Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology

Introduction

The pedagogy of the Foundation Studies Program evolves around the idea that art and design goes beyond the creation of beautiful, useful or imitative objects. These are also forms of communication and students must have the opportunities to find, decipher, construct and share meanings and make sense of experiences both from within and without the curriculum.

Besides actively engaging students in the processes that constitute both creation and performance in art and design, the program seeks to develop in them an understanding of the personal, cultural and contextual forces that influence their interpretations and attitudes, the historical, social, political, ecological and ethical issues within which the discourses of art and design are situated and how the disciplines in turn contribute to these issues at the local and global levels.

Aim

The Foundation Studies program aims to develop within students an aesthetic and social sensibility that goes beyond learning the skills and techniques of a discipline, and aspires to instill in them a sensitivity and awareness of the potential of art and design to support, critique and significantly contribute to different aspects of human endeavor.

The program also aims to enable students to make a considered, concerted and informed decision about whether they want to pursue their education in a specialized discipline or embark on a multi-disciplinary program of study.

Structure

The Foundation Studies program is a two-year entry-level course which all students must join on admission. It exposes students to a learning process that concentrates on the building of common, technical, conceptual and critical thinking skills needed for the art and design conceptualizer and practitioner.

The five main components in the curriculum of the Foundation Studies Program are Core Courses, Studio, Research, Project and Liberal Arts. All these components are interlinked and work together in developing the student’s technical and conceptual skills. Technology is increasingly part of the above mix.

The second year builds further on these elements to ensure that students would have acquired the necessary skill sets, understanding and exposure to art and design thinking processes. The experience gained during the two-year program thus provides students with a sound diagnostic platform to embark on a journey in the fields of art and design.