MA FINAL PROJECT

Overview

The project will focus on the documenting of a broad range of personal and collective experiences from within The Arts & Culture sector, endeavouring to identify valuable insights that can be adopted in the development of a response to the impact of the pandemic.

In-so-doing, attempting to establish which segments within the sector face the greatest threats, and what can be done in order to respond to an ever-evolving crisis?

AIMS

The primary aim of the project will be to collect and collate relevant responses, in an effort to inform and develop a response to the impact of the pandemic, that addresses at least one of the challenges facing the sector, as a whole.

The proposal should celebrate the unifying role of the shared values that are on display, across the sector. Citing the value and influence of a pluralistic dialogue, and the role it can play in the identifying of speculative futures.

To design and develop an outcome that reflects the wealth and breadth of the Arts & Culture sector, in the UK. Making use of an eclectic range of visual formats, in order to represent the diversity of those that work across the sector.

The educating of the general public on the value that the Arts & Culture sector adds to the economy, and the cultural value of the UK on the international stage.-Influencing geo-political relationships and driving over-seas investment, in the UK economy.

Objectives

Educate the general public on the value of the UK Arts industry.

Encourage employees within organisations in the Arts sector to communicate their individual and shared experiences, during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Facilitate a dialogue between the operators and the user, in endeavouring to assert the need for the continued growth of The Arts industries. The exchange should outline the contributions made by The Arts sector to the UK economy, and the cultural landscape.-How do these contributions elevate the standing of the UK, on the international stage?

Explore the role of the UK Arts sector in relation to areas, such as: Mental health; Local Economies; Community initiatives & Charity organisations; Education; Medical Research and Innovation; Heritage; National Identity; And Political Commentary & Activism.

Conduct a series of interviews with selected individuals and relevant institutions, in order to establish a fact-based foundation on which to construct a response to the selected question.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to illustrate the impact of Covid 19 on those individuals and institutions, whom are a part of the UK Arts sector. Specifically, the proposal seeks to present the cost of losing swathes of our Arts-based industries, and how this would impact communities whom are reliant the continued success of the UK Arts sector.

Audience

The intended audience for the outcome of this project would be those whom interact with the UK Arts sector, and those groups or organisations whom seek to quantify and qualify the value added to the UKs’ positioning on the world stage, by a thriving Arts sector.

Historical & Theoretical context

Graphic Design as social commentary.

Much like work such as, In Loving Memory of Work: A Visual Record of the UK Miners’ Strike 1984-1985, by Craig Oldham, and Barbara Kruger’s politically-charged Graphic Design: Work that provides a direct, measured, and impactful commentary on such societal issues as, Consumerism; Feminism; And Politics. The outcome for this project will be an observational study of how a pandemic can impact the many institutions and organisations, within the Arts sector. Using interviews to collect and collate a broad, and diverse selection of responses from every corner of the country. By doing so, I endeavour to assemble a social commentary, that could be used by those studying the impact of the pandemic, in years to come.

The designed-artefact as a form of Ethnographic Research.

The desired outcome for this study would be an editorial work comprised of essays, written contributions from participants, photography, illustration, interviews, and original works by the creator. All of which will be collected and collated in order to design and create a body of work that reflects the full spectrum of experiences, both observed and accrued first-hand, regarding life within the Arts sector, during the Covid 19 pandemic.