Date: March 9th, 2020 from 19:00 until 20:00

Location: Karel Doormanhof 45, 3012 GC Rotterdam

About the lecture:Christopher Meerdo will be lecturing on digital colonialism through his research-based photographic and emerging media projects Eigengrau (infrared facial recognition camera images mined from restricted international factory employee work registrations) and Channeling (a Generative Adversarial Network trained on the complete 70,000 image file archive of Osama bin Laden’s computer cache, released by the Central Intelligence Agency). The artist considers the working space of emerging technologies to question the power of non-human camera and data aggregations. 

Artist bio:

Christopher Meerdo is an artist who grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and spent his teenage years in Šiauliai, Lithuania. He resided in Chicago for the last 15 years before relocating in 2019 to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.Meerdo received his MFA in Photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago, taught at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 2012-2019, and was recently appointed tenure track Assistant Professor of Photography and New Media at the University of North Texas. Recent exhibitions include Exgirlfriend (Berlin); The Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago); Wilfried Lentz (Rotterdam), The National Gallery of Kosovo (Pristina), and The Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art (Pittsburg). He was an artist in residence at the SIM Program in Reykjavik and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Meerdo was most recently a fellow at the Jan van Eyck Academie in the Netherlands for the 2018-2019 program. 

Image credits:

Channeling, 2019Modular LED display, Switcher/Scaler, Media Player, 8×8 ft (2.5×2.5m)Generative Adversarial Network trained on complete 70,000 image file archive of Osama bin Laden’s computer cache, released by the Central Intelligence Agency

Open Studios: Piet Zwart Institute Master of Fine Art

Karel Doormanhof 45 

3012 GC Rotterdam 

The Netherlands

February 8th 2020, 11am – 7pm 

What’s hidden in the garden? Where’s the exhibition? Whose hanging by the bar? Which things are on offer in the shop? When’s the radio on? How’s the menu? 

The Master Fine Art at the Piet Zwart Institute kindly invites you to come and have a nosy, meet some friendly faces and sample the wide array of culturally procured goods on offer at its annual open studios. Stop by during Art Rotterdam week and see what goes on in the MFA program’s building in Rotterdam city centre. 

Current students will open up their studios to the public and share their multi-disciplined practices that reflect the schools pedagogical approach. Exhibiting works and performances inside and outside the building, they will take you on a tour through gourmet cooking to green-thumbed gardening, pop-up bar design, radio disc jockeying and keeping shop. There will also be an opportunity to meet the core MFA teaching staff for questions about the programme and teaching methods. Keep an eye on our social media for a full program 

Prospective students, please feel welcome to join our guided tour from 2pm – 3pm

Participating artists: Emma Astner, Christine Ayo, Annabelle Binnerts, Linus Bonduelle, Dagmar Bosma, Antonia Brown, Jake Caleb, Pascale De Graaf, Aimilia Efthimiou, Halla Einarsdóttir, Guillem Arquer Gómez, Diana Al Halabi, Olga Hohmann, Peter Horneland, Jamie Kane, Junghun Kim, Bruno Machado Das Neves, Steven Maybury, Lucía Bayón Mendoza, Lukas Meßner, Christian Aagaard Ovesen, Josie Perry, Petter Dahlström Persson, Yanik Soland, Daphne Simons, Berglind Erna Tryggvadóttir 

And pedagogical team 2019-20: Liesbeth Bik, Kate Briggs, Bernd Krauß, Mike Sperlinger, Jan Verwoert, Nina Wakeford, Katarina Zdjelar.

View of PZI at Robert Smithson, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill, 1971. Photo: Jakob Forster. COURSE DIRECTOR – MASTER FINE ART (0,8 FTE) 

Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (WdKA/RUAS), offers a variety of bachelor and master programmes in the field of visual culture, art, design, education in arts, and leisure management. All master courses are organized within the Piet Zwart Institute (PZI). 

About the Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design: Fine Art

The Master Fine Art at Piet Zwart Institute (PZI) is a two year English-taught Master of Arts in the Fine Art and Design programme.The programme fosters the professional development of emerging artists through exposure to key actors and influences in the field of contemporary art, professional guidance and workshops, and by offering opportunities for presenting ideas and work to wider audiences. Our collective ambition is to provide our students with a challenging, supportive and responsive learning environment, as well as a curriculum that offers the creative structure and committed resources they need to develop their individual and collective senses of artistic purpose and agency.

Position

The Course Director is responsible for advancing the research and teaching missions of the programme, and leading on curriculum and assessment development, faculty and student recruitment, and the management of organizational resources and structures with the needs of our international community in mind. We are looking for a resourceful and innovative international arts professional, who has imaginative visions for promoting excellence in artistic research and practice, in the context of arts education, but also in the professional field.Therefore he/she/they:· Maintains an inspiring teaching and learning environment for staff and students.· Leads the MFA with vision, and advances the research, teaching and professional missions of the MFA programme in alignment with broader institutional agendas at PZI and WdKA.· Works as a team with other Course Directors of the PZI and Major and Practice leaders at the WdKA.· Works with the WdKA research professors.· Participates in the development of artistic research.· Promotes the programme, students, faculty, alumni on national and international level.· Fosters relations with national, international and Rotterdam-based cultural and education organizations, including the Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab (RASL).Requirements

· A Master’s Degree or PhD in a relevant field.· A genuine enthusiasm for working with and mentoring contemporary artists.· A collegial attitude towards administrative and collaborative work across the PZI/WdKA.· EU/ECC work authorization.· Fluency in English, and a willingness to learn Dutch.· He/she/they is an excellent communicator who excels at sharing expertise and facilitating exchange within and outside of the MFA programme, in particular with the bachelor programmes of WdKA.· Prepared to move to the Netherlands.

Conditions

Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences offers a temporary contract, from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021, with the possibility for extension into a permanent contract. The salary ranges from €4,326.54 to €5,564.23 gross per month (salary scale 12) for a full time appointment, exclusive of additional 8% holiday pay and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. Secondary benefits include professional training opportunities and an attractive pension scheme.The tasks are divided between:

0.6 fte course leader, management and education0.2 fte research (to be discussed on hiring)

All staff members of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences must be able to submit a Certificate of Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent Gedrag, VOG) issued by the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security.

Additional information

Informal enquiries about the position or the selection procedure can be directed to:wdka-PZIMFA@hr.nl.

Deadline for applications: March 1, 2020

Online applications through here

Please do not use this vacancy as an acquisition opportunity.

The annual Piet Zwart Institute Open Day will take place on February 1st 2020, from 10.00 until 15.00.

Throughout the day both the Willem de Kooning Academy (WdKA) and the Piet Zwart Institute (PZI) Master studio spaces will be open to the public. It is a day when many PZI staff and students are present to field your questions. Some Masters hold presentations, and it is also a time when the ten WDKA stations located throughout the WdKA Blaak 10 and Wijnhaven 61 Buildings are open for you to roam in and out of, giving you a better idea of our current facilities.

The Masters Interior Architecture: Research + Design, Education in Arts; Experimental Publishing; Lens-Based Media and Master Design are located in the Wijnhaven 61 building on the fourth floor and the Master Fine Art is located in the KDH building, Karel Doormanhof 45.

In addition to this year’s open day, the Master Fine Art welcomes you to visit the Karel Doormanhof 45 building during their Open Studios event on February 8th 2020, as a part of Art Rotterdam.

For further information about the Piet Zwart Institute, please contact us via:

Phone (Monday to Thursday): +31 (010) 794 7405 and  +31 (010) 794 7401 E-mail: pzwart-info@hr.nl

We strongly advise you to visit us during our open day.

If you are not able to join us it may be possible to make an appointment for an individual visit. Please note, we cannot guarantee this option, due to the limited time between now and the approaching application deadlines.

Application Deadlines:

March 6, 2020: Priority deadline for completed applications of Dutch and EU applicants. And, Final deadline NON EU applicants.

April 24, 2020: Final deadline for completed applications of all EU/EEA applicants.

Note: the Master Design follows a different application process. Find more on our website.

Mailing list Each department sends regular email announcements for its public events. If you would like to be on this mailing list, please send an email to pzwart-info@hr.nl and refer to the Piet Zwart Institute public programme mailing list.

The Piet Zwart Institute will be open for new applications.

Due to the quantity of applications the Piet Zwart Institute Master programs receive, regulations regarding immigration, and international opportunities to apply for study funding, we strongly encourage you to apply early.

March 6, 2020: Priority deadline for completed applications of Dutch, EU applicants.Final deadline non-EU applicants.

April 24, 2020: Final deadline for completed applications of Dutch and EU applicants.

Open house: Saturday, February 1 2020, 10am–3pm.

The Master Fine Art organizes Open Studios on February 8, 11am–7pm.Only at Mauritsstraat 36/ Karel Doormanhof 45

The Piet Zwart Institute houses the international master programmes of the Willem de Kooning Academy at Hogeschool Rotterdam. Named after the pioneering Dutch designer Piet Zwart, who worked experimentally across different media and contexts, our institute offers a rich combination of in-depth specialisation and interdisciplinary exchange in an intimate learning environment.

The programmes of the Piet Zwart Institute are located in the heart of Rotterdam’s city centre. While students and faculty come from across the globe, bringing with them a variety of cultural influences, there are also strong connections to the city, its complex history and dynamic urban environment.

We have five master programmes: Fine Art, Interior Architecture: Research + Design, Experimental Publishing, Lens-Based Media, and Education in Arts. All are founded on a shared interest in the complex social, cultural and political underpinnings of each discipline. Through a uniquely tailored curriculum combining collective learning, intensive individual tutorial support, practice-based research and theoretical inquiry, our programmes educate young professionals who have a critically reflective and imaginative approach to their work.

As an educational institute the notion of “making public” is core to our activities. These public moments are an important resource for students, faculty members and guests, serving as a bridge to the city, a framework for exploring timely and relevant issues, and building a community around areas of interests. Exhibitions, symposia, conferences and publications expand our research beyond the confines of academia, while simultaneously valuing the very necessary speculative space for reflection and knowledge building that is only made possible through the rigorous academic framework of the Piet Zwart Institute.

Teaching staff:

Fine Art: Liesbeth Bik (artist), Kate Briggs (translator, writer), Bernd Krauß (artist), Mike Sperlinger (writer, curator), Jan Verwoert (theorist, critic), Nina Wakeford (artist, sociologist), Katarina Zdjelar (artist)

Experimental Publishing: Aymeric Mansoux (course director, artist, writer), Clara Balaguer (cultural worker, vernacular designer), André Castro (media artist), Michael Murtaugh (computer programmer), Steve Rushton (writer, artist), Natasha Soobramanien (writer), Marloes de Valk (artist, writer, curator), Amy Suo Wu (artist, designer)

Lens-Based Media: Simon Pummell (course director, animator & filmmaker), David Haines (artist, drawing, video), Ine Lamers (artist), Javier Lloret (artist, researcher), Barend Onneweer (independent visual effects, animation artist), Steve Rushton (writer, artist), Natasha Soobramanien (writer), Marloes de Valk (artist, writer, curator),

Interior Architecture: Research + Design: Alex Augusto Suárez (course director, architect, educator), Golnar Abbasi (artist, architect, researcher), Andrea Bagnato (editor, researcher), Cookies, Federico Martelli & Clément Périssé (architects, designers, researchers), Daphne Heemskerk (graphic designer), Ephraim Joris (architect, tutor), Natasha Marie Llorens (curator, writer), Studio Ossidiana, Alessandra Covini & Giovanni Bellotti (architects, designers, researchers), Olivier Otten (interaction designer).

Education in Arts: Ingrid Commandeur (course director), Kate Brehme (museum educator, public practices), Jolande Bosch (artist, educator), Emiel Copini (educator, secondary education), Elizabeth Graham (museum educator, curator), Prof. Dr. Frans-Willem Korsten (educator, researcher), Irina Shapiro (design educator, curator), Renee Turner (artist, educator), Sjoerd Westbroek (artist, educator), Thijs Witty (educator, research, writer).

Apply to the Piet Zwart Institute here.

Anthony Green

Date: Tuesday 10 December, 2019 from 19:00 till 20:30Location: Karel Doormanhof 45, 3012 GC Rotterdam

Mitigating Multiplicities: a study of a complex practiceAs politics, social environments, geographies, and climates continue to change, how do artists keep up – i.e. continue, remain relevant, but also avoid compromising?What does a complex practice look like in a world where the role of art seems to be losing value?In this talk, composer, performer, and social justice artist Anthony R. Green discusses these issues in the context of his interdisciplinary practice, focusing on how identity, history, current political trends, and absolute music and art can function synergetically. 

The practice of Anthony R. Green (composer, performer, social justice artist) is concerned with the metaphysics of the opressed, hyperbole and embodiment of injustice, and continuous questioning.His work has been presented at Tivoli Vredenburg (Utrecht), StadsSalon (Amsterdam), studio ilka theurich (Hannover), Cité de la musique et de la danse (Strasbourg), Symphony Space (New York), Spectrum (New York), LiteraturHaus (Copenhagen), The Shoe Factory (Nicosia), The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (Omaha), the Charles River Esplanade (Boston), and others.His work has been interpreted by Gabriela Díaz, Wendy Richman, Ashleigh Gordon, Hayk Melikyan, NOISE-BRIDGE, ALEA III, the Fidelio Trio, the Playground Ensemble, BLY, counter)induction, the Keuris Sax Quartet, Ossia New Music Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound, to name a few.As a performer (interpreter, performance artist) and scholar, he has performed and presented research for various conferences and festivals as an invited guest in the USA, the UK, Turkey, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.He is a former McKnight Visiting Composer fellow, a past resident artist at institutions in Europe and the US, and the composer-in-residence and associate artistic director of Castle of our Skins: celebrating Black Artistry through Music.  www.anthonyrgreen.com ; www.foundwork.art/artists/anthonyrgreen

VOLITIONAL VOLUTIONS OF THE VOLATILE WATERS BY MERVE KILIÇER

Date: Friday 6 December 2019 from 15:30 till 17:30Location: Karel Doormanhof 45, 3012 GC/ Mauritsstraat 36, 3012 CJ Rotterdam

This Friday, from 15.30-17.30 we invite you to the Open Studio of Merve Kılıçer, the first of our alumni to occupy a new research studio in Karel Doormanhof 45, Rotterdam.With this initiative we hope to consolidate and extend ongoing conversations across all the Masters of the Willem de Kooning Academie about the capacity of artistic research, while supporting the recent graduate.For the last four weeks Merve has been in residence at Karel Doormanhof 45, and on Friday we welcome you to explore her emerging work as part of the project Volitional Volutions of the Volatile Waters.Refreshments will be served.http://mervekilicer.com/about/http://mervekilicer.com/volitional-volutions-of-the-volatile-waters/

Navigating the Virtual, a workshop by Anja Kirschner Tuesday 5 November.

Anja Kirschner’s seminar will consider immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and other digital simulations (in gaming, training and design), not as ‘neutral’ technologies for modelling physical reality, but as technologies that have emerged from the military-entertainment-research complex and are actively shaping the physical world and modulating affects, behaviours and dispositions within it.

Drawing on Harun Farocki’s exploration of digital animation and Virtual Reality exposure therapy and the way these inform recent theoretical texts on navigating the virtual (by Tom Holert, Pasi Väliaho, Orit Halpern), we will explore the politics of virtuality, artificiality and survival (Claire Colebrook).

In particular, we will look at the rise of dominant navigational paradigms and at what the visual culture theorist Nicholas Mirzoeff has called decolonial countervisuality, or the right to look, which “refuses to allow authority to suture its interpretation of the sensible to power, first as law and then as the aesthetic.”

Anja Kirschner is an artist working in the moving image. Currently she is a PhD researcher at the Royal College of Art, London.

www.anjakirschner.com

Date and time: Tuesday 29th of October 2019, 7pm

Location: Karel Doormanhof 45, 3012 GC Rotterdam

Lisa Robertson is a poet and art writer. Born in Toronto, raised into writing by her feminist peers in Vancouver, resident now of rural France, her most recent publications are Proverbs of a She-Dandy (Belkin Gallery, 2018) and Thresholds: A Prosody of Citizenship (Bookworks, 2019)

The Baudelaire Fractal – This is the title of Lisa Robertson’s just-completed novel, which will be published by Coach House Books in January 2020. Robertson will read an excerpt from this story, in which a poet, Hazel Brown, of middle age and mild accomplishment, awakes one morning in a hotel room in Vancouver to discover that she has written the complete works of Baudelaire. Yet she never has been Baudelaire, not will she ever become him. The hotel room is the mysterious portal to this authorship, and so she meanders through the many hotel rooms of her life, considering fashion and sex in the 1980s, painting in the 1840s, perfume in the 1990s, the humiliation of domestic labour, and the good luck of having become a reader as an act of escape from both class and gender.

Date and time: Tuesday 15th of October 2019, 7pm Location: Karel Doormanhof 45, 3012 GC Rotterdam

Azar Mahmoudian is an independent curator and educator based in Tehran. Her recent projects include “When Legacies Become Debts” at The Mosaic Rooms, London (2019); multi-chaptered film program, “Sensible Grounds/Tectonics of Camaraderie”, for Tensta Konsthall, MAAT, SAVVY Contemporary, and Fundació Antoni Tàpies, among others (2018-2020); “Staging a change” and “Shifting Panoramas” at TMOCA, Tehran, and DAZ, Berlin (2018).

About the lecture: As sites of experimentation under less inhibited circumstances, self-organised and small-scale art institutions host projects that take different sorts of risks in face of the aesthetic ecologies of contemporary art world. Yet they hardly engage in creating a self-sustained and independent network, which can take care of its own models and values.  Instead, most of them often deploy the same methods or instruments of credibility that the mainstream art world follows, specifically in regard to the neoliberal agendas of visibility, inclusivity and myths of accessibility.

So these initiatives only complicate the shape of social, political, and economic strata of contemporary art world, while leaving its overall power relations, associated economies and prevailing value systems intact. This make those who work for these initiatives feel that their efforts have fed the mainstream at the end; a logic of “gentrification” that small-scale art institutions often lapse into.

Following some case studies, this lecture suggests fundamental considerations in regard to the slippery notion of the “public” of/for art, and potential of small scale and self-organized art spaces in adopting strategies of insulation, subversive invisibility, and inversion of private and public domain, for the benefit of “the communal”, and “interpretive communities”.