Drivers of Creativity: How Theory Can Inform Contemporary Practice in the Art School Curriculum and Beyond

Abstract

This paper discusses an innovative strategy for the integration of theory modules, termed Drivers of Creativity, with the studio practices undertaken in the MA portfolio of courses in Fine Art, Photography, Visual Communication and Textiles at the Dynevor Centre for Arts, Design and Media, Swansea Metropolitan University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Wales, UK. It argues that at the heart of the creative process, there lie tensions which drive much – if not all – creative activity in those disciplines. Such tensions emanate from dialectical oppositions which impinge upon all producers of artworks of all kinds, firstly between notions of individual identity and the mores of the social group; and secondly the dialectical opposition between the natural environment and human cultural constructions and interventions. These two dialectical oppositions inform the structure and content of the two theory modules undertaken by all first year students on the MA Programmes. The modules are described in terms of their aims, objectives and learning outcomes, and an indication of the modules’ content and teaching strategies is given. The paper is illustrated with a range of case studies, illustrating both the author’s and students’ practice motivated by the Drivers of Creativity modules. Evaluation of the quality of the project work is informed by a general criterion: the degree of balance evident between two factors, introduced and explained as conceptual intrigue and perceptual intrigue.