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DRS//CUMULUS20132ndInternationalConferenceforDesignEducationResearchersOslo,14–17May2013
Copyright©2013.Copyrightineachpaperonthisconferenceproceedingsisthepropertyoftheauthor(s).Permissionisgrantedtoreproducecopiesoftheseworksforpurposesrelevanttotheaboveconference,providedthattheauthor(s),sourceandcopyrightnoticeareincludedoneachcopy.Forotheruses,includingextendedquotation,pleasecontacttheauthor(s).
Digitalgardenswithrealtoadsinthem:theplaceof
heritagemediainadigitalartanddesigneducation.
IainMACDONALD
EdinburghNapierUniversity
Abstract:Atatimewhendigitalmediaisregardedasorthodoxyineducation,in
advancedglobaleconomiesthereisapressingargumenttoreviewthelessonsofthe
pastandreflectonwhethertheyarestillapplicable.Thispaperwillenquireintotoday’s
issueswithdigitalpracticesinartanddesigneducationusingrelevant,historical
examplesfromthemainchangesinapproachofthelastcentury.Itwillalsoexplain
howthechangesofapproachtoartanddesigneducationhasaffectedthechoiceof
materials,thestressondifferentskillsandthevaluesofdifferentcreativeartswithin
thesubject.Fromapositionasapractitionerinthemovingimage,andinresponseto
thisautoethnographicresearch,theauthorputsforwardapluralistapproachto
teachingdesign,throughahybridofparticularaspectsof‘heritage’anddigital
practices.
Keywords:designeducation,drawing,digital,hybridpractices.
Digitalgardenswithrealtoadsinthem:theplaceofheritagemediainadigitalartanddesigneducation.
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INTRODUCTION
WhenDickFieldwrotehislandmarkstudy“ChangeinArtEducation”(1970)thedebateon
therelevanceandplaceofart,designandcrafteducationwasasstrenuousasitistoday
(Addison,Burgessetal2010;Steers2009).Thispaperseekstocontextualisetoday’sissueswith
thecombinationofdigitalandheritagepracticesinarteducation,anddisseminatethe
pertinentchangesofthelastcenturyinordertoexplainhowthechangesofapproachtoart
anddesigneducationhasaffectedthechoiceofmaterials,thestressondifferentskillsandthe
valuesofdifferentcreativeartswithinthesubject.Inthisresearchofteachingandlearning
practiceindigitalartanddesign,theauthorusesautoethnographicmethodologytolookatthe
significanceofstoryboarding,andarguesfortheimportanceoflearningbyhandthrough
drawing.
THEPLACEOFDRAWINGANDCRAFTPRACTICESINTHE
CURRICULUMANDTHEECONOMY
Intheir“AManifestoforArtinSchools”ArtisdefinedasreferringtoArt,CraftandDesign
(SwiftandSteers1999).Thedisappearanceofthewords“Design”and“Craft”havecaused
significantanxietyamongst“Art”educatorsformanyyears,andindeedtherehasbeen
increasingconcernthatartwouldalsoloseitsplaceasadistinctsubjectwithintheschool
curriculum(Hughes1989;Peers2011).“Craftsmenarebeingmadetofeelinferiorfellows,
insteadofthesaltoftheearthasMorrisandGropiusbelieved.ArtandDesignarebeing
separated”(NSEAJournaleditorial1981inHughes1989,p.126).Theconcernremainsthatart,
asasubjectwouldbemarginalisedunlessitcouldjustifyitspositionbyprovidingemployability,
economicvalueandliteracy(Hughes1989;Peers2011),anditcouldbearguedthatthisis
wheretherelationshipwithartandtechnologyiscritical,“failuretofamiliarisechildrenat
schoolwiththeuseofsuchtechnologyinhibitstheirimaginativepotential”(WarnockinHughes
1988,p.132).
InAustraliaasimilarconcernexists,Peersarguesthatthedroppingof“art”fromthe
“NationalReviewofVisualEducation”(2008)isasymptomoftheneo-liberalpoliticsthat
Digitalgardenswithrealtoadsinthem:theplaceofheritagemediainadigitalartanddesigneducation.
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encouragesmarketforcestodictatecurriculumprovisionandfurthercommodifiesthehuman
capitalofchildren:“ineducationalterms,itnolongermatterswhetherknowingisauthenticso
muchaswhethertheperformancecanbecapitalised”(Peers2011,p.420-1).Technicalskills
appeartohaveeconomicvalue,expandedconsciousnessandcreativethinkingseemharderto
quantifyandthereforevalue.Measuringthevalueofartanddesigneducationagainst
economichumancapitalhasbeenanaspectofindustrialisedsocietiesinthetwentiethcentury
(Wood1996),asFieldalsoillustrates:“throughoutthethirtiestherewerecomplaintsfrom
industryandcommercethattheschoolsofartwerefailingtoproducedesignersofmuch
practicaluse”(Field1970,p.57).
Goodteachingpracticeaspirestocombinecriticalthinkingandtechnicalskillsinorderto
developindividualcreativeexpression.Manydesigncoursesatuniversitiesandartcollegesare
firmlygroundedinapracticalcreativeethosthatisrelevanttoindustry’spresentandfuture
needs.“ThefusionoftechnologywiththecreativeanddigitalindustriesisasvitaltotheUK”s
economicgrowthasthatofscience,engineeringandmanufacturing”(CouncilforIndustryand
HigherEducation2010).
Artanddesignpedagogyandtheteachingoftheuseofmaterialsandtechnologiesof
creativepracticearetaughtcontinuestobeinformedbytheworkofDewey(1934),Bruner
(1960)andPolanyi(1964).Ananalysisofcurrentteachingpracticealsorevealsremarkable
similaritytoField’sexperiencesoverfortyyearsago.
LEARNINGTHROUGHMATERIALS
Overthelastcenturytherehavebeenvariouschallengesthathaveimpactedonthe
provisionofmaterials,butwhilewaryearsbroughtscarcity,morerecentlybudgetcutsand
governmentpolicyhavemadeanimpact(Facer2011).Sometimesscarcityisthemotherof
invention.Fielddescribesitasa“revolution”,becausetheutilisationofnewmaterialschanged
theworkingprocessesandassessmentcultureinarteducation.
TheBauhausandModernistapproachwastore-educatethestudenttobemoreindividual
andsympatheticwiththeirmaterials,anditchangedtherelationshipbetweenartistsand
technology(Itten1963).Theresponseoftheteacherandthechildin1950isstillrelevanttothe
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digitalagetoday,becauseboththeteacherandthechildhadto“startfromthesamebase;
bothhadtoinventordiscover,torespondtothematerial,tofindwaysofusingit,toacceptthe
thingmade”(Field1970,p.14).Workingandlearningwithnewmaterialsandtechnologies
brought“aclarityofvisionwithrespecttothematerial,asincerityofresponse”(Field1970,
p.14).Thisdifferedfromtheresponsetotraditionalmaterialsthrough“theconventionalway”
becausenewconceptsofskillhadtobedeveloped“whileactuallydoingthejob”(Field1970,
p.14).Theprocessbecameasimportantasthefinishedartifacts.Butwhatreallystandsoutasa
paralleltotodayisthat“manyteacherssoonrealisedthatnewmediamightserveasastimulus
forfailinginterestorasacompensationforlackofsuccessinotherdirections”(Field1970,
p.15).ThisechoesWood(2003)whoclaimedsimilarsuccesswithdigitalmediainmodern
artrooms.The2009OFSTED(TheOfficeforStandardsinEducation,Children’sServicesand
Skills)reportonarteducationinEnglandandWalesfoundthatdigitalmediawasmakinga
positiveimpactonpupils”attainmentandtheexplorationofabstractconcepts.Thereport
foundthatstudents(particularlyboys)improvedinartclasseswhenICTwasprovided.Students
whostrugglewithtraditionalmediafindrecognitionascompetentmanipulatorsofdigital
media(Wood2003),which“isoftensupportedbyconsiderablehomeuse”(DaviesandWorrall
2003,p.92).
In2004ScottishprimaryschoolsintheAngusdistricttookpartinafour-yearpilotwith
ScottishScreen(nowCreativeScotland).TheMovingImageinEducationinitiativewasa
programmethatusedliteracy,numeracyandvisualskillstomakeshortfilmsandanimations.
Bazalgette(2009)reportedthatthispilothadprovidedpreviouslyfailingorexcludedlearners
withaccesstothecurriculum,andbuiltbridgesbetween“home“and“school”culturesand
knowledge,aviewsharedbyotherrecentreports(Wood2003;Lord,Jonesetal2007).Other
keyfindingswerethatmovingimageoffereddifferentroutesintoconceptsofliteracy,andit
gavelearnersasenseofagencyandautonomythatsupportedself-confidence.Iwouldargue
thatthisispossiblethroughthecollaborationandnonlinearlineofimaginativeinquiry
associatedwithdigitalmaking.ForSullivan(2010)thisisevidenceofmotivationand
engagementonadeepemotionallevelratherthananorganiseddivisionoflabour.
Assuch,conceptsofcollaborationaregroundedlessonnotionsofexpertsystemsthat
divideuprolesintermsofendsandmeans,ordesignanddelivery,butmorelikeshared
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wonderthatrequiresnewwaysofthinkingaboutvisualandvirtualsystemsofinquiry.
(Sullivan2010,p.158)
Youngerchildrenstillapproachedphysicalmaterialswiththesameelasticandflexible
approachthatField(1970)acknowledged,butusingahybridpracticetheyalsosynthesised
themintoadigitalworldascollagesbecamescenicartor3Dmodelsbecamecharacters.
DeweyandBrunerarguethattheavailabilityofthetoolaffectsthethinkingandcreative
problemsolvingabilityofthelearner.“Thepupiloperatingasartistmust“think”inhis(sic)
medium;hissubjectmatteris,inDewey’swords“thequalitiesofthingsofdirectexperience”
(Dewey1934)”(Field1970,p.45).Bruner(1960)seesthecultureofwhattoolsareavailableand
howtheyareorganisedasalsobeingfundamentalinhowcognitiveabilitydevelops,which
arguablyhavespecialrelevancetodesign.“Designisacompoundofartistic,socialand
technologicalelements”(Field1970,p.61).
Duringmodernisttimes,theprevailingconstructwas“toseeistoknow”.Thiswasgrounded
onempiricalunderstandingbasedondirectexperienceanditwasmostlyachievedby
participationinthegrandtraditionofculturaltourism…Duringpostmoderntimes,welivein
amediatedvisualworldwherethereislittledistinctionbetweentherealandthevirtual.If
weunderstandtheconstructionsthatshapewhatwesee,then“toknowistosee”(see
Rose,G.2001VisualMethodologies).(Sullivan2010,p.171)
Sullivan(2010)bringsthesubjecttothemediatedworldofcontemporarypostmoderntimes
andtheimportanceofmovingimageinarteducationtoincreaselearnerliteracy,inbothtext
andvisualmodes,bythinkingandlearningthroughthismedia.Wells,HardstaffandClifton
(2008)arguethatanimationteachingmustbeflexibleenoughtomaintaintheevolutionofa
robustcriticalmethodology.
Allartseducationshouldbeaboutincitement,notaboutcomplicity,andthisissomething
thatthefreedomsofexpressioninanimationcanreadilyaccommodate.(Wells,Hardstaff
andClifton2008,p.21)
Digitalgardenswithrealtoadsinthem:theplaceofheritagemediainadigitalartanddesigneducation.
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Movingimageoffersstimulatingopportunitiesforscreen-baseddigitalskills,3Dmodelling
anddrawingtodeveloptogether,allowingcontemporarymodesofcreationtobetaughtina
structuredprogrammeinanartscontext.Withinthecraftthereisfreedomtocritically
interpretandthinkwhiledoing.
Figure1.StoryboardforBBC2ident.Source:Gouldie2005.
STORYBOARDING-PRAXICALKNOWLEDGE
Thereareseveralreasonsforlearningtodrawinadigitalage.Krcma(2010)arguesthat
drawingcanbegivennewvisibilityandpurchase,re-energisedasitentersatransformative
relationwithothervisualtechnologies.Hanna(1998)arguesthatdrawingwithpencilandpaper
hasbeensupersededindesignbycomputer-aideddesign(CAD)andthedigitalpenandtablet
technology.Inarchitecture“theuniquenessofsketchingasadesigntool…isanoutdatedand
inaccurateconcept…CADisnotatool;CADisamedium”(Hanna1998,p.39).Architectsmay
wellbeabletovisualize3DspacemorerapidlywiththebuildingblocksandtoolsCADofferson
screen,butforthemotiongraphicdesignerandfilmdirectortheprocessofdrawinga
storyboard(seefigure1.)offersanimmersionintothevisualisationof2D,3Dand4Dspace
(Wells2008).
Drawingisconsideredthemostintellectualofthevisualartdisciplines…becauseitisthe
primarymeansbywhichartistsanddesignersinitiallydepictthree-dimensionalform,
conductinquiryandconceptualisetheirworks.(Addison&Burgess2007,p.204).
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ThecontemporaryartpracticeofWilliamKentridgeprovidesanexampleofacreative
approachthatusesdrawingtofindnewwaysofthinking.BothBolt(2011)andKrcma(2010)
useKentridgetoillustratetheparticulartheoreticalunderstandingofcreativepracticethat
comesfromour“concernfuldealingswithourmaterials”(Bolt2011,p.94).Krcma(2010)gives
asimilaraccountofhowKentridgecomesuponaestheticornarrativeproblemswithinhis
drawnfilms,whichbecomeopportunitieswherehefindsnewwaysofthinkingthroughtheact
ofdrawing.Itis“thecontingencyofcircumstanceandthe“interference”ofmaterialprocess,
whichencouragewhatarthistorianBarbaraMariaStaffordhascalled“nonformalizable
momentsofflexibleinsight”(Krcma2010).AccordingtoMontgomery-Whicherdrawing
appearstobe“marginalisedbynewimage-makingtechnologies”(Montgomery-Whicher2001,
p.10),butthesignificanceofdrawingwillendurebecauseofitsverydifferencetodominant
practicesandmedia.
Inbroadertheoreticalterms,Heideggerdirectsustoexperiencetheworld,bybeing-in-the-
worldasDasein,inordertounderstandit.Practicalknowledgeisnotatheoretical,because
“handlingisnotblind,butproducesitsownkindofsight”(Bolt2011,p.96).Ourtheoretical
understandingallowsustousematerials,toolsandprocesseswithcare,“handlingascare
producesacrucialmomentofunderstanding,andthatunderstandingisarevealingof
possibilityinitsverypossibility(Bolt2011,p.97).DiscoveringaHeideggerianpraxical
knowledgethroughourskill,Bolt(2011)seesKentridge”saccountofhispracticeas“material
thinking”,referringtoCarter(2004)whosuggeststhatmaterialshave“theirownintelligence
thatcomeintoplayininteractionwiththeartist”screativeintelligence”(Bolt2011,p.163).This
haspedagogicrelevanceintheteachingofstudentsinthecreativearts.Studentsthemselves
canrecognizethattheycanbestlearnthroughactuallyhandlingamaterialor“doingit”
(Macdonald2012).Montgomery-Whicher(2001)alsotakesaHeideggerianviewtoexplainhow
drawingcancounteranenframingoftheworld,byexpandingandincreasingthedetailofour
vision,andthroughafocalpracticethatbringscontemplationitcancentreourlives.
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Figure2.DrawingonaniPad.Source:Firth2013.
WhenIamworkingatastoryboard,asIdrawIamvisualizingthemovieinmymind.I
immersemyselfinthesettingandthenarrative;mypencilbecomespartofmeasIthink
throughthesequenceinaseriesofframes.Itisasimilarapproachtothewordassociation
drawingsofMarionRichardson,thepioneerofprogressivearteducationintheNewEducation
Movementofthe1920s,tolettheinnerimaginationexpressitself(Holdsworth1988;Smith
1996).Iamonlyconsciousofthematerialwhentheleadinthepencilbreaks.Heidegger
remindsusthatitisonlyatthesemomentsoftechnicalfailurethatwebecomeawareofthe
beingasequipment(Heidegger1954).Ourhelplessnesswithoutthepresenceofuseable
equipmentbecomesapparent.TheproductdesignerandlecturerRichardFirth,recognisesthe
differenceinthedigitalandanaloguematerialswhenitcomestomakingmistakes.Firthdraws
directlyonadigitalscreenusinganAppleiPad(seefigure2.),butfindsthatthedrawing“lacks
thescarsofthethinkingprocess”(Firthinterviewconductedbyauthor2011)whichwould
normallybeevidentinadrawingonpaper.Thesescarsrepresentpointsoflearning,andactas
referencepointsofthinkingandmarkthelivingexperiencewiththemedium.
TheartistDavidHockney,avocaladvocatefordrawing,mostrecentlyexhibitedaseriesof
digitaldrawings,createdonhisiPad,attheRoyalAcademy,London(2012).Thesedrawings,
madebyusingthesideofhisthumbandsentelectronicallytofriendstoshare,aredescribedas
“asdelicateasaTurner,luminousasstainedglassandashi-techasanyartbeingmadeinthe
worldtoday”(Gayford2010).ItisovertenyearssinceRaney(2001)wroteofherPalmPilot
studywithanartistinschoolintervention,nowthatdigitalhanddrawingshavebeenelevated
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topublicdisplayattheRoyalAcademy,childrenmaynotfindtheexperienceofdrawingonan
iPadaslevellingandaslessselfconsciousasonthefarcruderPalmPilot.Gombrich(2002)
explainshowrepresentationaldrawingdependsonschematathatislearntculturally.Insome
ofthenewmedia,suchasthePalmPilotin2001,thereisnotanestablishedschematato
conformto.Furtherresearchexploringwhethertechnologyachievesgreatersophisticationto
mimictraditionalmediashouldbeexplored,takingintoaccounttraditionalschemata,and
expectationsoftraditionaldrawingskilltransferredtothenewmedia.
WhenteachingmovingimageIbeginwithtakingthestudentsthroughmyownstoryboards.
Thestoryboardsprovidealearningtool,adrawingthatrepresentsmycreativethinkingand
visualisationofascriptorbrief.Adams(2001),thecoordinatorfortheBigDraw,theeducation
programmefortheCampaignforDrawing,definesthreefunctionsofdrawing.Thesecanbe
appliedtostoryboarding.Thefirstisdrawingas“perception”,forpersonalpleasureorinsight.
Inmypracticeadirectorcanbeginanideawiththecrudestoutlinesketch,asthelegendhasit
“onthebackofafagpacket”or“napkin”.Secondlyitcanbeworkedupintogreaterdetailfor
clientpresentation:adrawingascommunication.Thirdly,drawingas“manipulation”itcan
allowthedirectortoreflect,refine,discardanddevelopasequentialnarrativeofimagesor
scenesthatillustrateamovingimagefilm.Byvisualisingcameraangles,arrangingtheelements
intheshotthatneedtofollowthescriptoridea,amosaicofshotscanbelaidout(seefigure
3.).Oftenitisusefultophotocopyandcutthemouttoallowmorefluidthinking.Eachframe
canrepresenteitherasignificantpointofdifferentactionoranothershotentirely.Itcan
representafractionofasecondormanyseconds.
Conceivably,becauseitcanbereadasacomicstrip,manyfilmmakersandadvertising
agenciescommissionstoryboardartistswithagraphiccomicbookstyle.However,the
idiosyncraticdrawingstyleofanindividualdesignerordirectorcancommunicatejustaswell
anditallowsamoreintimateandpersonalinvolvementwiththeproject,whichcanbe
communicateacompellingvisualunderstandingofthefilm.Forsomestudentsitcanbea
challengetovisualisedifferentanglesanddepthofaction,soImaysuggestthattheyfind
suitablesecondarypicturereferencestotraceandcollageratherthandrawfromimagination.
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Figure3.StoryboardforBBC‘Film95’.Source:Author1994.
Unfortunately,someclientscanonlyreadastoryboardwhentheyseeitmoving,andthis
canbeespeciallytruewithmotiongraphics,whichcanoftenhaveamoreabstractcomposition
andcompresseddurationthanacommercial.Manyofmytelevisionclientshadaliteraryarts
educationratherthanavisualartsoneandoftenwhendiscussingabriefIwasreliedonto
translatetheirscriptintoimages,whereasinadvertisinganartdirectorwouldbeginacreative
discussionwiththeirsketchedstoryboard.Thiswasexpandedanddevelopedwithmyown
creativeinput.Withcameratechnicians,setdesignersandpropsmystoryboardswereread
literallyasabuilderwouldfollowanarchitect’splans,orusedsuggestivelyifrequired.
Filmmakingisateameffortandoftentherecanbeabetteroutcomefromembracing
colleagues”suggestionsasaresultofofferingthemcreativebreathingspace.Thiscanbe
replicatedtosomedegreeintheclassroomwithsmallgrouptutorialsthatallowthestudentto
presenttheirstoryboardstotheirpeersforfeedbackandevaluationofthemeansandcontent
ofwhatisbeingcommunicated.
Inthisstudy,thestoryboard’svalidityinthedigitalageisquestioned.Therestillappearsto
beahighdemandforsomeonewhocandraw,butalsosomeonewiththeexpertknowledge
andexperienceofadirectorwhocanvisualiseascriptforaclient,beitinadvertisingorfeature
films(Wells2008).Withinthemotiongraphicsindustrycreativedirectorsstillregarddrawingas
ahighlydesirable,ifnotessential,skilltohavewhenlookingtoemploynewgraduatetrainees
(Wormleightoninterviewconductedbyauthor2010).Designersanddirectorsneedtobeable
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toexpressandthinktheirideasthroughtheirhands,andasKentridgedemonstratesinhis
work,drawingcanbeaprocessofthinkingaswellaslearning.
HYBRIDFUTURESINARTEDUCATION
In“Whythrowthenegsoutwiththebathwater?”(Macdonald2012)itisarguedthatthereis
adigitalorthodoxy,especiallywithineducation,inresponsetotheanxietytopreparechildren
foradigitalfutureinaglobalworkplace.Byfocusingonlensbasedmediawithinarteducation
thepaperrevealedsitesofresistanceandalternativepedagogicpracticesthatprovidedamore
pluralisticlearningenvironment.Contrarytopublicopinionnotallyoungpeopleare“techno-
geeks”,somefindheritagemedianotjust“cool”,butmoretactileandreal–qualitiesthatthey
valueinthedigitalmediatedworldthattheygrowupin(Macdonald2012).Thereareseveral
advantages,itcouldbeargued,toahybridofheritageanddigitalapproachestoeducationin
thevisualarts.
Thefirstadvantagecouldbetobringartandscienceclosertogether.Currentthinkingonthe
futuredirectionofeducationaswholesuggeststhatthereshouldbegreaterconvergenceof
skillsacrosstheartsandscience.Inthe2011MacTaggartLectureattheEdinburghTelevision
FestivalDr.EricSchmidt,CEOofGoogle,calledforanendtothepigeonholingof“luvviesand
boffins”andthattomorrow’sgraduatesshouldnotseethemselvessegregatedinsuchnarrow
definitions(BBC2011).Sullivanarguesthatnewdigitaltechnologiescanprovidethebridge
betweenartandscience:
Itisthedevelopmentofnewertechnologiessparkedbythedigitalrevolutionthatisforging
linksbetweentheartsandthesciences.AndforWilson(2002),theartsarecrucialtothis
enterpriseasthey“canfillacriticalroleasanindependentzoneofresearch,inwhichartists
integratecriticalcommentarywithhigh-levelknowledgeandparticipationintheworldsof
scienceandtechnology”(p.35).(Sullivan2010,p.163).
JohnMaeda,DirectoroftheMediaLabattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,argues
thateducationshouldenablepeopletobecome“humanist-technologists”througha“post-
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visualartseducation”.Artandtechnology“complimenteachotherinanecessaryunionof
relevantvisionunitedwithrelevantconstruction”inapurposefullearningenvironment(Maeda
2000,iv).Thisapproachisnotasnewasitmayseem.Maeda(2000)acknowledgesthetradition
oftheBauhausandthearteducationalresearchofJosefAlbersandMoholy-Nagytofindan
appropriatepedagogyatatimeofunprecedentedtechnologicaladvancementand
mechanizationduringthe1920”s.
OtherAmericanEastcoastacademics,suchasLuptonandPhillips(2008)atMaryland
InstituteCollegeofArt(MICA)inBaltimore,alsodrawonBauhausapproachesthatcombinea
humanistic(individualratherthanmachinecentred)approachtousingtechnologytodescribe
andinterpretvisualformsindesignthinking.AtTheCranbrookInstituteofArtinMichigan“the
messinessofhumanexperienceiswarmingupthecoldprecisionoftechnologytomakeit
livable,andlivedin”(McCoy&McCoy1990,p.14).Inareactiontotherational,systematic
approachofModernismtheyhaveembracedexpressiverulebreakinganddeconstructionsince
theeighties.Cranbrookwouldarguethattheyofferstudentsapluralistapproachtosuitthe
individualratherthanthesingularphilosophyoftheBauhaus.
Thereareothervoicesthatsuggest“algorithmicthinkingrequiresananalyticalbentof
mind”(Vidwans2008,p.152),andthatweneedto“developtechnologicalintuitionwithout
losingaestheticintuition”(Huang2008,p.167).Huang(2008)suggestsamoreEastern
philosophicalapproachusingWu-Weitodevelopamasteryoftechnologyinharmonywith
artisticpractice.ThisiscontrarytoWesternthinkerssuchasHeideggerwhowouldadvocate
thatweworkwithtechnologyratherthanattempttomasterit.
Itissignificantthatsomeofthemostradicalandhighlyreputedartanddesigneducation
institutionsareusingnewtechnologytobringartandsciencetogether,butretaininga
pluralisticapproachthataccommodatesheritagepracticestointerrogateandoftensubvertthe
originaluseofnewtechnology.Kittler(1999)describesaworldthatwillonlybeconceivedand
experiencedthroughdigitalmediawherecablesconnectingcomputersformahumanbypass,
removingusfromtheinformationhighwayloopandso“computersthemselvesbecome
subjects”(Kittler1999,p.258).Thisissurelyadystopiawemustavoid.
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Anotheradvantageofahybridapproachtovisualarteducationislinkedwithliteracy.
FuturistssuchasAlvinToffleracknowledgethecontinuingtechnologicalchangenecessitates
thatpeoplemustcontinuetoeducatethemselves,otherwisethe21stcenturyilliteratewillbe
“someonewhocannotlearn,unlearn,andrelearn”(Toffler1971,forward).Illiteracyatitsmost
basiclevelofreadingandwritingisacentralconcernacrosstheworldsoTofflerwarnsusofthe
potentialforgreatersocialandeconomicinequality.IntheUKandotherdevelopedcountries
therapidincreaseofdigitalprocessingpoweratacorrespondingfallingcosthasalloweda
democratizationofdigitalmediaandcommunication.(Moore’sLawfollowsthat£1000of
memorytodaywillbeworth£1intwentyyearstime(Facer2011).)Whilesomecontestedthe
assumptionthattheuseandavailabilityofdigitalmediawasuniversalwithUKchildren(Hallin
Stanley2009),itisevidentthateachyearitbecomesareality.Theimpactofthisisthat“those
childrenwithaccesstodigitaltechnologiesoutsideschool,suchresourceshavethepotentialto
intensifytheimpactandreachoftheirinformallearning”(Facer2011,p.19).Withinthisthere
willcontinuetobeinequalities.
Importantly,someoftheseaugmentationswillhavethefunctionofempoweringand
extendingchildren’sagency,othersmaybeadministeredtolimit,andcontrolthem,and
thesedifferentpatternsmayplayoutalonglinesofwealth,ethnicityandgender.(Facer
2011,p.54)
Wildermuth(2010)arguesthateducationshouldfocusonempowermentratherthandigital
inclusion.Therearestrikingimbalancesacrosstheglobewherethevastmajorityofhumankind
iswithoutthephysicalresourcesorskillstobeadigitalcitizen.InIndia,theSarairesearch
projectinDelhihaschallengedtheculturalWesternhegemoniesandthedigitaldivideby
bringingtogetherartists,activists,urbanists,theoristsandcriticsonahybridmissiontoshare
learning(Lovink2005).NationssuchasBrazil,IndiaandChinaarerapidlygrowingeconomically
andhaveenormousresourcesofpeople.Thesenations,increasingly,willbringinnovationand
aresourcefulness,whichincludesheritageanddigitalpractices,toeducation.Havingtaught
recentlyinChinaIhavewitnessedtheappetitetoadaptandembraceneweducational
research,toinvolvehandcraftsanddigitalskillstomodelanddevelop3Ddesigns.
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Asdigitaltechnologydevelopsitseemstomimicmoreanalogueexperiencesandsobringa
wholenewdimensiontoeducation.Hapticliteraciesthatgrowthroughheritageskillsand
analogueprocessesarelikelytobedevelopedindigitaltechnologiesthathavemotionsensors,
forexamplethosetechnologiesfoundintheWii.Informationandexperimentaldesignscould
befeltandnavigatedthroughinavirtualsimulation.Thespeedofreflectionandactionis
furtheraccelerated;theplasticityofadesignprocessbecomesgreater.It“bridgesthedivide
betweentheacademicandvocationalknowledges,betweenknowing“that”andknowing
“how”,betweenreflectionandaction”(Facer2011,p.65).Ofcourseendlessplasticityanda
fastercycleofactionandreflectionmayhaveabewilderingandoverwhelmingeffecttoless
competentandliterateartists.
Tobe“literate”inthisenvironment,istobeabletomodel,toexperiment,tovisualize,to
verbalize,towriteandtofilm(amongmanyotherthings)…Educatorswillneedtoengage
withthematerialsbywhichrepresentationsareproduced,withthewaysinwhichthe
hardwareandsoftware,thenetworksandbiologyofourmodesofcommunicationalso
servetostructureourpossibilitiesforrepresentation,modellingandcomprehension.(Facer
2011,p.71)
Theworldismoremediatedandsotheexperienceofthelearner,bothyoungandold,isalso
moreinter-textual(Darley2000).“Nothingisfinished,nothingiscomplete,nothingcannotbe
modified”(Facer2011,p.75).Thecreativeopportunitiesonlineallowforpeopleto“mashup”
music,video,textandimagetocreateindividualcompositionsandproducts.Thesecanbe
foundonfansites,whichprovideopportunitiestocreate,disseminateandengagediscoursefar
beyondtheclassroom.Thisheavilymediatedexperiencemaybecreative,butitisfarremoved
fromRichardson’sapproachthatviewedchildren’sartwithaRomanticpurityofvision,or
Heidegger’sargumentforunmediatedauthenticity.Itisquestionablewhetherauthentic
creativeexpressioncaneverbefoundortaughtifthetechnologyandmediausedallowsfor
contenttobeeasilysofluidlyinter-textual.Thismaybetheboundarybetweenarteducation
andmediastudies.
Digitalgardenswithrealtoadsinthem:theplaceofheritagemediainadigitalartanddesigneducation.
15
CONCLUSION
Thispaperhasendeavouredtocontextualisethechallengethatfacesartanddesign
educationincontemporarydigitalartanddesign.Thereareperennialsimilaritiesoverthelast
hundredyearsonhowthechoiceofmaterialshasanaffectontherelationshipbetweenartand
technology.ThechangesthatIndustrialisationandAmericancommercialisationbroughttoart
educationatthebeginningofthetwentiethcenturyhasresonancewiththedigitalrevolutionin
theearlytwenty-firstcentury.Yetitcanbearguedthattheplaceofdrawingasameansof
thinkingthroughthemediumremainsavitalandimmediateasithasnoeconomicorsocial
constraints.Whateverthelabelgiventovisualarteducation,thechallengeremainstodefend
itspurposeandroleineducation.Theemphasiswillchangewiththelanguageusedinits
defence,dependingontheaudienceitseekstoinfluence.WesternGovernmentslooktothe
economicvalueoftheartsasacommodity,aworkforcethatcangenerateprosperityand
economicgrowth.Withinacademiathereisalsotheopportunitytobringartandsciencecloser
togetherthroughtechnology,andfollowingHeidegger,ameansofcontinuallyquestioningthe
authenticityoftheinnervisionincreativeexpression.
Manyartcollegesanduniversitiescontinuetosupportheritageandanaloguefacilitiesthat
attractandareappreciatedbystudents.Digitalmonoculturecanbefoundinhighereducation,
butifitweretobecomethemainstreamitwouldmarkasignificantthreattoheritage
processesthatcouldatrophyandbelostforever.Itisparticularlyimportantinmyfieldof
movingimageandanimation.
Pluralistapproachesshouldembraceallvisualartseducation,toallowindividualexpression,
acriticalquestioningandthinkingusingachoiceofmediaandcross-curriculacooperationand
exposurethroughnewsitesofpublicengagement,bothphysicalandvirtual:digitalgardens
withrealtoadsinthem.