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Programme Overview

The M.Litt in Fine Art Practice is a one year taught programme which runs for 12 months between September and September.

Performance Pathway

This specialist Pathway is primarily focused on the study of performance. Whilst performance, for some, will always occupy an avante garde role, it has gained, for many, both in importance and 4 independent significance through the work of major international artists, collectors, curators and educators. The challenge to the Fine Art curriculum, since the liberalising of art education in the 1960’s, has been to maintain the connection with ‘craft’ and its history whilst opening up to the opportunities of expanded ‘international practice’. With the advances in materials and technologies the ‘technical’ aspect of Fine Art practice for both the student and the professional has generated new formats for production and exhibition. Performance, as much as any other process, has undergone a transformation that is, among other things, ‘site specific’, ‘installational’, ‘narrative’, ‘conceptual’, ‘interactive’ and has utilised a wide range of techniques and technologies. An indication of these developments and the interest of artists and audiences can be found in the number of galleries, major exhibitions and publications devoted to performance over the last 20 years. It is a studio based course which may encompass all elements related to performance; sculpture, installation, lighting, sound, interactivity, all elements which draw from an expanded practice within Fine Art. By the end of the programme the students will be expected to demonstrate their learning through a personal approach and exploration of a range of media associated with performance via a thorough theoretical underpinning of the subject.

Sculpture Pathway

This specialist pathway offers students opportunity to engage with the expanded field of theory and practice of Sculpture, specifically with emphasis on place and context. Through a combination of studio practice, access to specialist workshop facilities, critical discourse, as well as potential links with Sculpture and Environmental Art’s external partners, it offers a challenging and motivating environment through which to experiment, reflect and develop new individual directions. The Sculpture pathway will culminate in a self-directed enquiry, which, through practice, will test and investigate theoretical approaches to making, collaboration and social engagement. The Sculpture pathway provides unrivaled studio and workshop facilities in the centre of the city, with access to high-end workshops and exhibition spaces, offering ambitious working opportunities in terms of scale, space and install. As such, it offers opportunity for students to hone and develop professional skills in relation to the specific challenges presented by each particular context, offering a unique catalyst for learning, dialogue, development and production.

Students on the MLitt in Fine Art Practice Programme oscillate between operating within their pathways (in the studio, in tutorials and group critiques, and specifically focused lectures and seminars), and across them - especially in lectures and talks that deal with more generic conceptual and philosophical issues. Efforts are made to ensure that students on the programme are enabled to fully devote themselves to their chosen field of practice, whilst facilitating their learning through the provision of a range of interdisciplinary opportunities for critical reflection and personal development.

Students will also achieve PgCert and PgDip exit awards during this course.