- UCAS Code
- W271
- Location
- Penryn Campus
- Length
- 3 years full-time
- Direct line
- 01326 213730
- Admissions
- admissions@falmouth.ac.uk
Ceramics. Glass. Wood. Metal. Plastic. Paper… Whatever materials interest you, our innovative approach to design and making will help your creativity soar. Covering a broad range of skills and processes, all with making at their heart, Contemporary Crafts at Falmouth gives you the opportunity to explore both traditional processes and digital technologies. Our high-specification facilities, progressive technology and staff of practising designer-makers will help you develop exciting and original approaches to your work.
Our innovative and flexible approach means you'll have ample opportunity to experiment and discover your own artistic voice, pushing the boundaries of existing practice. Through community projects, site-specific work, exhibitions and self-negotiated projects, you'll learn how to drive design concepts forward from idea to final product, working with both traditional and revolutionary techniques, from maquette making to computer-aided design (CAD). You'll gain a solid grasp of the core principles of design through the manipulation of materials, as well as a broad range of related craft skills – helping you to develop your creative ideas. You'll also have the opportunity to work on a number of live projects with museums, galleries, gardens and businesses.
BA(Hons) Contemporary Crafts benefits from the unique history and landscape of Cornwall, as well as the facilities and resources of our acclaimed Design Centre. A collaborative design environment, this inspiring space provides the opportunity for shared practice with other undergraduate design courses, so you can develop critical thinking and craft skills that work across design and art disciplines.
How is the course taught
Full-time, practice-based and very intensive, you'll be taught through training and technique sessions, workshops, seminars and one-to-one tutorials. You'll receive high-level instruction from our technical specialists and be expected to participate in workshops and talks from visiting professionals as well as attend performances presented through our public programme.
Careers
- Work in a design studio
- Setting up your own workshop or studio
- Work in community arts projects
- Work with museums and art galleries
Assessment
- Continuous assessment with no formal examinations
- A combination of visual, verbal and written assignments including project work, essays and seminar presentations
- A dissertation and two exhibitions in your final year of study
Experience you'll get
- Live projects with businesses, galleries and community groups
- Collaborative design with fellow undergraduate design students
Interview and selection process
We invite all applicants to interview. The interview process will last for approximately three hours and will include a short talk by teaching staff, a tour of the Design Centre and a group interview. You will also meet Contemporary Crafts students who will talk to you about their current work.
You will be interviewed by a panel consisting of one or two academic members of staff and one student. You will be asked to select elements of your work from your portfolio or sketchbooks to support your responses to interview questions.
You will need to bring a comprehensive portfolio of work, sketchbooks and a written essay, which demonstrate your ability to investigate ideas across a range of media. Observational drawing and other forms of visual communication and investigation are particularly important. We are also looking for creative ingenuity and experimentation, as well as technical ability in the use of materials and production methods and skills. Please don't bring large three-dimensional pieces. We would prefer photographs of these, if you have them, or small-scale work.
Interviews are currently taking place.
Location: Penryn Campus
What you'll do
Stage 1
In your first year, you'll be given a thorough practical introduction to a wide range of materials and processes, trying your hand at everything to see what interests you the most. You'll develop a sound technical and production knowledge that will help you explore and innovate, reinforced with theoretical, professional and contextual understanding to strengthen your grasp of studio practice and processes.
Stage 2
As your experience grows, you'll have the opportunity to hone in on the materials and processes you'd like to specialise in. You'll also take a closer look at the designer-maker's audiences and identity, different forms of professional engagement and a deeper level of critical theory and practice, while also working in student teams on live projects for real clients.
Stage 3
As your confidence grows, you'll gradually work more and more independently. Exploring your own ideas and interests, you'll negotiate and complete a project of your own, as well as a contextual research project. Your final year also presents an external brief for you to respond to; planning, managing and producing your work to prepare you for professional life after graduation.
