This Experimental Art Textiles course explores the skills and knowledge needed to research and experiment with materials and processes contextualised by contemporary art practice and your own individual research interests. It allows you to propose your own independent, experimental studio research project that builds on existing knowledge, research and discoveries.

You are asked to consider techniques and skills they have acquired alongside concepts and ideas investigated in this experimental textiles studio. This course will allow you to gain a critical understanding of your practice in order to develop rigorous new and experimental work that further expands your existing interests and concerns.

As part of this course, lectures and workshops are designed to assist you to explore and investigate contemporary debate and approaches to in-practice (studio) research and the possibilities and challenges this presents for your own emerging practice. You are expected to experiment with a wide variety of material and technical approaches, conduct further research, develop reflective writing and presentation skills as well as participate in focused group and peer discussions. This course encourages you towards an experimental art textiles practice, to take risks in the development of the projects and to constantly push at the conceptual, material, technical and aesthetic borders.

SDES3403 Experimental Art Textiles and SDES3402 Second Skin are complementary 3rd year courses which together form the two x Level 3 core studies in the Textiles studio stream within the BFA (Hons) and BMA (Hons) programs. Together these courses prepare you for more advanced studies in Level 4 courses.