Undergraduate Course: Art in Practice 3 (ARTX10072)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | Art in Practice 3 is a studio-based course in which you will develop an independent approach to art practice in a contemporary context. You will be supported by regular tutorials with experienced artists and theorists, integrating research and practice in a holistic learning experience. |
| Course description |
Through self-initiated study, you will be encouraged to define an area of interest, conceptually and practically, and to develop your own methods of artmaking within a contemporary context. Your study plan will outline short-term and long-term goals. This will help you identify practice-based enquiry as research and develop academic and professional methods and methodologies to facilitate your progress. You will become familiar with professional artistic practices by engaging with writing about your work (artist statement), presenting and discussing your studio work with staff outside of your tutor group (studio visits), and communicating it in a way appropriate to the discipline (digital portfolio).
A series of seminars will be delivered across semesters 1 and 2 and will introduce you to artistic research methods with established and new lines of enquiry. This will provide opportunities for collaboration and for sharing ideas and outcomes, encouraging a vibrant and dynamic studio culture. This will also provide a framework for your own research presentations. There will be a lecture introducing the distinct parts of the course at the beginning of each semester. Fortnightly tutorials (alternating 2-hour group and 30-min individual tutorials), with a range of experienced artists, practitioners, and theorists, will support you to extend your understanding of processes, methods, and applications relevant to your work, and begin to consolidate an integrated knowledge of what constitutes an art practice. Research seminars are scheduled for 4 consecutive weeks in semester 1. Two workshops are scheduled in semester 2. Sharing of the research seminars outcomes in semester 1 and a group exhibition in semester 2 will bring opportunities for you to engage with the full-year cohort. Whilst all teaching activities will be scheduled on a single day, you have continuous access to your studio. Students are expected to prepare new material to present in advance of their tutorials and seminars.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | To fully participate in this course students are recommended to budget a minimum of £50.00 for general art materials such as sketchbooks, pens, pencils, paper.
Basic materials specific to courses activities will be provided.
This Course requires additional costs to be met by the Student. Course Organisers will support you in meeting intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, however, depending on your project focus within the course, you may optionally choose to incur costs associated with realising aspects of your work. Such costs are not compulsory and depend on the nature of your chosen individual project work.
Equipment and software: Most equipment and software required will be provided by the School, but student will be expected to provide some specialist equipment including [e.g. headphones, SD cards] if working with digital media. work.
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| Additional Costs | To fully participate in this course students are recommended to budget a minimum of £50.00 for general art materials such as sketchbooks, pens, pencils, paper.
Basic materials specific to courses activities will be provided.
This Course requires additional costs to be met by the Student. Course Organisers will support you in meeting intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, however, depending on your project focus within the course, you may optionally choose to incur costs associated with realising aspects of your work. Such costs are not compulsory and depend on the nature of your chosen individual project work.
Equipment and software: Most equipment and software required will be provided by the School, but student will be expected to provide some specialist equipment including [e.g. headphones, SD cards] if working with digital media. work.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
| Course Start Date |
21/09/2026 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
392 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
SUMMATIVE Assessment(s)
This course has 2 summative assessments components:
Portfolio of Practice 1 (50%) submitted in the December assessment period and evidencing all Learning Outcomes.
Portfolio of Practice 2 (50%) submitted at the end of the course and evidencing all Learning Outcomes.
All Learning Outcomes must be passed to pass the course.
SUMMATIVE Assessment details
The Year 2 Studio Portfolio of Practice submissions 1 and 2 involve a portfolio of studio experimentation and/or resolved work alongside primary and secondary research.
Portfolio of Practice 1 (50%) requires a body of work with reflective text (400-450 words).
Portfolio of Practice 2 (50%) requires a body of work with artist statement (400-450 words).
The Year 3 Portfolio of Practice submissions 1and 2 both involve the submission of a portfolio of self-directed studio experimentation and/or resolved work alongside primary and secondary research. |
| Feedback |
FORMATIVE
Verbal feedback is provided regularly in studio tutorials as well as in response to formative tasks. These instances of feedforward from both tutors and peers will assist you in understanding the strengths, weaknesses, and areas of focus within your investigation which need further clarification and refinement towards your summative assessments.
SUMMATIVE
You will be provided with individual written feedback and grades on summative submissions. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop a self-directed artistic investigation using practice-based enquiry.
- Define the professional context and practical approaches that underpin their personal artistic practice.
- Create a body of resolved work which represents a sustained independent investigation into, and through, individual practice.
- Compose a digital portfolio in a professional manner to represent a body of resolved studio work.
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Reading List
Boon, Marcus & Levine, Gabriel, eds. (2018), Practice. London: Whitechapel Gallery.
Enwezor, Okwui, ed. (2020), Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America. New York: Phaidon & New Museum.
Lack, Jessica, ed. (2017), Why Are We 'Artists'? 100 World Art Manifestos. London: Penguin Classics.
Latour, Bruno & Weibel, Peter, eds. (2020), Critical Zones: The Science and Politics of Landing on Earth. Karlsruhe: ZKM & The MIT Press.
Obrist, Hans Ulrich & Stasinopoulos, Kostas, eds. (2021), 140 Artists' Ideas for Planet Earth. London: Penguin Classics.
Young, Linsey, ed. (2023), Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK, 1970-90. London: Tate Publishing. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research & Enquiry: demonstrate proficiency in undertaking independent research that investigates and articulates ideas relevant to their art practice in a contemporary context. This will necessitate that our graduates can handle and navigate the complexity of sources, information, and issues contemporary art practices engage with.
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy: develop an awareness of the intentions, processes, outcomes, contexts, and methods of dissemination, while being critically self-reflective in recognising and addressing ethical dilemmas and social responsibilities associated with the field of contemporary art practice. Develop personal resilience to deal with the challenges inherent in contemporary art practices.
Personal Effectiveness: work independently to meet course deadlines while developing their knowledge of technical processes relevant to contemporary art practice to meet said deadlines. Develop skills in planning, organisation, and time management related to the development and resolution of outcomes; including managing workloads while accommodating the change and uncertainty inherent in creative processes of making and developing the capacity to adapt emotions, thoughts and behaviours to these unfamiliar, uncertain, and diverse contexts and obstacles.
Ability to select and use materials, processes, and environments pertinent to the practice of contemporary art.
Communication: present their work physically and verbally to others within the professional discipline and the public. Articulate their ideas to audiences using visual, oral, and written forms which connect the conception of their ideas to the processes of making and the subsequent outcomes. Develop interpersonal listening and questioning skills that allow them to be both sensitive and persuasive cross-cultural communicators who can empathise with others while hosting complex and difficult discussions in a range of public contexts relevant to the practice and dissemination of contemporary art practice. |
| Keywords | art practice,contemporary art,artistic research,studio |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Miss Tessa Lynch
Tel:
Email: tlynch@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Rian Matsui
Tel:
Email: rmatsui@ed.ac.uk |
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