Fine Art

About the course

The Fine Art Programme focuses on contemporary art and practice and theories that inform it. This is a studio-based programme that approaches art practice in an investigative and experimental way. The ethos is pluralistic in approach, enabling students to specialise or work across media in such areas as painting, sculpture / installation, printmaking, video, photography, performance / installation. The emphasis is on establishing a personal direction through both process and critique.

The programme is progressive in outlook, fostering openness to new learning and emergent forms of practice, giving students the perspective to place both themselves and their work in a broader global context.

Starting from May 2020 programmes that cover different areas of contemporary art become a part of a new BHSAD and Universal University platform — Moscow School of Contemporary Art.

Britanka Degree Show 2021

What makes the programme unique

OUR TUTORS

Staff who teach on this course are themselves practicing professionals (fine art experts, curators, art-managers) at the cutting edge of their field and they bring their industry insights and experience directly into the teaching. Their knowledge, technique skills and enthusiasm help students to achieve impressive results in contemporary art learning. Tutors support students at all stages of project, teach them to argue with critics and to assess themselves.

A SPACE FOR CREATIVE EXPERIMENTS

The programme encourages students to take a research-driven, experimental approach as part of their contemporary artistic practice. Students are constantly trying out innovative concepts in the field of contemporary art. They focusing on a specific techniques or synthesize them in areas such as painting, sculpture/installation, printmaking, video, photography, performance/ installation.

LEARNING RESOURCES

The Learning Resources Centre at BHSAD is the perfect place to study. It offers access to a broad range of specialist books and journals, DVDs, videos, slides, and all the electronic resources.

PARTICIPATION IN PRESTIGIOUS EXHIBITIONS

Students can consolidate their knowledge by participating in actual exhibition projects outside the School. Our students have been involved in exhibitions in places like: the Centre for Creative Industries (CCI) Fabrika, the Moscow Museum, the Garage Musuem of Contemporary Art (MCA), the ArtPlay Centre of Design, NIIDAR, the art.ru Agency, the 180 m2 project, WT4, as well as non-art spaces, such as the Soviet cinema, cafes and vintage shops.

MEETINGS WITH EXPERTS IN THE FIELD

The School regularly invites well-known Russian and foreign experts in the field of contemporary art. These meetings take place in a variety of formats — from one-off lectures and round tables to series of workshops with practical activities and tasks.

SPACIOUS ART STUDIOS

Each student is allocated a private workspace in one of our spacious art studios for the duration of their studies, where they can experiment with: painting, design, makeup, the creation of large and small structures, the construction of sets and costumes, and even street art. Upon consultation, larger or alternative working spaces can be allocated on a project-by-project basis. We believe that our students' imaginations should be allowed to run free — unrestricted by the constraints of physical space.

VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES

Our workshops provide all the necessary equipment for the application of manual artistic techniques such as: painting, sculpture, etching and silkscreen printing. In addition, students have access to the Centre of Modelling and Prototyping, which is equipped with a 3D printer and advanced equipment to work with metal, wood and plastic.

THINK IT. MAKE IT

The course believes that students should be able to use any processes and technologies they feel their project work may require. Within the school our students have access to animation, sound, and video editing suites; photography studios and darkrooms; ceramics and printmaking facilities; large format digital printing equipment; as well as woodwork and metalwork workshops.

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Programme Structure

Year 1: Modules

The learning experience is focused through a series of short ‘themed’ projects that enable the gaining of skills in fundamental techniques and processes. Investigation into ‘colour’ and ‘sculptural techniques’ will help underpin intellectual understanding of materials and their properties through a series of workshops.

A weekly lecture programme and 1-1 tutorials with staff and visiting practitioners will consolidate the understanding of artistic activity and further contextualise the individual position. ‘Series and sequence’ and ‘working in collaboration’ will allow the rolling forward of personal investigation into new realms, culminating in an essay of tutorial reports of 1500 words and an essay of research interests of 1500 words and an end of year show.

Core modules:

Fine Art Practice 1A
Fine Art Practice 1B
Fine Art in Context 1
Fine Art: Visions, Contexts, Languages (Critical and Cultural Studies)

Year 2: Modules

The second year of the programme will focus more on equipping the student with research skills that help to situate the developing practice within a wider cultural context. Continued workshop programmes will aid the acquisition of skills. Professional practice and career progression will also begin in year 2. The critical studies module will require the submission of 2 research papers of upto 2000 words each.

Core modules:

Fine Art Practice 2A
Fine Art Practice 2B
Fine Art in Context 2
Fine Art: Debates and Values (Critical and Cultural Studies)

Year 3: Modules

In the third year student develop their individual studio practice and present a final assessed exhibition. here, they consider how their work communicates and devise an appropriate strategy for engaging with an audience. They explore current opportunities in fine art or related careers relevant to your individual aspirations and produce a professional presentation with accompanying literature, considering how to tailor presentations to suit different career contexts.

Core Modules:

Fine Art Practice 3A
Fine Art Practice 3B
Fine Art Degree Essay (Critical and Cultural Studies)

Tutors

Teachers

Ian Charlesworth

Programme leader

More

John Lavell

Carlos Veiga do Nascimento

Marina Androsovich

Dan Smith

Student works

How to apply

01

Required portfolio

The range of work in your portfolio should cover a broad spectrum of media, materials and approaches. Projects may be submitted in different disciplines including but not limited to graphics, drawing, painting, textile, photography, decorative art, design, web-design, animation.

First of all, the admission committee would like to see how you can generate and develop your ideas; that is why, besides finished projects, the portfolio should also include notebooks with sketches, sketchbooks, written works (articles, essays, if any). Please try to present examples of the best and most recent projects which reflect your creative abilities.

Your portfolio needs to be printed (А3 format or larger). Animation and CG works should be presented on CDs or memory sticks. It advisable to show photographs of large works which otherwise would be difficult to transport.

02

Interview procedure

Prospective students will be asked questions regarding their education and professional background in order to make a final decision about admission on to the course. Please be ready to tell the interview panel about yourself, your design experience and projects in your portfolio.

You may be asked about the history of creation of a particular work and the context of its creation. The panel may ask you about well-known designers to learn about the influence of creative activities of other designers and artists on you, the reason why you follow them and the main incentive for your development in terms of your occupation.

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