Curating Contemporary Design MA (in partnership with The Design Museum)

30 credits

This module provides an introduction to the concepts and practices of curating contemporary design. Through a close partnership with the Design Museum, you will directly engage with the curatorial process and develop an understanding of the curatorial knowledge and core skills necessary to produce creative exhibitions, collection displays, learning and public programmes. Leading practitioners at the Design Museum and guest lecturers introduce the key elements of exhibition curating, including concept development and narrative structure, selecting exhibits, working with exhibition and graphic designers, understanding audiences, the role of interpretation, writing exhibition text and how the areas of communications, development, finance, learning, retail and publishing support exhibitions.

These elements are further developed in group curating projects, with live project briefs set by Design Museum curators exploring a key aspect of 21st century creative and professional practice. The projects encourage communication, collaboration, peer interaction and critical reflection in combination with the development of research, analytical and critical skills. The module also includes a programme of curating visits which runs alongside the main teaching programme. The programme includes visits to exhibitions and other sites of design and curatorial practice in London. It provides the opportunity to hear curators reflect on their practice in the context of their own spaces. The programme encourages critical reflection on the visits and the writing of exhibition reviews.

30 credits

This module provides an exploration of key theoretical concepts of curatorial practice. Questions around the object, collection, museum and exhibition will be discussed, supported by historical and current critical writing. You will develop an understanding of the close relationship between theory, history and practice, and engage with methodology as foundation of any critical writing, exhibition making or public debate.

The module radically expands the conventional definitions of the contemporary field of design practice. Using the close connection to design, art, and architecture practice courses at the Kingston School of Art, you will be exposed to a productive and stimulating environment of practice as well as critical thinking and research. Collaborative teaching between museum and university professionals allows you to interrogate with new work and develop a joined up approach to place it through research, writing and debate into historical discourse.

This module also considers the major project and explores its scope, direction and intended aims, through applied research skills and testing of methodological approaches. The project may be a set brief by a project partner, or provide a location and scope for a proposed curatorial intervention, or invite proposals in response to public concerns which might be social, political, ecological or other.

30 credits

This module identifies and works with emerging curatorial formats and practices in order to develop your understanding of different curatorial formats. The field of contemporary design is a rapidly shifting landscape. Technologies are constantly changing and advances in social media networks, interpretation tools and public programming are having a profound impact on the way that exhibitions are conceived and presented. An expanded field of practice and new digital tools call for a range of creative solutions and specialist skills from curators. Curators need to equip themselves with the skills that address traditional forms of curating and writing alongside online platforms, broadcasting and more experimental media and display formats curated for diverse audiences, such as public programmes and residencies. A series of lectures, seminars and workshops from leading practitioners in the field will present case studies of innovative practice.

These elements are further developed in group curating projects, with live project briefs set by Design Museum curators and leading practitioners in the field which introduce and test new curatorial formats. The projects encourage communication, collaboration, peer interaction and critical reflection in combination with the development of research, analytical and critical skills. Student learning is supported by a programme of curating visits, including exhibitions and other sites of design and curatorial practice in London. It provides the opportunity to hear curators reflect on their practice in the context of their own spaces. The programme encourages critical reflection on the visits and the writing of exhibition reviews.

30 credits

Display is an inherently political practice. Design and art are constantly evolving disciplines which shifting framework and overlapping boundaries necessitate persistent negotiation and (re)definition. To emphasise that this is not a new phenomenon, this module introduces exhibition examples of the last 100 years to show how such modifications have been communicated and challenged through creative and innovative curatorial approaches. Most importantly, this exhibition history demonstrates that defining the field has always been closely connected to political, social and economic aspects such as the consideration of national identities, movements, technology, culture and consumption. Investigating in historic and current adaptations of curatorial practice will directly influence how you formulate your own concept for your major project. Experimentation with formats and creative approaches are encouraged making full use of Kingston School of Art's workshops and curatorial sides. Guest lectures and tutorials will stimulate, motivate and support your independent or group work, and ensure the application of theoretical and methodological thinking.

60 credits

The Major Project is the capstone module of the Masters programme. Focusing on critical research, analysis, and presentation, the capstone project enables students to synthesise and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the course. The module provides students with an extensive programme of training and resources which are designed to aid them in the development, planning, research, and writing of their projects. It brings together students from several MA programmes in the School of Critical Studies and Creative Industries and embeds a range of interdisciplinary and practice-led approaches to their respective fields of study. It provides students with the opportunity to craft their own approach to their field through critical-theoretical and/or creative, practice-based research. The Major Project can accommodate research projects developed through a range of academic and professional contexts depending on the motivation and interests of the student. It can be presented either as a written dissertation or as a creative project, such as a portfolio comprising a chosen medium or media, accompanied by a critical commentary. The intensity of the workload increases across the three teaching blocks, allowing increasing focus in line with the level of your expertise.

120 credits

The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a masters programme that incorporates professional placement learning, following completion of 120 credits. It provides you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject-specific professional skills in your chosen subject.