Teaching Digital Art and Design: Some reflections based on the pedagogy developed in ESADSE (Saint-Etienne Higher School of Art and Design)

From the 1980s onwards, adapting to the transformations of Western society, certain French art schools have incorporated the question of digital technology into their teachings. Firstly, through the acquisition of technical equipment, typically dedicated to video and graphic design, and then through the widespread adoption of "computer rooms" which, particularly in the 1990s, allowed for the training of entire classes on specific software while also providing access to the Internet. This was followed by the establishment of "digital hubs" designed to manage the educational computer infrastructure while also providing opportunities for initiations, particularly in the field of electronics. Then, around 2010, certain institutions, inspired by fablabs, were equipped with tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and various computer-controlled machines - which are still widely used today - in addition to more "digitally-based" tools such as VR headsets.

The integration of the digital world into art and design schools has been accompanied by exceptional technical instruction, enabling students to achieve mastery of the tools within the unique framework of personalized pedagogy that characterizes art and design education.

However, in retrospect, it becomes evident that the formal and theoretical approach to the digital world has not always been adequately addressed during these decades, creating a significant bias in the education provided by French art schools. This bias involves considering the digital domain solely from a technical perspective, regarding it merely as a tool serving traditional practices without fundamentally questioning the transformative changes it entails. The new means of expression, along with the conceptual, aesthetic, performative, cultural, societal, and political aspects associated with them, have often been neglected, if not hindered or overshadowed by a necessary but limiting technical learning process. This technical focus, while essential, fails to fully represent the entirety of the challenges presented by digital creation.

However, this criticism should be approached with greater nuance and subtlety. It is known that art schools are shaped by the trends driven by successive management and teaching teams. Digital "moments" have indeed emerged in certain institutions, only to fade away due to changes in direction. The recent initiative Openschool.art (note or reference), which invites "digital" teachers in art schools to share the diversity of their practices during regular meetings, demonstrates that the "digital" domain, while acknowledged and integrated into contemporary practices from a technical standpoint, still needs to prove or reaffirm its legitimacy as a "medium" or "artistic language" despite decades of existence.

ESAD Saint-Étienne is one of the institutions that have succeeded in consistently integrating a digital "mindset," which has evolved over time but remains persistent. The recent establishment of the "Digital Creation" program highlights the distinctiveness of digital expression, setting it apart from more traditional conceptual approaches in design and art. The objective is to educate creators who go beyond being mere users of tools and become conscious actors aware of the possibilities offered by digital technology, while also taking into account the societal and environmental implications inherent in such productions.

However, this essential objective, once stated, does not provide a singular path to follow. The paths to achieve this goal are numerous and marked by numerous questions. During the first session of the Openschool.art meetings, we compiled a list of questions to fuel discussions. Without reproducing them in their entirety here, these lines of inquiry form a problematic foundation that remains relevant at the time of writing this text. The fundamental questions can be summarized as follows: Are there specific elements inherent to digital creation? Does declaring oneself as a "digital artist" or "digital designer" hold any significance?

And if we develop it further:

What are the "best practices" in digital technology that should be taught to art and design students? Is there an essential digital cultural background to transmit? Does teaching digital design go hand in hand with teaching specific tools? Does using software or digital production tools (such as laser cutting or 3D printing) in a project make it a digital project? Can original and creative work be created using proprietary software? Is peer learning the most effective method for mastering digital tools? Can digital creation training be devolved to tutorials?

Amidst this array of questions, we can identify inquiries related to the transmission of knowledge (practical, cultural, methodological), the relevance of learning tools, and the renewal of pedagogical techniques. Without aiming to provide definitive answers in the following lines, we will simply attempt to shed light on certain points based on acquired experience and current observations. After briefly recalling the specific teaching context at ESADSE, we will clarify the chosen position within the "Digital Creation" program - namely, an approach focused on "creation" - and then emphasize the importance of advocating for a distinct "writing" as a key element of contemporary digital creation.

Context of Digital Education at ESAD Saint-Étienne

Starting from the 1980s, technical courses as well as artistic and theoretical teachings have established a "digital culture" within ESAD Saint-Étienne. As early as 1982, artist Gilles Roussi, later joined by economist Yann Moulier-Boutang, spread the FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) culture within the institution, supporting, among other things, the creation of a student association called "Le Garage," which became a pioneering hub for debates and initiatives in the field of "open-source". In 2008, the arrival of designer François Brument within the school sparked a new dynamic around digital design and parametric design, which is still carried by the current team. In 2010, the establishment of the Random() laboratory, which enables the development of experimental digital projects and provides post-master level opportunities for students, contributed to integrating research aspects into the digital creation challenges of the institution. At a later stage, Random() was associated with the Labo NRV of ENSBA Lyon through a partnership agreement to create the Digital Research Unit in Art and Design of ESADSE-ENSBA Lyon (a research laboratory that we unfortunately don't have enough space to describe in detail here).

In 2014, the introduction of the "Media" department (graphic design and digital) within the Design master's program at ESADSE was another milestone. It was replaced in 2021 by two departments, one of which is titled "Digital Creation" (an autonomous syllabus separated from graphic design with the intention of being open to all forms of practice, including artistic). This transformation clearly demonstrates the the institution's commitment to digital practices as inherent to contemporary art and design.

In terms of the "Digital Creation" department, and the the Random() lab rely on a permanent team capable of addressing technical, methodological, artistic, and theoretical questions. The team includes Damien Bais, François Brument, Jérémie Nuel, Jacques-Daniel Pillon, and Lucile Schrenzel. They are supported by a technician responsible for machine maintenance, Smaïl Khellouf. The department and the lab have access to the resources of school's digital department as well as their own equipment. The machinery is designed to provide a range of diverse tools, including 3D printing (including ceramic printing), laser cutting, plotters, robotic arms, and more. It also involves interfaces such as electronic prototyping platforms, various sensors, VR headsets, graphic tablets, and exhibition devices such as screens, projectors, and the MireOS software.

The "creation-oriented" approach of the "Digital Creation" department

Approaching the digital world as a space for "creation" is not a principled stance. It is a way to specify, and thus distinguish, an approach to art and/or design creation from fields such as innovation, engineering, "industrial" design, R&D, and numerous forms of digital-related creativity. Indeed, our position as an art school implies an approach that deviates from the aforementioned logics and instead encourages practices that invite reflection, critique, and experimentation. The skills we provide to our students do not correspond to a specific profession within the digital field, but rather to a different way of approaching it, one that goes beyond the ideological prism often associated with the GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft). In opposition to this ideology, we offer a thinking and an imaginary that allow us to break free from the solutionist tunnel and ideally lead to unique creations that are positioned with accuracy.

Hereof, one could say that the idea takes precedence over the project. Throughout the design process, it is the idea that guides the project and evolves towards its realization, ultimately leading to the creation of mock-ups, prototypes, or finished works accompanied by their technical solutions. However, it may also result in an incomplete outcome if the design reveals significant problems and deadlocks (technical, ecological, or ethical). Choosing to abandon a project, as long as it is justified, can indeed be the best response to a given issue, especially in the present time, and holds equal pedagogical value to the skills acquired through a "finished" project.

In this sense, the "creation-based" approach clearly questions production through massive automation and standardization, as well as the normalization of creative forms primarily derived from major names of contemporary digital world.

This positioning is therefore based on several guiding principles:

What does "digital writing" mean?

Since the 1960s and the irruption of computing in the field of art, creators and theorists have identified specific characteristics of the digital world: information discretization/sampling, the ability for repetition with variations (permutations) unlike mechanical reproduction systems, hybridization functions, plasticity leading to "hypermedia," interactivity, generativity, and more. These characteristics highlight the unique qualities of the digital medium and its potential for artistic expression and exploration.

These different elements make the digital medium unique and distinctive. The concept of "digital expression" aims to describe an approach in art or design that specifically utilizes the inherent possibilities of the digital world, as opposed to other practices that use it primarily as productivity tools. Developing a "digital expression" requires an understanding that behind every action performed by a computer, there is code, variables, hardware, and more. It entails adopting a mindset grounded in the flexibility, impermanence, and constraints of the digital medium.

To be able to guide the students along this path, autonomy is emphasized during the learning process. Guided by regular support from teachers, progress is shaped as projects flourish, rather than being dictated by hardware and software updates. By developing the ability to cultivate creative projects that leverage the advantages of digital technology without seeing them as limitations, students acquire more than just technical skills that may become obsolete. Instead, they cultivate an aptitude for seizing opportunities and preparing for the ever-changing landscape of the digital world.

This ability to perceive the focus of a concept or technique within a specific context is also acquired though knowledge of art and design history. This allows for the integration of digital technology into a broader "history of forms" -- one that extends far beyond the major players of the contemporary digital world and mostly representing Western perspectives but also those from other cultural contexts. Without becoming overwhelming, these references allow us to understand why, for instance, virtuality and AI have reached their current state and how these techniques have already been the subject of projects and artworks that have sparked waves of questioning and critique. This knowledge prevents a naive approach and allows for a critical distance from the dazzling promises and technical effects produced by the competition for "innovation," placing creation and its demands at the heart of concerns. This cultural acquisition work, in addition to nurturing sensitivity, is also accompanied by attention to - and even involvement in - societal and political domains.

During the course of their education years at ESADSE, students can encounter and experiment with various classes and workshops, including programming as a tool for artistic research, parametric design, interaction (installation, virtual spaces, video games, etc.), digital fabrication, graphic design, digital publishing and web design, live coding and digital performance, working with data and AI, methodology and workflow for digital projects (including the documentation process), and more. This broad foundation opens up possibilities for diverse digital experiences and, in turn, nourishes an artistic practice that, in addition to its specific characteristics, also seeks to foster the uniqueness of each student. The goal is for students to develop their own digital artistic expression, not conceived as a predetermined formal or conceptual framework, but rather as an extension of contemporary issues to be shared freely.

Conclusion

With "Digital Creation" department and the Digital Research Unit of ESADSE-ENSBA Lyon, ESADSE covers various aspects of digital technology throughout its curriculum, from the first to the eighth year, ranging from introductory to specialized levels and even research-oriented programs. This pedagogical program enables comprehensive training in accordance with the orientations described in this text, namely the "creation-oriented" approach and the assertion of a "digital artistic expression." These two points, as developed here, do not address the entirety of the initial problematic nor encompass all aspects of digital education at our school.

The aim of this text, as understood, is not to present ESADSE as an exemplary model to follow or to impose our approach to various questionings. The intention is rather to testify - without the desire to generalize - to a pedagogical experience that seeks to articulate the field of creative arts with the digital world, addressing its challenges, particularly in a context where producing less - or even not at all, in order to preserve the environment - is a fundamental issue.

Thinking and rethinking the formal and conceptual aspects of digital technology in art and design is a task that can never be completed but remains fascinating to study, share, and transmit.

David-Olivier Lartigaud