This course, SPI: Relational Art, focuses on the genre described by Nicolas Bourriaud in 1998 to describe art practices that are positioned in social contexts rather than exhibited in specialist art venues, that may have a functional purpose, that place the viewer or community at the centre as agent rather than the autonomous artist. This course provides you with the opportunity to explore this inter disciplinary, interactive way of working with social issues and community in mind. You will begin with the initial stimulation of a concept based project, considering the ramifications of locating artworks in the context of a pristine natural environment at Sculpture Camp, or a peri-urban zone, that is, a location where urban development infringes on nature, or vice versa. This is followed by a thematic project that addresses the functional objectives of Relational Art. The course concludes with a largely self directed project that addresses an appropriate topic, which may be an elaboration upon one of the first two projects, with the approval of your lecturer, if the ambition and complexity requires extra time to complete.

Assessment in this course includes the presentation of (up to) three completed projects depending on their ambition and complexity, that address social contexts or issues. You will write an accompanying report on your research objectives, the research underlying the artworks, and an analysis of the creative outcomes. This specialist course investigates professional studio practice, the deployment of appropriate methodologies, such as learning skill sets appropriate to your creative tasks, and requires a self motivated committment to your practice in the Sculpture Performance & Installation Stream. In particular, you will learn to address issues usually outside the provence of gallery based art, with consideration of engaging interactive participants rather than passive viewers. This course relates to companion courses in the Sculpture Performance & Installation Stream by providing opportunities to extend your practice to include interactive art in association with other Sculpture Performance & Installation (SPI) courses in Year 3.