Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Study Details: Two years (60 weeks) Extended full-time
MA Contemporary Photography and Theory begins from a fluid and interdisciplinary understanding of photography, situating it in relation to fine art and through an engagement with contemporary philosophy and theory. The course is located in photography’s ‘expanded field’, wherein traditional, medium-bound notions of what constitutes a photograph find themselves challenged by other forms of making, including film and video, installation, sculpture and assemblage, performance, and painting. Taking photography as a starting point—but not an end—this course understands the practice of image-making as central to the condition of contemporary society.
In our current landscape, visual literacy is more important than ever. By learning to think with and through photography (whether or not you employ it in your practice), you will be inspired to critically engage with images: both those that you make, and those which you are surrounded by. You will be asked to look beyond framing devices like racial, gendered and geographic hierarchies, and to consider not only what these capture but what they leave out. By attending to photography and other image-making practices, the complex systems in which we work and live can be unpacked and re-formed.
MA Contemporary Photography and Theory invites students and staff to learn from each other through taught seminars, group critiques, workshops and exhibitions. This will help you to integrate your making and thinking, developing your practice as both an artist and a researcher. Academic and teaching staff will support you as you refine your work, helping you to position it within a field of discourse appropriate to your interests.
What to expect
We select applicants according to potential and current ability in the following areas:
What we are looking for
We are seeking imaginative, resourceful individuals who are committed to exploring and developing a strong individual visual language.
Our Postgraduate Art Programme offers valuable opportunities to build transferable professional knowledge and skills. The exchange of perspectives with others through shared units, reading groups and debates helps establish stimulating and productive networks.
MA Contemporary Photography and Theory is structured around four assessed units, each of which include teaching events (including personal tutorials, group critiques, lectures, workshops, inductions, and public facing events) to facilitate the development of your thinking and practice. Throughout the course you will also be expected to engage in independent practice and research. The four units build on each other, and are supported by a range of specialist staff and guest lecturers.
In Year 1 of the course, teaching is more intensive, and group work submerges you in the development of your practice. Year 2 continues with an emphasis on independent study, as your practice evolves towards exhibiting in the Showcase.
Unit 1: Exploring Practice and Research
In Unit 1 we explore different ways of practicing. Through a weekly taught seminar, you will be introduced to key histories and concepts relating to photography: not just as a medium, but as an idea. By ‘thinking photographically,’ we will explore what it means to make images across different mediums, establishing a critical context for the development of your own practice. You will begin to carve out your own independent research interests, supported by tutorials, installs and group critiques.
Unit 2: The Collaborative Unit
This unit provides opportunities for cross-course creative and collaborative practices in relation to global challenges. The unit explores a range of thematic, experimental, and applied approaches to cross-disciplinary research, enquiry, and knowledge exchange. The aim is to establish a framework for co-operation and social responsibility across the College in relation to our shared values.
Unit 3: Developing Practice and Research
In Unit 3, you will continue to develop your research interests and to articulate how your practice is positioned against them. This is a largely self-led unit, supported by tutorials, seminars, and an academic tutor who will oversee the progression of your independent research. The unit culminates with the submission of a research paper, which will inform the continuing development of your work and focus your practice as you begin Unit 4.
Unit 4: Realisation of Practice and Research
In Unit 4, you will be supported to create a cohesive body of work, building from your research interests and practice to date. Professional development events will enhance how you position your work in relation to an audience, and prepare you for life after graduation. Unit 4 culminates with the Showcase, a public facing exhibition which all students participate in.
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