- Location
- Falmouth Campus
- Length
- 1 year full-time
2 years part-time - Direct line
- 01326 213730
- Admissions
- admissions@falmouth.ac.uk
The Falmouth Foundation Diploma is designed to set you up for a life of creativity. For many it is a year of exploration and discovery when pivotal decisions are made. By exploring methods and materials, processes and approaches, ideas and histories we discover new information, new disciplines, new problems to solve, new ways of thinking, new directions and new aspects of ourselves.
Falmouth is a great place to study Foundation. A popular course with an excellent reputation spanning 40 years, our Foundation Diploma is one of the only courses in the country based in a specialist arts institution. What’s more, Cornwall’s art heritage and lively contemporary culture make for a highly creative community, where you’ll be surrounded by people working on exciting projects across art, design, media and performance.
We encourage you to explore various ways of working and thinking so that you can see where your strengths lie, before deciding which particular art, design or media direction to follow. We then start to lead you along this pathway, introducing you to degree students, course staff and visiting speakers who operate in your favoured discipline, familiarising you with the terrain until you have the confidence and independence to set off towards your specialist destination.
For many, this course bridges the gap between secondary and higher education, expanding and deepening their knowledge, and building a strong portfolio for degree application. For others, it’s a great chance to diversify into new fields or refresh their skills. Whatever your starting point, it will change the way you look at things.
Whoever you are, you’ll find the experience will challenge your attitudes, equip you with new skills and introduce new approaches to creative practice and learning.
Please note: The part-time mode recruits every other year. The next part-time intake is 2014.
How is the course taught
Our experienced staff – all accomplished visual practitioners with a range of expertise – will introduce you to the fundamental skills required to become a successful artist, designer, maker or media practitioner. As the course progresses, emphasis changes from project work set by tutors, to student-negotiated projects and finally to self-written projects.
Educational opportunities
- Undergraduate study: Many students go on to undergraduate courses at Falmouth and other universities and colleges. These include fashion, textiles, graphics, illustration, drawing, architecture, spatial and environmental design, theatre, 3D and product design, fine art and photography. If you’ve satisfactorily completed Falmouth’s Foundation course and have a supporting academic recommendation, we’ll guarantee you a place on an appropriate degree course at Falmouth the following academic year. As part of this process, you’ll be guaranteed an interview on the degree course of your choice.
- Postgraduate study: Some students who are returners to education go on to postgraduate courses if they already hold a first degree or have relevant industry experience.
- Personal practice in the visual arts: A number of students use this course to sharpen not only their visual awareness, but also their practical and specialist skills, in preparation for personal practice, self-employment or employment across the creative sector.
Assessment
Your studio practice will be continuously assessed, along with written assignments and an end of year exhibition.
Course outline
The course will introduce you to the following:
- Drawing and ways of seeing, life drawing and observational methods
- Workshops in painting, printmaking, bookbinding, photography, moving image and 3D practices
- Contextual investigations through history, exhibitions and events, field visits and foreign study trips, written assignments and engaging lectures
- Construction methods in fabric, fibre, wood, metal, clay, plaster, glass, and mixed media
- Design principles in illustration, typography, advertising, packaging, animation, spatial and architectural, textile, crafts and applied arts, 3D and product, 2D and 3D software, fashion and costume
- Fine art practice in sculpture, installation and site-specific work, text and bookworks, time-based studies, images and concepts
Interview and selection process
The interview process takes about four hours. During this time you will undertake a practical making and drawing project, have a campus tour with student ambassadors from the Foundation course, and have a one-to-one interview with a member of staff.
If you're invited to interview, your portfolio should include examples of a range of your work - around 20 pieces should be enough. We want to see a range of your drawings including some examples of observational work. We also like to see examples of creative development through different stages of research, exploratory drawing, and general experimentation as well as more finished examples.
Your portfolio should also include an essay relating to art and design issues, sketch books and design sheets as well as models, prototypes, material experiments and finished pieces.
Interviews for 2013 entry were held in February. All applicants who completed a project successfully, by the deadline, were invited to interview.
