BA Art History and History

The ‘Digital Art’ course unit gives third year undergraduates and postgraduate students the opportunity to work together, to explore and interrogate the diverse and expanding world of digital art. Students will study, and respond critically to, artworks that take digital technologies, techniques and media as material, subject matter, environment, and / or output. Students will develop contextual, historical knowledge of digital art, from its twentieth century beginnings through to cutting edge developments in the present. Theoretical perspectives will be combined with practical experiences and encounters with both making and viewing aesthetic and artistic material.

The unit aims to: 

• Introduce, and build students’ critical response to, artworks that take digital technologies, techniques and media as material, subject matter, environment, and / or output. 
• Students will develop contextual, historical knowledge of digital art, from its twentieth century beginnings through to cutting edge developments in the present. 
• Theoretical perspectives will be combined with practical experiences and encounters with both making and viewing aesthetic and artistic material. 
• No special knowledge of digital technology is required for this module.

Successful participation in this course will enable students to: 

• strengthen their existing skill and confidence in working as part of a team towards a shared endeavour, while supporting and encouraging fellow team members (supporting employability skills)
• plan and deliver complex projects (visual essay and curation project) to a deadline
• understand the strengths of a variety of different contemporary visual media in communication settings

Possible themes: 

mark-making / drawing; generation / invention; simulation / realism and beyond. 

Crowther, P. (2018). Digital art, aesthetic creation: The birth of a medium. Routledge.Drucker, J. (2013). Is there a “digital” art history?. Visual Resources, 29(1-2), 5-13.Impett, I. & Offert, F. (2023) There is a digital art history. arXiv:2308.07464v1 Kholeif, O. (2018). Goodbye, World!: Looking at Art in the Digital Age. Berlin: Sternberg Press.Paul, C. (2023). Digital art. Thames & Hudson.Paul, C. (Ed.). (2016). A companion to digital art. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Lectures 11 hours. Seminars 22 hours. Digital platforms such as Padlet will be used in class as a learning and presentation tool. Digital artworks and art-making techniques will be studied as well as being encountered; this may include using smartphone-based apps as well as extended reality technologies, such as virtual reality headsets. These elements of the course will be facilitated by the eLearning team.

• Show critical understanding of a range of contemporary methods and techniques in digital art making and presentation.
• Apply knowledge developed in class to make independent curatorial choices.

• Conceptualise digital art as both emerging and diverging from its roots in twentieth century art movements. 
• Convey meaning and understanding through visual material and its presentation.

• Select and present artworks online, giving viewers appropriate contextual information. 
• Work as a team to source and discern information. 
• Present visual material with coherence.

• Plan and deliver a solo presentation. 
• Take responsibility for one’s own role in a shared endeavour.

Formative - Ideas board and written plan for virtual essay. Interactive team quiz. 

Summative - Contributions to the communal digital timeline (weighting 20%). 

Final project - visual essay (weighting 50%). 

Presentation of curation project (weighting 30%).

Formative - Verbally with tutor and in class, verbal feedback from peers.

Summative - In person in class and written feedback.

Crowther, P. (2018). Digital art, aesthetic creation: The birth of a medium.

 Routledge.Drucker, J. (2013). Is there a “digital” art history?. Visual Resources, 29(1-2), 5-13.

Impett, I. & Offert, F. (2023) There is a digital art history. arXiv:2308.07464v1 

Kholeif, O. (2018). Goodbye, World!: Looking at Art in the Digital Age. Berlin: Sternberg Press. 

Paul, C. (2023). Digital art. 

Thames & Hudson.Paul, C. (Ed.). (2016). A companion to digital art. John Wiley & Sons Inc.