Vaal University of Technology

Based in southern Gauteng, Vaal University of Technology draws students from all regions of the country as well as 25 other countries. It is one of the largest universities of technology in South Africa, with an annual enrolment of about 21 000 students. The University is well positioned to make a substantial contribution to the development of human capital in the southern Gauteng region, the country and the continent.

The Visual Arts and Design (VAD) Department comprises four disciplines: Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Photography and Fine Art.

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Exploring the need for fashion drawing skills training amongst unqualified fashion entrepreneurs in the Emfuleni local municipality

AuthorInstitution
Strydom, Le-nikaVaal University of Technology
van Staden, HanlieVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Fashion, Jewellery & Textile Design
Strydom - Exploring the need for fashion drawing skills training.pdf

Fashion entrepreneurs contribute greatly to the local and South African economy. It is, therefore, vital to equip fashion entrepreneurs with necessary knowledge and skills, to ensure the success of their entrepreneurships. Fashion entrepreneurship demands occupation-specific skills. Without these skills, client satisfaction levels can decrease, influencing the success of the entrepreneurship.

This article aims to describe the need existing amongst peri-urban fashion entrepreneurs without formal fashion-related training, with regard to the possession and utilisation of fashion drawing skills. A quantitative approach by means of interviewer-administered questionnaires was employed to explore this need. Non-probability sampling was used to identify 114 respondents.

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4IR, the photographic curriculum and the South African higher educational context: A case study

AuthorInstitution
Doman, Jakob A.Vaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Photography, Film & Multimedia
4IR, the photographic curriculum and the South African higher educational context: A case study

From inception, the Camera Picture, being a technological medium, has been inherently in a volatile relationship with innovation that required a constant re-structuring of the academic curriculum in the formal education of the practitioner to embrace the possibilities offered through new imaging technologies, a process which occurred over a period of decades, sufficient time to adapt and engage in a meaningful manner with the discourse of both making and teaching.

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Preparing the future workforce in African universities of technology: A case of new media art as a mutating discipline in the 4IR

AuthorInstitution
Makwela, Mashaole JacobVaal University of Technology
Olalere, Folasayo EnochDurban University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
Preparing the future workforce in African universities of technology: A case of new media art as a mutating discipline in the 4I

The industrial revolution, a steady process of change that started in the eighteenth century, has been characterised as presenting different phases. The fourth phase (4IR), which signals an unprecedented convergence of physical, digital and biological spheres into technological forces, is transforming jobs faster than employees can adapt, and setting the base for a different kind of skill. Hence, everyone, including arts and design educators, are asking similar questions about its potential challenges and opportunities in their fields, particularly in the African universities of technology that place emphasis on career-directed courses.

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In Search of a Wisdom-Seeking Creative Research Approach: Intimacy, creativity and rasa

AuthorInstitution
Maharajh, ReshmaVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
In Search of a Wisdom-Seeking Creative Research Approach: Intimacy, creativity and rasa

Despite the development of Practice-Led Research (PLR) to acknowledge the centrality of practice in the pursuit of research outcomes, the methodology still seems to be confined by the necessity to separate out the cognitive/conscious processes (of writing, for example) from the phenomenological and body/mind dynamics at play in the creative process. This confinement seems to be a product of duality or a binary research system as espoused in the West. The central thesis of this paper, therefore, is to attempt to demonstrate a potential strategy that circumvents or collapses this dichotomy. This paper sets a triadic relationship between/among practice-led research, Kasulis’ (2002) theorising of intimacy in understanding, and the eastern philosophy of Rasa, in the pursuit of wisdom.

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Towards a Pragmatic Code of Ethics for Design Research

AuthorInstitution
Munro, Allan JVaal University of Technology
Economou, IngeNelson Mandela University
de Lange, Rudi WTshwane University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Towards a Pragmatic Code of Ethics for Design Research

Research ethics committees (RECs) at universities evaluate applications for ethical clearance through ethical research lenses shaped by positivist and interpretivist paradigms and cultural constructivist thinking. Such lenses predominantly follow reasoning strategies that could include inductive or deductive reasoning. Research ethics committees further interrogate applicants’ methodology and monitor their actions to determine whether they meet extant research ethics principles.

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Transferring Experiences from a Photography Practice Research PhD Study into a Creative Practice-Teaching Context

AuthorInstitution
de Klerk, AnnekeVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Photography, Film & Multimedia
Transferring Experiences from a Photography Practice Research PhD Study into a Creative Practice-Teaching Context

In this paper, I reflect on the transferability of the experience of completing a practice-based, as well as the findings of this PhD into my current teaching context in relation to recent developments and relevant literature. While my own study might have made several contributions to my field, and to my own personal development, I critically examine the scope and scale of my final PhD submission in relation to requirements stipulated by various South African institutions that are currently offering PhDs in visual arts and design, as well as recently awarded practice-based (or practice-led) studies in these fields.

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Using Digital Imaging Technology to Decolonize Education in a Museum Context

AuthorInstitution
Shangase, Mlungisi RonaldVaal University of Technology
de Klerk, AnnekeVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Software, UX & Game Design
Using Digital Imaging Technology to Decolonize Education in a Museum Context

Museum information and knowledge is persistently understood and communicated according to Eurocentric concepts and provides only a limited account of the experience of the museum environment as place.  In this paper we develop a conceptual framework to guide how Digital Imaging Technology (DIT) can change the situation to an inclusive, less hegemonic approach.

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Doing Research to Decolonise Research: to Start at the very Beginning.

AuthorInstitution
Munro, Allan JVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Doing Research to Decolonise Research: to Start at the very Beginning.

The paper proceeds from the perspective that to decolonise education one needs to start from the position of decolonising research as practice. It proceeds to argue that to attempt to enter the halls of research to decolonise it, one needs, indeed, to decolonise the pursuits of research which are the pursuits of knowledge. A central domain of this pursuit lies in the notion of Africa-centred knowledges. The paper concludes by arguing that designers sit in the cusp or at the forefront of decolonised research endeavours, as they pursue human flourishing (instead of ‘research’) and the search for practical wisdom (or phronesis) instead of knowledge.

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A Decolonised Approach to Developing Training Materials for Low-Literate Participants of Rural Sewing Income Generating Projects

AuthorInstitution
Coetzee, NicoleneNorth-West University
van Staden, HanlieNorth-West University
Oldewage-Theron, WilnaVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Fashion, Jewellery & Textile Design
A Decolonised Approach to Developing Training Materials for Low-Literate Participants of Rural Sewing Income Generating Projects

Whilst training materials can be effective tools for addressing skills training needs, inherently colonised approaches undermine their anticipated benefit and use. Developers of skills training materials are customarily highly trained professionals, academics and practitioners who are often culturally and otherwise separated from the population for which their materials are intended. As a result, they may overestimate their end-users’ abilities to read and understand textual information effectively.

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Appropriate pedagogy for practice, the ha-ha in the higher education landscape

AuthorInstitution
Mathee, ThinusVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
Appropriate pedagogy for practice, the ha-ha in the higher education landscape

In this paper I argue that appropriate methods and approaches in university teaching require an on- going ontological and epistemological debate. A pedagogic orientation implies a framework for educational decision making and participation that can result in strategic educational failure if it is poorly understood.

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Beauty (Lie)s In The Eye Of The Beholder

AuthorInstitution
Maharajh, ReshmaVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Photography, Film & Multimedia
Beauty (Lie)s In The Eye Of The Beholder

This paper explores the relationship between Indian aesthetics, ethics and performance art by engaging  in  the  process,  the  cultural  influences  and  application  of  aesthetic  judgments  on performance artists.  A predominantly western aesthetic judgment is applied to artworks created and the application of an alternative as rasa aesthetics in terms of ethics will be discussed.

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Research Ethics for Practice-Led Research Methodologies in the Creative Disciplines

AuthorInstitution
Laurie, AnnekeVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Research Ethics for Practice-Led Research Methodologies in the Creative Disciplines

Research in the creative arts for qualification purposes has developed since the late 1980’s to include creative practice as aspects of both methodology and outputs. The nature of the creative process, and what has been deemed as useful to artist/designer academics, has resulted in many research projects driven by a single researcher, addressing problems of practice from a subjective perspective, with the researcher and the researcher’s actions becoming both the object and subject of the research. This kind of research does not involve other participants and is therefore seemingly precluded from ethical discussion.

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The ethics of Ubuntu and community participation in design

AuthorInstitution
Chmela-Jones, KateVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Strategy
The ethics of Ubuntu and community participation in design

In order to produce skilled design graduates schools regularly restructure their curricula to develop knowledge  characterized  by  continuous  advancements  applicable  to  the  ever-changing  design industry. New schools are in demand and a concern arises that these offer little more than specialized software training and do not sufficiently prepare students to become empathetic, thoughtful individuals that may serve the needs of society.  Former president of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA), designer and educator Jorge Frascara (2008, sp) confirms this:

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Designing education for sale: a price tag on Universities of Technology

AuthorInstitution
Sooful, AvithaVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Designing education for sale: a price tag on Universities of Technology

The world exists and is driven by need and yet the notion of education remains static. The new dispensation of Universities of Technology (UoT) in 2004 created a sense of anxiety and exhilaration simultaneously. UoT as a centre of educational delivery has implications for the new role which Higher Education will play. This also impacts on Departments of Visual arts and design within such institutions. The South African context of education is layered with social issues which impact on a broad spectrum of its development.

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Additive manufacturing in 3D product design and development practice: an interdisciplinary shift

AuthorInstitution
Kuhn, CarolVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Product & Industrial Design
Additive manufacturing in 3D product design and development practice

This paper reflects on aspects that impact on an interdisciplinary shift motivated by technology‐transfer within a University of Technology (UoT). Discussion focuses on the integrated use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) as automated layer by layer 3D printing product design and development technology within a 3D Art and Design studio-practice environment. As emerging technology, AM’s impact has redefined the procedural framework and required knowledge coherence for the development of 3D objects.

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Visual literacy in community communication: pretesting nutrition education materials for elderly caregivers in Boipatong

AuthorInstitution
Gaede, Rolf JVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Media & Communications Design
Visual literacy in community communication: pretesting nutrition education materials for elderly caregivers

The paper deals with issues and concerns relating to the process of pre-­‐testing visual  illustrations used in educational material in a community communication setting.

The first part of the paper discusses  how selected aspects of nutrition education materials meant for elderly care givers in Boipatong  were pre-­‐tested using questionnaires (n=55) and focus group discussions in order to establish the  target group’s views and opinions about different types of visual illustration approaches. The  information was subsequently used to guide the production of a visually illustrated nutrition  education booklet, which was distributed free of charge in the community as part of a nutrition  education intervention.

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Failing schools in South Africa: a symptom of defeatism in school leadership

AuthorInstitution
Fouche, CarianaVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Failing schools in South Africa: a symptom of defeatism in school leadership

This paper draws on a multiple case study on school leadership in seven schools in South Africa. The views and experiences of principals of so called failing schools were elicited and analysed to try and answer the research question: Why could these schools not achieve more than a 20% pass rate in the National Examination for the last five years amongst their grade 12 pupils?

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Democratising graphic design: the role of human-centred practice within communication design projects

AuthorInstitution
Chmela-Jones, KateVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Media & Communications Design
Democratising graphic design: the role of human-centred practice within communication design projects

The paper reports on a number of human-­‐centred design projects completed as part of the  undergraduate  graphic design programme at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT). The value of projects rooted  in participatory design practice and social responsibility is discussed in the context of the  multidisciplinary nature of graphic design and the opportunity provided by the Higher Education  Qualification Framework (HEQF) to re-­‐ design existing programmes at Higher Education Institutions  (HEIs) in South Africa.

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Considering "design with intent" within graphic design at a University of Technology

AuthorInstitution
Chmela-Jones, KateVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Graphic Design & Visual Art
Considering "design with intent" within graphic design at a University of Technology

Although based in various design disciplines the concept of user centred design (UCD) and "design with intent" has been linked to the notion of "human-centred principles", "design for behavioural change", "persuasion technologies" and "interaction design" at international design institutions for some time.

Understanding how user behaviour can influence technological solutions is critical for designers wishing to effectively tackle social issues such as eco-solutions, effective wayfinding design as well as the design of information brochures/pamphlets. Designers influence behaviour from a distance through the creative products and services that are produced based on their understanding of user behaviour.

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Pre-Tech-Man

AuthorInstitution
Mathee, ThinusVaal University of Technology

Keywords: 

Discipline: 

Design Education Research
Pre-Tech-Man

This paper questions how we teach and practise within our various specialities without a holistic understanding of the self and our humanity.

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