to the key practitioners and practices who demonstrate the ways digital technologies enrich the creative potential of traditional art forms.

ART & DESIGN HISTORY

As the UK city with more museums and galleries than any other outside of London, alongside the country’s largest contemporary art biennial, Liverpool will provide a vibrant cultural backdrop for your studies. Utilising Hope’s exclusive partnership with Tate, visiting speakers from the creative industries and the University’s own collections/gallery programme, students gain a wide-ranging understanding of theoretical perspectives in Art & Design History and how these are expressed through the workings of cultural organisations. Through our cultural partnerships and collaborations, students will be offered privileged access to important collections in Liverpool and experts working in the field.

Encompassing the study of visual and material artefacts, museum and gallery practices and the production and circulation of meaning around art and design. This degree provides a systematic understanding of art and design practices and theories with a strong emphasis on critical thinking. There is also the possibility to participate in overseas study tours – in recent years the department has visited Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bilbao, Milan, Paris, Florence, Venice, Berlin and New York.

In your second and third years, you will also take ‘Professional Practice for Art and Design History’. These courses look at theoretical approaches to museology, as well as more practical considerations such as conservation, exhibition planning and design, curatorial practices and educational activities. These components address pathways into the creative industries and address the range of roles today’s cultural organisations demand – equipping students with the skills and knowledge necessary to secure future professional opportunities. 

Hear from student Bryony Large about what it's like to study Art & Design History at Hope.