Faculty of Art
Department of Design and Applied Arts

Contemporary Expression
●CA+T (Contemporary Art and Theory)
Design and Applied Arts
●Visual Communication Design
●Product Design
●Digital Media
●Metal Design
●Textiles
●Lacquer Arts

Developing a solid foundation in design and applied arts to provide effective inquiry into the material culture of an ever-changing society.

In this challenging and dynamic field, the Department of Design and Applied Arts is committed to excellence in education and research relating to the everyday needs of contemporary society. Emphasis is placed on providing students with a solid foundation in basic skills. From this foundational point, students will further explore and expand their skills in their chosen field of study. The faculty aims to foster individuals capable of contributing to improving society and shaping a new era through seven department specializations.

CA+T (Contemporary Art and Theory)

Go to the original site of CA+T

Creative expression responding to the needs of present-day society.

●Learning Goals

Encompassing a range of fields from contemporary art to spatial and urban design, the Contemporary Expression program aims to foster individuals capable of responding to the needs of present-day society. Rigorous theoretical and practical studies will highlight the relevance of design in public and commercial spaces in the urban landscape. Students are also encouraged to learn art management skills, curation, exhibition and events planning, through the organization of arts projects in Japan and abroad. Students are expected to have a critical understanding of their work, as well as develop professional skills in the field of contemporary art, which is expected to play a central role in the Japanese art scene in the years ahead.

●Curriculum

The first semester emphasizes the planning and exhibition of art projects in public spaces. The second semester focuses on the exhibition of work in commercial spaces, and will explore the relationship between contemporary art and commercial design. Students will learn how to make effective presentations, produce portfolios and artist books, and learn the basics of art management. Classes in catalogue design and photography are also offered to provide students with effective self-marketing strategies. Students work closely with an award-winning faculty for their final year project, and are given advice and guidance tailored to their needs.

●Careers After Graduation

Graduates of this program work as cultural ambassadors in art and design, innovative creators pioneering new design, and facilitators in arts management positions supporting cross-cultural exchanges. This program, alongside the Contemporary Expression Course, has produced many artists who actively pursue careers in the international arena.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information

Visual Communication Design

Creating fresh visual expressions with an emphasis on anesthetics and communication.

●Learning Goals

Visual perception and communication are said to represent more than 80% of all sensations felt with the five senses. As a program centering on the visual realm, the Visual Communication Design program places importance on the expression and communication of images through drawing, writing, and speaking. Specific arts involved in this discipline include graphic design, art direction, and illustration. Students will build their ideas based on the concept that all designs, including visual expressions, are merely the mappings of expression.

●Curriculum

Initially, students are taught to plan their designs through observation and dialogue based on investigation. Once given foundational tools of expression, students are expected to express and communicate their ideas through various applications and problem-solving skills. In the second year, basic training on drawing, illustration, photography, and computer graphics is given. Students are required to engage in creative projects including poster design, logos and signs, printmaking, and event organization. The second-year curriculum includes a study tour in Tokyo to research design. In the third year, students will apply their field of knowledge in specific design media, producing graphic designs such as CIs, advertisements, publication designs, and various themed projects. Creative workshops are also provided as opportunities to present the results of their learning. In their final year, students will further define their creative practice through portfolio production, and preparation of their graduation work.

●Careers After Graduation

The Visual Communication Design program seeks to foster talented individuals who are able to create visual expressions by integrating history and its relationship to the present. Many graduates work as graphic designers at production companies. Other graduates work in such fields as commercial planning, advertising, art direction, events design, and package design, while others find careers as artists and illustrators.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information

Product Design

●Learning Goals

Product Design involves the designing of tools and systems that concern people, objects, and the environment in which people carry on their daily lives. This includes the points of intersection between people and information. In a modern society where efficiency and economic value are strongly emphasized, we tend to overlook the importance of spiritual elements in humans, tools, and objects. The program seeks to move towards design and production by examining these issues through a wider lens, contemplating the relationships between humans and objects in daily life and society, and addressing the needs of these relationships. Creativity is encouraged.

●Curriculum

Placing emphasis on practical training, the curriculum helps students learn basic skills such as planning designs, execution of their craft to the production of finished pieces, and the conveyance of a theme or message. In the second year, students work with a variety of materials to design tools and spaces. In the third year, focus on the integration of materials with design elements will challenge students to create their own work for exhibition, based on the core theme of “structure, form, and function”. In the fourth year, students are expected to create and execute designs from start to completion. This includes planning and conceptualization, prototyping, exhibition and communication of their work, displayed at the final exhibition held off-campus. During the course of their degree, students will have the opportunity to learn from the collection at the HCU Art Collection Hall, as well as access to the university workshop. Off-campus experiences, such as hands-on learning sessions and study tours to local manufacturers, are also included in the curriculum.

●Careers After Graduation

Many graduates find employment as designers in diverse fields such as automobile design, furniture, toys, games, web design, fashion, retailing, planning, and development. Changing lifestyles bring about a need for new solutions, and opportunities in these fields are expanding. Graduates also have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs abroad, opening doors for students to study with overseas institutions affiliated with HCU. Classes to promote active intercultural cooperation through research and educational exchanges with overseas institutions are also provided. Exchange programs are offered to students in both undergraduate and graduate years.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information

Digital Media

Creating cutting-edge art and design expressions through computer graphics, animation, and other information technologies

●Learning Goals

Visual media is increasingly at the core of our visual communications. The Digital Media program regards the “image” presented through various media as a communication of audiovisual information comprising of “light”, “sound”, and “movement” that is expressed along time axis. Based on this literacy, the program seeks to develop students’ basic skills in creating images. Students also take classes in computer graphics and animation, and related information technologies. With a diverse array of classes and seminars, the Digital Media Arts program explores the language of expression in image and film and provides a supportive forum for students to address the needs of society.

●Curriculum

In the second year, practical training is centered on the development of foundational skills required for production, using “light”, “sound”, and “movement” and other elements as motifs. At this time, students are taught how to use various application software programs to enhance their skills. In the third year, the curriculum includes practical training classes in which students are instructed to create images using a virtual reality studio system. Classes are provided to encourage students to explore the direction they hope to take, making the most of the sensibilities and skills that they have obtained. In the first semester of the fourth year, students plan and prototype their graduation work for the second semester, in which they will produce and present their work. Final work includes catalogues and image-publishing media.

●Careers After Graduation

Graduates find employment in various fields such as image production companies, TV broadcasters, web design and production companies, and game makers, where they can easily adapt and make use of their acquired skills. Others have pursued successful careers as artists and designers, and have won awards in numerous competitions. Upon graduation of our four-year Digital Media program, our graduates are armed with outstanding sensibilities, information-processing ability, and interpersonal skills; thus prepared for an exciting and dynamic future.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information

Metal Design

Students of this program will be able to acquire extensive skills to express themselves creatively and uniquely in the medium of metal.

●Learning goals

Humankind’s exploration seeking the potential of metal is believed to have begun with the first attempt to produce something from it. In the MetalDesign program, students are taught traditional metal-working techniques such as chasing, hammering and casting, allowing for a deepening understanding of the materials and instilling a sense of metal working history. Students are also encouraged to produce metal works of their own to enhance their knowledge. Based on the problem solving skills and broadened perspectives acquired in the program, students are expected to contemplate the present nature of, and the future of contemporary industrial arts, particularly metal art, and to explore their own creativity and future directions in this field.

●Curriculum

In second year, classes focusing on basic knowledge and techniques in metal work are given. Students are required to learn traditional metalworking skills focused on work done by hand. In third year, students are given assignments intended to teach a wide array of techniques and help them acquire deeper knowledge and specific skills to gain greater expertise and learn wider applications. Third-year students will be offered a project- themed class in which they can study the process, from production to exhibition, and prepare for the creation of a major work due at graduation. In fourth year, after an examination of their major work plans, students are expected to conduct preliminary research, produce studies and finally work on and complete their major work. This will be the culmination of four years of learning.

●Careers after graduation

The careers available to students after graduating are diverse. They can use their new skills in planning, development and design at companies engaged in product manufacturing. They can also use their individual styles to succeed in entrepreneurial pursuits such as jewelry design and craft work. Opportunities are also available at junior or senior high schools or special or technical vocational schools, where they can teach the skills learned at university. Future graduates of Metal Design, like many past graduates, will hopefully contribute their unique and creative skills to play an important role in society.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information

Textiles

Students of this program will be able to learn using various materials and techniques in Textiles to pursue new ways of expression in contemporary society.

●Learning Goals

Since ancient times, weaving and dyeing have been an integral part of people’s daily lives. Japan, among other countries, has achieved an unparalleled level of sophistication in its textile culture through the kimono – a traditional Japanese garment. Even today, with their unique aesthetic qualities, Japanese textiles and designs continue to draw worldwide attention. The Textiles program seeks to re-examine the techniques and aesthetics that have historically been learned in Japan; look in depth at the role of weaving, dyeing and textile production in modern society; and explore new ways of expression and possibilities within textile arts.

●Curriculum

In second year, students are taught the basics of textile art material – primarily fabric and dye. Students also obtain basic textile skills by learning methods of expression typical of dying (batik / screen printing) and weaving (twill weave / structured weave / double weave). In third year, students have the option of choosing between dyeing or weaving seminars. In the seminars, students are required to do assignments designed to improve their technical expertise, knowledge and use of materials, increase their awareness of art work, and improve the quality of their skills necessary for optimal creation and expression. Furthermore, students are expected to expand their scope of expression through production, exhibition and presentation of their works linked by a common theme. In fourth year, each student is required to discover and establish a unique way of expression by producing a major work following the theme that he or she has chosen.

●Careers after graduation

The textile art program aims to develop students’ knowledge in dyeing, weaving and textiles to help them hone their talents as designers and artists who can make contributions within different parts of society. Previous graduates from this program are already working actively as textile designers, graphic designers, textile artists, plastic artists and teachers as well as many other professions.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information

Lacquer Arts

Students in this program are encouraged to creatively express themselves and explore the spirit of monozukuri.

●Learning goals

Japan enjoyed a period of rapid economic growth after World War II. This has, however, led people to focus too much on achieving affluent lifestyles. Because of this, Japan has experienced excessive uniformity in lifestyle and has neglected its spiritual values, causing social problems. Lacquer Arts teaches students not only about the nine thousand year relationship and history between people and lacquer but also the techniques. Lacquering requires people to work directly with nature, making them aware of themselves and revealing the essence of production. Achieving mastery in lacquer arts requires many years of training and experience. The Lacquer Arts program is looking to develop students who can restore spiritual values into today’s society by making the most of what they have learned.

●Curriculum

In second year and all subsequent years, students are taught basic lacquering skills. There are classes in the construction of various tools, the honkataji coating process comprised of 40 steps from wooden basis preparation to polishing, and decoration techniques such as makie (metal powder sprinkling), raden (mother-of-pearl inlay), and choshitsu (carved lacquer). In third year, students are taught rokuro (pottery wheel) and kanshitsu (dry lacquer) techniques to make objects to which lacquer is applied. Comprehensive lessons focus on the production techniques of Miyajima rokuro – a major local industry, as well as lessons in casting knives. Also, creative study classes are provided where students are taught specialized techniques for handling metal and other unconventional materials and how to use them in combination with lacquer. Classes presenting classic lacquer works are given to help students understand the history of lacquerware and help them discover their own ways of expressing themselves. In fourth year, as the culmination of their undergraduate studies, students are required to produce their own unique lacquered creations.

●Careers after graduation

Graduates have enjoyed a very high rate of employment and are actively working in many different fields. Occupations include interior design, advertising, photography, video artist, high school teacher, and special technical school or vocational school teacher. In the future, the hope is that graduates from the Lacquer Arts program will play an even more substantial role in society.

●Faculty members

• Hiroshima City University Researcher Information