Call for Participation / Stipends for Students / Summer School
ArTechS
Merging Art and Technology for a Sustainable Now
The ArTechS Summer School in Brief
22 June > 3 July 2020 in Stuttgart
Bringing students from around the globe together so that they jointly merge their perspectives, approaches, methods and expertise on the arts and technologies in order to contribute to a social-ecological transformation of the societies.
Application for participation and stipends/travel allowance until 25 March 2020.
Merging Art and Technology for a Sustainable Now
The UN Rio+20 debate and its focus on Green Economy shows, that there is a strong demand for technological innovations as a remedy for ecological destruction and as pathway to poverty eradication. Consequently, the predominant belief in technological progress is held up through technicians as well as a society wishing for easy technological solutions for complex ecological and social problems. This belief in quick technological fixes is further held up by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. An interdisciplinary approach seems necessary as the traditional mono-disciplinary approaches do not adequately tackle the societal challenges around the globe.
In contrast, artists and designers as well as experts of the humanities regularly address the relevant (global) issues including the technocentric and productivistic worldview. In addition, engineers and scientists are more and more living up to their social and ecological responsibility by designing sustainable technologies. Thus, bringing students of these disciplines together may contribute significantly to a social-ecological transformation of societies. Taking this into account, the Technical University Berlin, the University of Arts Berlin and the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart decided to partner up in the summer school “ArTechS – Merging Art and Technology for a Sustainable Now”.
Design and Objectives of the Summer School
The summer school intends to bring students together to overcome the boundaries between and within art and technology. Students are invited to bring their disciplinary perspectives and competences to the summer school in order to jointly address the problems that they identify as urgent. By doing this, the participants will acquire the competence to unveil the complex interdependency of their artistic, social, political, ecological and economic surroundings. This includes the consideration of different values, interests and needs within a global perspective as well as within one class(room). The design of the summer school encourages democratic decision-making not only to solve but also to define problems within the school itself and moreover outside of the classroom.
The summer school aims to enable the students to work together and across disciplinary boundaries through research-based learning. To this end, the students get to know basic approaches and methods of the various disciplines which will also include students co-teaching their fellow students in their respective disciplines. Furthermore, the students get to know several inter-/transdisciplinary/artistic research projects conducted at the participating institutions. This will include visits to laboratories and artist’s studios on campus as well as excursions in and around Stuttgart to places of social-ecological transformations and/or contemporary art projects.
The students then integrate their existing expertise with the new learned knowledge and competences, in order to conduct their collectively organised action research projects which merge aspects of art and technology for a sustainable now. The process as well as the products of these artistic/action research projects will be presented to a broader public through an analogue and digital exhibition.
Organisation of the Summer School
The summer school will take place from June 22 – July 03, 2020. This will provide the possibility to experience first hand the student life on the campus of Technical University of Stuttgart, Academy of Arts and Design Stuttgart and State University for Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart. In addition, the students of the summer school will participate as guests in some regular courses so that they will directly interact with other students.
Application for Participation, Stipends and Travel Allowance
The participation is free of charge
There are 20 stipend consisting of i.a. accommodation in a shared bedroom of 3–4 people and an additional travel allowance. The allowance is depending of the distance of the country. Enrolled students of all universities and graduate levels are eligible to apply. Students of arts and engineering are especially encourage to apply. Female students, students from the global south, students with children and students with disabilities will be favored.
APPLICATION
Please fill in your data and include a motivational text (300–500 words) here.
Please upload your CV (PDF) – and optionally your portfolio (PDF, max 50 MB) here.
The application deadline is March 25, 2020. Applicants will hear of the results by March 30, 2020 including if they are chosen for the stipend and travel allowance.
The summer school is organised by the following partners: CAMPUS GEGENWART, TU Berlin – HMdK Stuttgart – Blue Engineering – TUB Sustainability Certificate for Students – . The summer school is funded through DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service.
