Dual City Courses - London Barcelona

Margot Bannerman and Albert Martínez López-Amor and Mery Cuesta

Who should attend?

This course is open to people of all levels and experiences. In particular it will appeal to anyone interested in art and design history, trends and curating. You could be considering future studies or already attending a course. It would also be suitable for professionals working in art, architecture, coolhunting, visual culture, object design, graphic design, fashion, cultural management, society and trends. You must have an inquisitive mind and a passion for history and creativity.

This course will be ideal for anyone who wishes to explore these two exciting cities and be immersed in the art and design culture. Whether your interest is in fine art or fashion you will find yourself in good company. As you visit these collections you will be supported by lectures and group discussions, and at the end of each London and Barcelona section you will present your thoughts through an illustrated presentation to share with the group, whether electronically, through your own artwork or simply by text.

This course will have you travelling across London and Barcelona by foot and public transport, so good walking shoes are a must! A digital camera is always useful when visiting public art sites, and having the confidence to ask questions of your tutors will help you get the most out of your studies.

Topics covered

• Art and design history in London from the 18th Century to today. Art, design and cultural trends in Barcelona since the 1880’s (a decade locally known as ‘The Golden Fever’) to the present. 
• Cultural keys of contemporary Barcelona as an addition of historical traditions, economic evolution, social conflicts during the 20th century and present role as a design and trends capital.
• A broad live knowledge of all models in art exhibition and production, from the most consolidated (e.g museums) to the newest spaces and experiences.
• The significant collections of both cities, how they were created and supported.

London (9 day course)

Monday 25 June to Thursday 5 July

At the heart of the sessions in London is an exploration of the rich relationships between art and design at different periods from the 18th century to the present-day. Taking case studies from the diverse museums and collections, bars and Avant-garde fashion stores in London you will be introduced to the central themes and debates around ‘fine–art’ and the applied arts. Key points for discussion will be the origins of traditionally held hierarchies between different visual forms, philosophical ideals that supported distinctions and meeting points, ideas about aesthetics and functionality and the impulses behind the blurring of boundaries between art and design. Relating art works experienced at first hand with examples of architecture, furniture and interior design, fashion and advertising, this course will take you from the French Rococo painting and decorative arts at the Wallace Collection to the fusions between post-modern art, design and fashion to be found London’s clubs and fashion stores. You will be introduced to the work of significant contemporary practitioners such as Tobias Rehberger, Jorges Pardo and Lucy Orta while also studying examples or art and design from the past. Arts and Craft, Early Modernism, Minimalism and Pop will be among the movements considered on daily museum and gallery visits to world famous collections such as the Victoria and Albert and lesser known gems such as Asprey House, the John Soane Museum and the Estorick collection. While the course will mainly be taught on visits, additional seminar sessions with talks and film clips will help consolidate the central issues.

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Independent Travel (4 days)

Friday 6 July to Monday 9 July

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Barcelona (9 day course)

Tuesday 10 July to Friday 20 July

Having as a starting point the local Art Nouveau deep roots –with Gaudí as its main reference– and the importance of the single figure of Picasso, the sessions explore changes and trends in the city during the 20th century.

On one hand, Barcelona is the result of artists such as Miró, Dalí and Tàpies and architects as Puig i Cadafalch and Domenech i Muntaner (contemporaries to Gaudí), Josep Lluis Sert and a later series of international architects that have changed the sky line of the city and made it a benchmark for practitioners and lovers of this discipline. But Barcelona is also a reference for design, which can be seen and heard in many of the suggestions found on the street, and for urban planning such as Ildefons Cerdà plan for new centralities: gentrification processes and cultural policies that aim to generate new creative areas make Barcelona an outstanding study case about the relationship between society, design, politics, business and artistic creation. This scenario is highlighting a great diversity of management, exhibition and production models.  

During the course, participants will visit different areas of the city to understand Barcelona today, identify its past and see how it is projected into the future. Design, buildings, art and trends in Barcelona are not just about images and objects, it’s also about a collision of experiences in a city influenced by Mediterranean culture. Our goal will be also connecting to the commitment Barcelona has to its present, by visiting young, award winning design studios, art galleries, the Contemporary Art Museum MACBA by Richard Meier in the middle of the old Raval area; the Contemporary Cultural Center (CCCB) with an architecture that mirrors and dialogues with the old one around it. Barcelona’s present dynamism also shows up in its sporadic events, that are an indicator of the way the city absorbs, converts and generates new trends.

You will experience a city full of contrasts, from the technological District 22@ to the Middle Ages central district, from the bourgeois flavour of Eixample (the Art Nouveau quarter) to Mediterranean gastronomy. Because learning contemporary Barcelona means grasping it from a rhizomatic and creative point of view, by connecting present-day life with art, design and architecture languages. From its past to its future, walking through its present.

Through this course you will understand why Barcelona, from its cultural, political and economic aspects, unlike other Spanish cities, has become a benchmark for art, design and creativity.

Tutors

London - Margot Bannerman is a practising artist and lecturer in art history and theory on the MA Fine Art course at Central Saint Martins.

Barcelona - Mery Cuesta is an art critic, freelance curator and comic-book artist.  She graduated in Fine Arts and gained a Master’s degree in Communication and Art Criticism from Girona University. She won the 2002 Espais Prize for Art Criticism for her first book, an analysis of experimental film production in 1970s’ Spain.  She combines her regular contributions to the “Cultura/s” supplement of La Vanguardia (one of the most important newspaper in Spain) with articles and comic strips for other publications and fanzines television. As a curator, her projects are characterized by their departure from the conventional exhibition format, addressing issues related to analysis of audiovisual images, popular culture and the critical dissection of the mechanisms involved in the workings of contemporary art. She teaches in Elisava’s Master’s Degree in Design and New exhibition Formats. www.merycuesta.com

Albert Martínez López-Amor PhD in Economics (1995) and Journalism (1996) by Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Master in Communication and Art Critics by Universitat de Girona (2003).  He is a member of the Catalan Association of Art Critics (ACCA), and has worked with various media and institutions: Cultura|s La Vanguardia, El Temps d’Art, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Picasso Museum, KRTU, Artiga, Canòdrom, CDAN.  In parallel, he works in the field of design and visual communication. He is currently a member of the board of ADG-FAD. Has recently co-curated the FadFest, event around the culture and practices of design. As a writer, among his last projects is Dani Navarro’s book Alex Trochut. More is More.

Independet Travel: Friday 6 July to Monday 9 July

Barcelona: Tuesday 10 July to Friday 20 July

Time: 10.00 - 16.00

Duration:  9 days tuition in London, 4 days independent travel and 9 days tuition in Barcelona 

Cost: £1975

Status: Available

Location: Central Saint Martins College, London and Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering

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The fee is inclusive of the cost of tuition.  Please note that accommodation, travel, insurance and living expenses are not included.