General Description of Thematic Projects

Overview

The Networked Media programme at Piet Zwart Institute runs one thematic project per trimester. These make up the very core of the course programme. You will participate in four thematic projects over the course of the first four trimesters. The programme’s projects offer a thematic framework for reflection, discussion and joint research and production. Each thematic project has one or more project leaders. Project leaders may be a designer, artist, theoretician or other person with an advanced insight into media design and issues relevant to the professional field. Quite often, courses will be run by teams.

Thematic projects offer a framework for reflection, discussion and joint research and production. The projects are intended to support students in understanding their work in relation to that of others in the professional field and in defining a position within a broader cultural, technical and social context.

The projects are not fully ‘taught’ courses, although they may in part contain such elements as reading seminars, instructional sessions and lectures. They become useful and meaningful for students’ development only through active participation.

The learning objectives of the thematic projects are:

to enhance the ability to question and problematise networked media practice
to develop artistic and technical skills
to enhance knowledge and understanding of contemporary cultural, scientific and technical discourse
to develop a critical and conceptual vocabulary
to become acquainted with research and production methods
to learn to map out and compare different perspectives and positions on a subject
to develop skills of dialogue and of making an argument in writing, presentations and discussions
to make work with theoretical, technical and practical inputs that are developed in relation to others
to define your potential terms of engagement with the contexts relevant to your work
to develop appropriate ways for situating and promoting work
to engage in peer-group assessment

What does a thematic project entail in terms of time?

Normally, a project lasts one trimester. Usually, there are day-long group meetings once a week, on a regular day. In addition, students are required to reserve extra time for reading, researching, production work, or preparing for a presentation. Students invest at least two days a week on a thematic project, but may also devote their self-initiated research time to this work.

How many projects am I expected to take?

You must participate in four thematic projects in the course of the first four trimesters. We run one project per trimester.

Reading

All thematic projects involve a structured plan of reading. It is essential that you follow this. In addition, most projects will have a list of other suggested texts and / or media. You are strongly encouraged to make good use of these suggestions.

Presence and participation

You are expected to take part in the meetings, prepare for discussions, and contribute to presentations and the programme of work. With good reason, you may miss one meeting. Please inform the project leader(s) in time. With very good reason, you may miss two meetings. However, missing more than two meetings will be understood as a disinterest in continuing with the project, and practically means that you cannot graduate within two years.

Thematic Project Deadlines

All Thematic Projects entail a deadline for the production of:

a project in networked media
an essay

These must be delivered on time. Each project will involve different forms of feedback on these elements. You are very welcome to consult tutors other than project leaders on approaches you might take to such work and for advice on resources and practice.

Master Fine Art and Master Lens-Based Media: Thematic Projects

You may, following consultation with and approval from the course director, take part in a Thematic Project being run as part of the Master Fine Art programme or the Master Lens-Based Media. Such participation may well be extremely useful. It may be necessary to attach certain conditions to participation, for instance in regard to essay-writing or the specific outcome of the project in order to maintain your flow of work within Networked Media.