This digital object has been developed from the University of Barcelona in Fine Arts Degree context, most specifically, in Contemporary Visual Arts Subject.
Summary
My name is Nuria Cuesta and I am currently studying a degree of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona. Last semester I took the subject “Contemporary Visualizations´´with Fernando Hernández. At the beginning of the course, I was very disoriented about the topic and the itinerary of the subject. The title gave me some clues. Then, we started with the teacher’s explanations talking about the power of the images in our culture, capitalism, decolonizing strategies, publicity, styles, how all of this affects art, etc. Most of these concepts were new for me. He requested us to gave examples about every idea, share the exercises on the virtual campus and show it in class. From my point of view, this traditional pedagogy method was still good to introduce us in the subject and to made us think individually.
In the middle of the semester, we changed roles. That was the moment to start working under our discretion. The research project was about desire. Firstly, all the class gave some interesting questions about this unknown issue. Then, the class was divided into groups according to each interest. At that time, the groups started to investigate and then appeared more indecipherable questions. Following weeks were to prepare oral exposition, a digital project by groups and individual digital project called DIYLab.
The advantage of working in groups was the opinion exchange. We could talk about our own points of view and the information that we collected. Nevertheless, I think that groups were too big and as a result, some people didn’t work at the same rate or the ways were disparate. Think and work about desire was quite difficult sometimes. My group and I had a first question about power forces which changed at the end. We wanted to answer it but in some occasion, we were very confused and we didn’t know how to resume first ideas.
However, we did a satisfactory project and we were very happy to know that was understandable for the rest of the class and Fernando. This new way of pedagogy method brokes with all the rules and makes us more responsible and free to decide what, how and why of the ideas that we choose to learn.
Finally, the most important thing: now I am more aware about the reality of our times. Learn all that I learned makes me to be angry and scared about the superficiality and vulnerability of the society and how this also affects me. I am growing up under some parameters that are deciding what I am day after day. As far as possible, my intention is to prevent that this happens. I have another mission too: talk about this subject with the circle of people that I know and show them my DIYLab video to sent the message more strongly.
By: Núria Cuesta