One of the most interesting and engaging ways to discover the hidden treasures and the rich past of this city from its Macedonian, Roman and Byzantine past to contemporary time is to study it on purpose. If you are interested in art and drawing, history and architecture and you want to enjoy a visit to the city of Thessaloniki, by exploring its layers of history and art this is the best way to do it. Visiting sites by foot, exploring feelings, drawing and photographing Byzantine churches, neoclassical or art Deco buildings, stone paths, defense constructions, Turkish baths, jewelry in museum displays, ancient Macedonian treasures and the contemporary face of the city, the physical environment in the forest and by the coast line will give students the opportunity to improve observational skills, record and create the most interesting and vivid travel sketchbook diary. At the same time they will be introduced to free hand drawing, sketching techniques, life drawing techniques, still life drawing, basics of photography, the use of light and shadow, the photograph of the whole and the detail, as well as collage experimentation and presentation techniques. Site visits and class work will produce finally an art and design portfolio through the most enjoyable studentship.
Course Context
Students take inspiration from their surroundings by exploring the interior and spatial designs of their environment in order to discover the significant footprints on the design of the city, both external and internal.
Talks on interior and spatial design will be conducted both within the college and, more importantly, at a variety of interesting sites including museums, public spaces, stations, restaurants; using the city, its buildings and its natural spaces, as a source of inspiration.
Students will keep a journal of experiences, and they will be asked to visualise them. They will produce a sketchbook with visual reference material and a series of sketches demonstrating concept development.
Additionally they will produce design development drawings and models and their final design will presented in an appropriate format using photographic and presentation techniques. Basic Computer Aided Design skills will be investigated.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course the student are able to demonstrate their ability:
- To develop an awareness of our surroundings
- To develop creative research skills
- To investigate various means of expression
- To communicate research findings in a three dimensional format
- To experiment with alternative materials as well as visual and tactile formats
- To gather and select research material appropriate to a brief
- To generate a range of design ideas as a creative response to a design brief
- To apply hand drawn and modeling skills for concept generation, design development and communication of final design proposal
- To produce finished work with an overall appearance of completeness
