Two international summer courses

HDK-Valand invites participation in two international summer courses oriented to questions of art and wider political and societal conditions. These courses are at Bachelor level, free to EU nationals, delivered in English, and carry 15 credits (ECTS). These are primarily by distance education with additional opportunities to meet face-to-face. The courses will run from the start of June to the end of August. Applications are accepted between February 19–March 15, 2024.

Introduction to Contemporary Art and Politics (VFSPOL) undergraduate
This is a survey course that introduces key political themes in relation to contemporary art practices, theories and institutions. It is informed by ongoing research and operates as a summer-long collaborative enquiry. Among the weekly themes are: “No conciliation is possible—Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende in Santiago, Chile”; “I’ll be your mirror—politics of difference, visibility and representation”; “Our Right to Breath—territorial and ecological struggles”; “The museum is burning—Archive Fever and the politics of display”; “Computer Love”; and “A question of power!”

The course is based on online presentations and seminars in combination with an in person “meet ups” in Barcelona (mid-July) and in Gothenburg. The course leaders are Nkule Mabaso and Thiago de Paula Souza with contributions from Mick Wilson and guest speakers from the new Centre for Art and the Political Imaginary (CAPIm). The course has optional “meet up” IRL aspects in: (i) Barcelona, Spain (mid-July) and (ii) Gothenburg, Sweden (late-August). For more see the course advance information page here.

Summer 2024: Individual Project Work I—Listen to your confusion (VSIND1) undergraduate
In the course Individual Project Work I—Listen to your confusion, we will investigate the personal and the collective by addressing how our mental states of noise and confusion correlate to a structural noise arising from a disintegrating society.

This course will focus on practices and theories of sound, listening, noise, voice and critical theory. It is open to students with a broad range of artistic expression who are interested in exploring their practice in relation to different forms of “registering” and listening. No previous experience with sound-production is necessary. The course will support students in developing their individual projects, while it will encourage collaboration as a form of listening.  

The course is based on online presentations, seminars, and supervision in combination with on-site/hybrid intensive workshops. This year the teaching team comprises of Mattin, Ewa Einhorn, Ray Brassier and Jessika Khazrik. The course has “meet up” IRL aspects in: (i) Berlin, Germany (June 5–12). Fore more see the course advance information page here.

Apply
Application here (for international applicants) and here (for Swedish applicants). Admission to courses is based on a letter of intention (preferably in English) stating why you wish to attend the course, 200 to 350 words in length. (Optional to include CV appendix in addition to 200–350 words.) In evaluating your application, we typically consider: clarity of purpose in attending the course; and capacity to actively contribute to the group dialogue, as evidenced in your letter.