UK versus Pakistan: Globalization influences on Art and Design - Literature review Example

UK versus Pakistan: Globalization influences on Art and Design By Foundation Department: Globalization influences on art and design Globalization and the advancement of technologies are prompting artists and designers to transform the industry into one that reflects cultural diversity. In response to globalization, new art and design collectors are establishing themselves in different places around the world. The resulting developments are increasingly demystifying art and design from their Western cradles to the rest of the world. Through globalization, high art and popular culture are increasingly being integrated in response to a more all-encompassing consumer culture. As such, different forms of "high art" such as painting, carvings, drawings and architecture are increasingly being adopted across the social segments, rather than by specific segments such as traditional aristocrats, who enjoyed tremendous wealth and social eminence in ancient societies. This paper will explore the impacts of globalization on UK’s and Pakistan’s design innovation and creativity. The paper will also explore whether and how Pakistan can adopt UK’s art and design curriculum in response to globalization as well as predict future trends. The effects of globalization on art and design can be traced to the mid-20th century when the industry of art and design began to lose its Eurocentric, elitist characteristics to a universal appreciation of the cultures of different societies (Benesh, 2015). The Independent Group of London is considered as one of the significant players that heralded the Pop Art movement in the United Kingdom, which technically merged the unique qualities of high art with those of popular culture. The subsequent growth of the Internet tool and digital technologies towards the end of the 20th century through to the current century is increasingly erasing whatever unique qualities of the culture left. Genocchio (2009) noted that computer technologies are affecting the entire field of art and design by influencing not just how new forms of art and designs are created, but how the contemporary consumer is increasingly being treated to pre-made forms of art and designs. Art and design Revolution Contemporary art of both the United Kingdom and Pakistan share certain similarities such as a revolutionary combination of clips, techniques and concepts, though the latter has weaker items. By contrast, London’s Independent Group has over the decades responded to the influences of globalization by integrating different forms of art and design including short media clips, films, shows, paintings, sculptures, imagery and drawings in a way that blends with the needs of the contemporary popular culture (Hassaan et al, 2013). Unlike Pakistan, British designs manifest greater revolutions due to its higher exposure to major global influences brought by technology advancements. Nevertheless, globalization has prompted British and Pakistani artists and designers to seek new, innovative techniques by traveling around the globe to learn different cultures. The resulting fluidity has triggered an intricate network of social interactions and the sharing of artistic values as well as concepts that transcend territorial borders. In light of this, influential art movements and design philosophies which are represented by more influential players that are technologically superior are increasingly being ‘forced upon’ inferior players (Benesh, 2015). Britain is one of the most culturally and artistically influential countries in the world, which is partly due to her colonial presence in a host of countries including what is today Pakistan. Globalization and computer technologies have also created better economic infrastructure for various items of art and design. Genocchio (2009) suggested that international collectors are contributing substantial sums of money to support creativity and innovation of art and designs. The agenda has been achievable by virtue of the Internet, which realistically allows artists and designers to search and market their items to a wider audience. Although, the United Kingdom is far ahead of Pakistan in terms of creativity and innovation of art, Tahir et al (2009) argued that the former can achieve more creativity through social and cultural interactions with Pakistan and the rest of the world. As such, globalization has prompted Pakistan to also contribute in the development of the global art and design, irrespective of the lower level of creativity and innovation. Whereas the United Kingdom boasts of her extensive experience in the field of art and design, Pakistan is increasingly responding to the pressures of globalization by building modern museums that are in line with global standards (Tahir et al, 2009). The opening up of auction houses and mass production of important artefacts by way of technologies such as 3-D printing, coupled with the increasing commercialization of the art and design industry are clear indicators of substantial innovation and creativity in both countries. It is notable, however, that whereas both Britain and Pakistan have placed tremendous value upon their respective arts and designs, British works are the results of greater innovation and creativity supported by better education curriculum and extensive experience (Genocchio, 2009). Unlike Britain, Pakistan is still struggling with a weaker art and design syllabus, coupled with obsession with the commercialization of the items, which then compromises their quality and connections to of the items to the country’s traditional culture. Creativity and Innovation Owing to the exposure of art and design to the limitless opportunities brought by globalization, the resulting stiff competition in the sector continue to pile more pressure upon artists, designers, curators and art collection agencies to meet the complex needs of a diverse consumers (Hassaan et al, 2013). Future consumers are expected to be more dependent on technologies, which mean the approaches which define the life of conventional art-lovers will continue to be relegated. As such, Kataria and Naveed (2014) said current-day artists and designers are incorporating wide range of utilities in their work such as diverse contemporary aesthetics and presence in multimedia in order to meet the needs of most audiences. Modern day museums are also deliberately turning their facilities into one-stop venue for numerous cultural activities and games to improve appreciation of social diversity (Singh, 2013). Some museums, especially in Britain have embarked on expansion programs, which conform to the structural designs of prominent ancient architects to create traditional thrill. The building designs of Sir Robert Smirke who was a prominent 19th century architect remain common in key public buildings in Britain, due to its embodiment of the country’s cultural identity (Ahmed et al, 2015). Perhaps the most common design is evidenced in the block and frontal face of the British Museum, which despite having been renovated several times, remains standing on the concrete foundations of the architect. Most Pakistani public buildings including museum were also influenced by Sir Smirke’s designs (Sethi, 2015). As such, most Westerners feel at home in their interactions with indigenous Pakistani designs and collections, irrespective of the latter’s Asian identity. The ensuing collaborations between British Museums and Pakistani Museums have led to the globalization of various artistic and design items in their unique identities. By posting various arts and designs on the Internet, Sethi (2015) noted that British and Pakistani collection facilities are responding to globalization by not only showing the whole world what they have in their store, but attracting curious learners, historians and anthropologists to engage in more fruitful critiques of the items. As such, the Internet tool of globalization is expected to give various museum directors from around the world a feeling of agility to create intuitive collections that capture the true interests of other facilities, collectors, creators and institutions of higher learning. Pakistani Art and Design Education Pakistan’s art and design education curriculum can be traced to the 1950s, the decade that followed the country’s attainment of independence from Britain. The curriculum is shorter than British, considering that the latter’s spans more than two centuries. Whereas the British art and design curriculum and related discourses have undergone very minimal changes since the 1960s, Pakistanis have witnessed tremendous changes within the industry (Tahir et al, 2009). The changes in the latter sector may be categorized into three rather indistinct phases namely; art as conventional craft of the period before 1960s, art as an important aspect of theoretical knowledge in the academies during the sunset years of the 20th century, and art as an integrated industry in the current century. Unlike the British art and design, which generally considers the late 19th century and greater part of 20th century as encompassing modern art and designs, Pakistani styles reflected traditional concepts until around 1960s. The subsequent opening up of art departments and institutes in higher learning institutions between 1960s and 1990s strengthened theoretical understanding within the industry (Sethi, 2015). It also opened the country to international influences, especially from Britain, having served as its colonial power in the region before, during which time different art institutions such as Mayo Museum were established. The three decades it took Pakistan to build its curriculum and transition from traditional culture-based art and design into a professional, theory-backed industry was extremely shorter than Britain’s. The subsequent globalization influences during from the 1990s throughout the current century could also have compromised Pakistan’s art and design curriculum, hence the need to adopt the more all-encompassing British (Ekbal, 2009). Pakistan is arguably not at its low in terms of investments in the design industry, however. The country has invested in art institutions and the academic programmes in line with global demands (Schell, 2014). Institutions such as School of Art, Design and Architecture (SADA), National College of Arts, and Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts are examples of great investments in art design education. Nonetheless, without a world-class curriculum, top British institutions such as University of the Arts London, Leeds College of Art and Royal College of Art will continue to churn out better graduates than the Pakistanis. The weakness of Pakistani curriculum can be attributed to certain rigidities of country’s higher learning institutions, coupled by the fact that many of the universities are more interested is producing high numbers of graduates rather high content of their degrees (Degeorge, & Porter, 2002). The Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design is an example of a higher education institution that is generally considered to be offering training programs that are less inclined toward nurturing creativity and innovation among the students. The weakness is particularly unsettling, considering that as the world becomes more globalized, the graduates will struggle to cope with the future needs of various players in the industry. Schell (2014) countered by arguing that unlike the academically superior British curriculum, the Pakistani sector relies on the private sector to hone the creative skills of new art and design graduates and turn them into equally productive players in the industry. However, owing to the informal nature of the extended training, Pakistan’s curriculum should be tailored along the British lines where closer working relationships among various players in the industry has been institutionalized. According to Termehchy et al (2015) the British curriculum supports closer relationships between institutions of higher learning and the private sector in the form of internships, which are supervised directly by the universities to ensure that every graduate has acquired high skillset and technical capacities that are needed in the current and future markets. Pakistan Domesticating the UK’s Curriculum According to Degeorge and Porter (2002), there is need for Pakistan to domesticate the UK’s art and design curriculum if it seeks to produce highly creative and innovative graduates that can compete more effectively with others from fledged sectors around the world. By virtue of its thorough curriculums for creative arts and design, the UK has established one of the biggest creative industry units in the world, which reflects the global diversity. The industry represents for 6% of country’s gross domestic product and employs about 2.5 million people. By virtue of the curriculum, the UK has fine-tuned its advertising, fashion, television, film, art and architecture to meet current and future global needs. Pakistan can domesticate UK’s art and design curriculum in order to enhance local creativity and innovation for future practice by firstly building adequate world-class education institutions and facilities such as universities, colleges and museums (Ekbal, 2009). Effective transfer of knowledge and skills that are needed in the current world are largely dependent on well-equipped schools and institutions of higher learning. Modern lecture halls with computers, projectors screens and Internet connections; well-equipped libraries; highly-trained instructors and qualified candidates are important factors that would improve creativity and innovation among Pakistani stakeholders. Secondly, the curriculum can be tailored to incorporate exchange programs between Pakistani art and design universities and their UK counterparts. Tyson (2010) suggested that such programs would transfer UK’s creative programs and knowledge to Pakistan, considering that UK is ranked top in Europe in terms of creativity in different sectors including music, digital televisions and most importantly, high arts. Such student programs would also expose more Pakistani art and design universities to investors from around the world, who, like it happened to Britain, could finance development programs in local Pakistani universities to enhance the creativity and innovativeness of the students (Degeorge, & Porter, 2002). The move is particularly feasible because many investors are increasingly viewing investments they make in developing countries such as Pakistan as worthwhile considering that the current global village has eased human interactions and interconnectedness of different economies around the world. Third, Pakistan can coordinate more transfers of select students to the United Kingdom for training programs (Ekbal, 2009). Pakistan can improve creativity and innovation in its art and design sector by seeking more enrolment of students through scholarship programs offered by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The program would enable more aspiring Pakistani students to gain world-class creative and innovation skills in virtually all segments of art and design including fine art, film, television, animation and production. By enjoying unique chances to learn alongside students from diverse cultures in programs spearheaded by professionals, those who complete the programs would play pivotal roles in reforming the education curriculum back home (Schell, 2014). The UK graduates would tremendously contribute towards a more seamless integration between local institutions of higher learning and the private sector. Currently, UK holds the second position globally in terms of collaboration between higher learning institutions of design and businesses. Lastly, Pakistan can domesticate the UK’s curriculum by opening more creative and innovative courses in its key institutions of art and design before rolling the programs to other universities and colleges. The move would allow for flexibility in the pursuit of knowledge and career development for the locals students (Schell, 2014). The current rigidity of Pakistani curriculum impedes attempts by students who are interested in graphic design, for example, from pursuing a career computer game design. But with several course combinations and the flexibility to choose courses that are compatible with evolving changes brought by globalization, more students will be better-placed to deploy their innovation and creative skills in the increasingly computer-dominated world to generate culturally diverse designs. Recommendations The Pakistani art and design should adopt the British curriculum over the next 15 years by first building modern facilities and equipping them with the right technologies to support proper acquisition of dynamic current-day knowledge and skills (Termehchy et al, 2015). Secondly, Pakistan’s art and design curriculum should be reformed to improve placement-based training programmes whereby trainees are exposed to fledged brands during their internship to stimulate their innovation and creative skills for use in the increasingly globalizing world of technologies and diverse cultures. Thirdly, Pakistan should tailor the syllabus to allow for greater collaboration with UK’s institutions of higher learning so as to facilitate knowledge sharing between the two countries for better curriculum influences. Fourth, Pakistan should send more qualified art and design students to the UK to gain world-class skills and knowledge for use back home to improve the education standards. The strategy can be implemented alongside hiring of UK-trained art and designers to take a leading role in improving the quality of the products of the sector by reforming the curriculum to be more responsive to the challenges of the current and future global world (Tarar, 2008). Lastly, there is need for Pakistan to appreciate every educational achievement it has realized in the field by establishing national art and design awards to be given to the universities, instructors, students and individual parties that demonstrate exemplary creativity and innovation in their works. Such programs would improve local networks, nurture emerging talent, recognize proven talent, and create a focus platform for Pakistan’s art and design identity for foreign markets. Conclusion Pakistan’s art and design educational sector is characterized by innovation and freshness, considering that external influences on the culture have not been overly transformational due to the relatively closed society that the country has been since the exit of Britain in 1947. The lower rate of technological advancements can also be blamed for the country’s underperformance even in the wake of globalization. As such, investment in new technologies and greater access to vital knowledge will highly transform the educational sector and open more doors to economic opportunities for new graduates in the country. By aligning its educational goals to UK’s, Pakistan will realize greater levels of visibility and uniqueness of its art and design, which will be key to its creativity and innovation as well as guarantee conformity to international standards of art and design over the long-term. References Ahmed et al. 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