Earth Education and Communication - PGDP Bridge | Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.” - Rabindranath Tagore

“We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we’ve lost our connection to ourselves.” - Andy Goldsworthy

Students explore biodiversity on the banks of Tungabhadra, Hampi, Karnataka. PC: Srivi Kalyan.

Vision

We are at a time of ecological crisis struggling to make sense of the impact of human life on the planet, both positive and negative. As much as modern education and a growing globalised world have empowered us, they have also left us confused, conflicted, overwhelmed and lost in our relationship with the environment and other beings. We find that we lack lifestyles and everyday practices that can reduce the burden on the environment. We also lack awareness of the complexity of the issues.

The Earth Education and communication (EEC) program invites students to wonder how they can use art and design for effective intervention in ecological and conservation contexts and issues. The key focus is to widen their understanding of the ecological crisis and ways of navigating diverse viewpoints in the field of conservation & environmental education. The EEC program look at the complexity, ethical dilemmas, conflicts and identify competing perspectives from multiple cultural, environmental, economic, social, ecological positions. The courses hope to move students from a mode of problem solving to deeper understanding and reflective engagement. They are also encouraged to deepen their senses and different emotional and intellectual filters to process life around them. Trekking, hiking, field work, nature journaling, and engaging with diverse habitats are an integral part of the program.

Today art and design leadership is critical around the world to create action around issues that are social, cultural, and political; everything intrinsically connected to the environmental. From poverty, inequality, gender issues to climate change, artists and designers hold a powerful tool, their ability to tell stories through varied media to change the course of life around them, to create meaningful action, to enable change, to empower people, to be the voice for those who have none.

Aanchal Agrawal explores her own body as landscape to ask deeper questions about ecological consciousness.

The program aspires to make work that creates and generates momentum for social and environmental change in some way. Students through the course of their study explore diverse media ranging from drawing, painting, photography, film, creative writing, graphic design, multimodal design, storytelling, computer graphics, interaction design and other art and design practices. There is close attention paid to research, art and design processes and methods and ethical ways of working closely with communities while collaborating with them. This course invites young people who are seeking to make a difference in the world with their work.

The one-year Postgraduate Diploma Program in Earth Education and Communication at the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology introduces the field to aspiring practitioners with a strong background in environmental sciences who have not previously studied communication design, visual art or other art forms or are looking for a finishing year to fine tune their work. It is also open to students with a background in art and design who seek to build their understanding of the environmental crisis.

After completion, graduates of the program will be able to pursue advanced postgraduate degrees in Information Arts and Information Design Practices, Earth Education and Communication or related fields.

Art work by Shubham Shrivastava Exploring a theatre play storyboard with the Buffaloes of the Banni Grasslands as the focus of creative conservation.

Course Structure

Taught over two semesters, this one-year graduate level program is designed to build a strong foundation towards the Masters programs (M.F.A, M.Des). The program is delivered through course work, which is hands on and rooted in context.

Studios
Workshops
Contextual enquiry
Theory and Understanding Units
Project
Portfolio development
Knowledge Enhancement (Ability or Skills)

Learning Approach

The Bridge program has been crafted for students to develop their creative skills at a foundational level.

The program encourages the understanding of art and design practice through sensitive self-inquiry and sadhana.
The program critically inquires into "being human" and if it is possible to achieve a symbiotic relationship with the evolving natural world around us.
The process helps students reflect on themselves and their relationship with the world, unfolding the heart in their practice
Acquire proficiency in using tools of thinking, visualisation, inquiry and research.

Capability Sets

Capability for deep reflection as a way to review biases, contemplate and engage with life in all its forms
Capability to be discerning with a critical understanding of diverse positions and movements that inform environmental conservation and education
Capability to transact meaning with audiences and build context-sensitive practices
Capability to perceive gestalts, navigate complexity and negotiate intelligences through transdisciplinary engagement.
Capability for leadership as action in art, design and/or technology praxis
Capability for responsible creativity that emerges from social, ecological, ethical and learning design
Capability to reflect on interdependence and co-existence that we share with the natural world

Opportunities

To undertake an advanced degree program in Information Arts and Information Design Practices, Earth Education and Communication or related fields

To develop once own art and design practice with a focus on information communication, education and environment in integrated holistic approaches.

Employment in art and design studios, research and development organizations, NGOs & social enterprises