Visual Arts
Visual Art and Visual Community Design
The Visual Arts department was very excited to return back to the classroom once remote learning finished, as this allowed the students to start creating and making art in the art room for Semester 2.
When the darkroom was introduced to the Year 10 Photography and Film students, we started by making photograms, which then usually leads into black and white film photography. However, as we have a shortened face-to-face term, undertaking the film unit would not be possible due the length of time this unit can take. Despite this, we were able to extend the photogram unit and still enable students to experience and experiment in the darkroom.
A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. An opaque object (eg. metal) will leave a white silhouette. A translucent object (eg. fabric) will leave a greyish shape. A transparent object (eg. glass) will leave a very light grey shape. This technique was pushed further, by allowing students to experiment with uneven development. Instead of submerging the exposed photographic paper into the developer bath creating an even development of the image, students painted the developer using a paint brush, controlling which areas they wanted developed or visible. Students also used a spray bottle filled with developer, which not only enabled students to control which areas will be developed, but also created interesting textures and shapes. Once the image developed, it was placed in the stop bath, fixer, washed and dried.
The photographs show the students in action painting and spraying the developer onto their exposed light sensitive paper, taking photograms one step further from a traditional photogram. There are also examples of their amazing work!
Fros Stabologlou
Visual Arts Teacher
Visual Communication Design
Applying the Design
For Unit 2 Outcome 3 in Visual Communication Design, the talented Year 11 students completed a design task of their choice. Half the students worked in the Environmental Design Field as Architects, designing ‘Tiny Houses’ for their future selves. These ‘Tiny Houses’ were designed to be constructed in their parents back yards! The second half of the students worked in the Communication Design Field as Illustrators, designing book jackets for a novel. These students researched novels of their choice and wrote a brief blurb to inspire their designs. All students generated ideas, developed concepts and refined their designs using the design process together with the appropriate software to complete their creative and professional final presentations.
Ms De Leggo
Visual Arts Learning Area Leader
