BA (Hons) Costume Design and Making course content

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1 BA (Hons) Costume Design and Making course content Year One Year One modules Costume Design and Making: Introductions (100 credits) This year-long module will provide you with the appropriate practical craft skills needed to construct costume garments and accessories, and to master the practical challenges of pattern cutting and costume construction. You will have three costume making blocks throughout the year to produce finished garments and performance items. You will also have three costume design blocks to build up a conceptual knowledge base in the practice and process of conceptual costume design for narrative performance. You ll learn key skills in communication and critical thinking that will enable you to understand costume design and making as a combination of both creative and technical challenges. Practice and theory are combined throughout this module and are designed to encourage you to question the visual aspects of costume, and to introduce relevant history and theory to increase your critical awareness and design analysis. This module will expand your knowledge of the broader issues related to live performance, and the meaning of characterisation through costume. Throughout this module, design and making will remain strongly interconnected through the equal distribution of projects across both areas. This will inform you as a designer of the challenges of making, the need for research to inform the detail of your designs and of the collaborative nature of costume projects where design and making are equally considered. Group working, self-evaluation and problem solving are all important aspects of the practical challenges that costume construction offers. This module also includes a 25 week lecture course on the visual culture of costume. Costume Construction Skills, techniques and understanding of costume construction, through the practice of pattern cutting and garment realisation. Creative practical workshops developing your own individual patterns, interpretation and testing out of costume making techniques. An understanding of historical/period pattern cutting and garment techniques is considered relevant to period dress realisation. Creative practical workshops using nontraditional materials are used to create performance items, puppets, hats and costume accessories. Speculative Costume Design Costume design projects include analytical creative research, concept design development, and costume drawing in relation to characterisation. Detailed use of text and narrative is explored in relation to the design of introductory costume schemes using costume drawing within a wide range of approaches.

2 Visual Culture for Costume Introduction to the wider context of the visual world of costume to encourage development of critical thinking skills, themes include costume and theatre history, film and production analysis. seminars; study visits; creative workshops; personal and group tutorials; presentations; workshops; demonstrations; and practical sessions. Assessment for this module is 100% coursework which will include a portfolio of costume designs and development work and costume making project submissions. Visual Communication 1 (20 credits) This year-long module will support and develop your ability to communicate your design ideas through a wide range of 2D drawing and rendering techniques, using both physical and digital visual media. You will be encouraged to use these drawing techniques as an integral means of working through, testing and presenting ideas. Workshop sessions will develop your observational skills from the preliminary stage of research, through to the completion of professionally aligned costume drawings. You will investigate processes and identify approaches to observation which best support and develop your creative abilities. This module will also help you to establish a foundation for your investigative approach to the study of costume. You will practise your visual communication and presentation skills within the area of costume, and develop your awareness of drawings that communicate a character in costumes and capture a figure in space. You will gain an understanding of form, texture, colour and light, and test these principles through your own investigations in life drawing, costumed figure drawing and costume design related projects. In the first term projects will help you acquire and use visual communication tools within costume design and making. Exploring and perfecting these skills will help to enable you to communicate your ideas and feelings expressively through your designs and work as a designer maker, effectively, skilfully, and in a mature and sophisticated manner appropriate to professional and artistic practice. The projects will also specifically focus on the use of your sketchbook as valuable observational and drawing practice, and of its value and use to you in costume design character research. You will also be introduced to the preparation of costume technical sheets, and storyboarding within your sketchbooks. In the second and third terms you will be introduced to the digital tools and technologies to enable you to identify and select techniques to explore your own digital portfolio of

3 work. As an introduction to digital technologies you will look at basic tools in Adobe Photoshop such as rotating, cropping, selecting, resizing, and adding backgrounds. You will also consider form, texture, colour and light within a digital context. practical workshops; personal tutorials; presentations; and feedback tutorials (group and individual). Assessment for this module is 100% through coursework taking the form of portfolios of completed assignments with supporting evaluation. Year Two Year Two modules Costume Design and Making: Explorations (100 credits) This year-long module aims to deepen your artistic and intellectual enquiry into costume design and characterisation through a response to large scale speculative costume challenges. Industry-led projects will provide you with a detailed knowledge of the major theories of costume design, and an awareness of the variety of ideas and contexts within the profession. Key skills in communication and the appropriate application of design schemes using critical thinking will enable you to explore creative and coherent costume design concepts within the subject are of narrative performance. In addition you will be offered the opportunity to apply a wide range of advanced costume design techniques and practical skills of varying complexity within costume construction. You will practise the construction of period garments through the process of visual research and a thorough technical understanding of fabric, cut and costume finishing. You will be encouraged to experiment and further explore the methods, principles and techniques used in costume making, including period pattern cutting and historical interpretation. Practice and theory are combined throughout this module and are designed to encourage you to question the visual aspect of costume and to explore detailed costume history and theory in order to increase your critical design analysis. You will increase your awareness of the broader contextual issues related to the meanings and history of dress and performance, and the theories of characterisation through costume. Building on the knowledge and skills developed in Year One, this module continues to connect both design and making through equal distribution of projects across both areas. The projects you will work on integrate design with construction and concentrate on the development of ideas through an understanding of the costume industry and a professional context. During this year you will focus on professional design practice, team working activities and advanced construction skills. A consideration of the professional context of the industry will identify future areas of specialism and encourage individual planning, management and organisation of projects. You will also have the opportunity to

4 undertake a period of work experience within a professional context, and apply for an exchange through the Erasmus programme. Period Speculative Costume Designs Historical costume design projects are encouraged where you will respond individually to period texts, create characters through concept design development, and costume drawings in relation to characterisation. There is opportunity for further development of professional skills, technologies and contextualisation within focused project briefs. Additional costume design projects include opera, television, event or musical contexts where a detailed use of text, libretto and narrative in relation to performance are considered to work within a wide range of approaches. Advanced Period Costume Construction Creative practical workshops develop skills, techniques and understanding of costume construction, through the practice of period tailoring, corsetry and dancewear including menswear, hair and wigs and tutu making. Further development of reflective learning is encouraged through personal development planning, self-evaluation and awareness of professional careers and approaches using industry-led construction projects. You will also be encouraged to undertake a work experience placement within a professional context during one term. Visual Culture for Costume A critical view of the wider context of the visual costume industry focusing on the role design and designers can play within culture and society encouraging questioning, innovative and responsible approaches to your own design practice. These themes will form the basis of the research you will undertake for your final year costume essay project or design rationale. study visits; seminars; practical creative workshops; personal and group tutorials; presentations; workshops; demonstrations; and practical sessions. Assessment for this module is 100% coursework which will include a portfolio of costume designs and development work, and costume making project submissions. Visual Communication 2 (20 credits) This year-long module will support and develop your detailed knowledge of major theories in 2D drawing and rendering techniques. You will develop an awareness of a variety of ideas, contexts and frameworks using both physical and digital visual media. You will be encouraged to use these drawing techniques to re-format a range of ideas and information towards a given creative purpose or project. Through drawing exercises you will develop your ability to analyse information and compare alternative methods and techniques in the visual communication and presentation of costume design ideas, drawing and rendering techniques.

5 In this module you will be developing the digital tools and technologies to enable you to identify and select appropriate techniques and key elements to construct a digital portfolio of work as you create your own digital website. You will gain a critical understanding of form, texture, colour and light within a digital context, and develop your ability to operate in creative situations of varying complexity using a wide range of techniques. You will explore with a practical knowledge of digital media applications in costume design as well as a functional understanding of digital communication networks that make the giving and receiving of creative ideas and information possible. You will develop your experimentation with visual communication drawing exercises to test your proficiency in figurative and spatial drawing, extending your use of visual communication tools within costume design and making. Skills appropriate to professional and artistic practice are encouraged through life and figure drawing, clothing, historical research, character and pantomime dame themes. These projects will enable the focus on the use of your concept development sketchbooks as valuable evaluative drawing practice, progressing and advancing your costume design character research, technical sheets, moment drawings and storyboarding. In the second and third terms, this module encourages you to apply an appropriate professional standard of practice in varied digital media workshops for costume areas as you create your own digital website. You will use digital media workshops to effectively communicate your personal, academic and professional identity extending your own digital costume portfolio into an online website version. Time management, selfevaluation and problem solving are all important aspects of the practical challenges of this digital website project. practical workshops; personal tutorials; presentations; and feedback tutorials (group and individual). Assessment for this module is 100% through coursework taking the form of portfolios of completed assignments with supporting evaluation. Final year Final Year module Costume Design and Making: Exposition (120 credits) This year-long module is split into two elements: Costume Design and Making Independent Projects (85%) Costume Research Project (15%) Costume Design and Making Independent Projects You will negotiate and determine two costume design and making project briefs informed

6 by research and a professional context. These projects include design development, supporting research, progression from 2D to 3D and the completion of a design portfolio and realised outfit for each of your chosen costume projects. You will have the opportunity to present a high level of professional skill through advanced elements of costume cut and construction. You will also demonstrate innovation and creativity through an individual response to problem solving and design development skills. Reflective learning and personal development planning are emphasised with linked awareness of professional careers and approaches using industry-led construction projects. You will have the opportunity to incorporate live projects, competitions and industry collaboration into your briefs; you are encouraged to be very strategic, selecting design options that support your career aspirations. You will also have the opportunity to work alongside visiting practitioners developing your individual projects to ensure your costume work is relevant and considered for the industry. You will negotiate two projects that will offer you design and making opportunities, explaining how each one meets these seven key advice headings: Innovation and creativity explain the creative opportunities the project presents. Industry-led construction projects, explain how these link to industry and support your career aspirations. Investigate the scope of research. Problem solving and design development skills what are the challenges? Character, context and concepts the key to making it holistic and unified, entirely persuasive. Costume cut and construction high level of professional skill through advanced elements, what are these likely to be? Evaluation, reflective learning and personal development planning. Costume Research Project You will use your costume skills and industry knowledge to produce an independent research project relevant to a specific context of the course, dealing with issues connected to your final costume design and making project(s) and allowing you to develop in-depth historical and/or theoretical knowledge as well as skills of sustained critical enquiry. You will produce a substantial body of research into your chosen subject in the form of either an illustrated costume essay or a design rationale. You should already have selected an appropriate individual topic(s), and this should continue to be negotiated with your tutor, and connections made with your independent projects. Your work must be professional executed with fully acknowledged sources, references and bibliography. The illustrated research project (essay or design rationale) should be 4,500 words, plus or minus 10%. independent projects; study visits; seminars; practical creative workshops; personal and group tutorials; presentations; and exhibition and degree show.

7 Assessment for this module is 85% through coursework for your Costume Design and Making Independent Projects which will include presentations of costume designs, costume making and practical work, a professional portfolio and graduate exhibition. 15% will be through an essay for your Costume Research Project or Design Rationale.