CAMERON ROSE - EDUCATION

In the words of American philosopher and educational theorist John Dewey, ‘science states meanings; art expresses them.’ Design, creative arts and the moving image have a unique ability to translate epistemologies, affectively articulating one reality, either scientific or experiential, to be understood by others.

Far from being a recent addition to what we regard as ‘knowledge’, humankind’s creativity has long been a source of knowing. From the cave painting or the ritual dance, to the agora, the salon and the digital screens that glow ubiquitously from gallery to home and beyond.

My teaching recognises the importance of design and the creative arts as artefacts in the world that enhance this understanding. It is informed by both theories of creativity and embodied cognition. As a guide it uses the cognitive function of mental life as sensing, thinking and acting, but also recognises that this occurs in media res, i.e. in the middle of everything, an understanding that art and design is a means of embodying thought through material creation. Projects are designed to explore one or more of these functions.

CREATIVITY

In the first year program in the Bachelor of Design at Monash University, we explored creativity through an introductory lecture series. The first three lectures covered:

Creative personality traits - identifying psychological traits that are commonly found in creative individuals. This is not to assert that people with these traits are creative, but it is an opportunity for students to reflect on their own personalities and how that might be impacting upon their creativity. A survey is conducted during the lecture so students actively respond and additionally records anonymous data on the student profile. A mobile device sized document is distributed for students to keep as a reference.
Creativity: divergent thinking, geneplore and design - this interactive lecture outlines psychological models of creativity and divergent thinking. Connections are drawn to creative personality traits and the models of creativity are embedded into the design process.The lecture is freely available on the web here.

DIGITAL IMAGING

Digital imaging is a key skill for all designers. Emerging designers must have an understanding of the tools, techniques, colour spaces, file sizes and resolutions in which their work will be created. Students should demonstrate ability across vector illustration, image manipulation and layout tools irrespective of the specific discipline. I have developed comprehensive digital imaging programs that not only teach the basics but result in visually engaging images.

STUDY TOURS

Study tours are an opportunity for students to be exposed to new experiences through art and design. The curriculum developed for these tours require participants to apply their design skills to firstly document the new environment, then design interpretative works that translate the experience for others. The above works were developed by students during a 3-week tour of Japan and Korea.

MOVING IMAGE

As coordinator of the moving image stream in the Bachelor of Design at Monash University Art Design and Architecture, my curriculum included video and audio production, animation, motion graphics, documentary and screenwriting. Below are samples of student work.