Study syllabus

1st YEAR Static Image – ”composition on a plane”

Additional Technology Lessons:

Composition – relationships:

whole/excerpt, line/space, intensity/contrast, detail/sharpness, perspective/angle, color scheme/tonality, micro/macro

Recording – work with photo and video cameras:

focus, light exposure, sequentials, classical animation, zooming, panorama, pivot, fade in/out

Processing – laboratory and editing room:

edit/cut, insert/assemble, dissolve/wipe, tricks and effects


1st semester: STILL LIFE (object) – OBSERVATION AND VISION

  1. the philosophy of ”still life” – silence, emptiness, darkness – the major phenomena of dematerialization (John CAGE / Alan KAPROW)
  2. direct life experience with the material world: haptic, tasting, olfactory, sonic and visual qualities
  3. historical still life – treatment of the theme through traditional techniques: drawing/picture, text/description, theatre (objects as props) – semantic qualities: fetishism
  4. facticity of things: collage, whole/fragment, documentation/archive
  5. contemporary still life – captured by new media: voyeurism and visionarism
  6. action – ”still life”

2nd semester: PORTRAIT (subject) – EXPRESSION

  1. the philosophy of portrait – artist and his model / self-portrait
  2. the sensual experience of ”myself” – perception and interpretation – self-reflection and stylization (ORLAN)
  3. traditional portrait and mask – living pictures (Mariko MORI / Yasumasa MORIMURA)
  4. expression in new media: photo and video, reproduction of music and voice, communication techniques
  5. face, personality and image (Cindy SHERMAN)
  6. action – ”portrait / self-portrait”

2nd YEAR Movement of Image – ”composition in space”

Additional technology lessons:

Work with space:

position and construction of shape, space, scene, installation, architecture

Work with light:

physical qualities of light, color scheme, filters, optics, spotlights, reflectors, lasers, projectors, screens, displays


3rd semester: LIGHT, SHAPE & SPACE (scene-installation-architecture) – OUTER SPACE

  1. morphogenesis of shape and space – infusion and fullness – the aura of things and the energy of a place
  2. outer spatial experience in senses, intellect, emotion and intuition
  3. relations in space: object and thing, person and object, figure and space, character and place, role and scene – ”the genius of shape” and ”the genius of place” (Marina ABRAMOVIČ / Richard LONG)
  4. prehistoric and ancient sites: caves (Kostelik – initiation praxis), menhirs, oppida, forts, medieval and modern architecture: church, cloister, town, museum, gallery (Nikolaus LANG)
  5. new media and virtual space (Dennis OPPENHEIM / Dan GRAHAM )
  6. action – ”posture/position/location” (shamanistic practices)

4th semester: FIGURE (body) – INNER SPACE

  1. elementary techniques: positioning, movement, dance, gesture, mimics
  2. inner physical experience: breath, touch, smell, taste, hearing and seeing
  3. corporeality, imagination, mental and spiritual space (Vito ACCONCI / Valie EXPORT)
  4. stylization of the body in prehistoric and tribal art, the figure in the 20th century: new figuration, body art (Chris BURDEN / Carolee SCHNEEMAN)
  5. new technology and new corporeality – telepresence
  6. ”body actions – personal / intimate rituals” (Tantra)

3rd YEAR Image of Motion – ”composition in time”

Additional technology lessons:

Verbal work:

word/voice, music/singing, script, typography, text

Acoustical work:

visualization of sound, recordings, dubbing, mixing


5th semester: OBJECT IN MOTION (machine / robot) – MECHANICAL RHYTHM

  1. physical space-time – object, code
  2. motion and meaning – sign and symbol, translation and animation
  3. image of speech: system of writing, type, text, typography and visualization – visual poetry
  4. image of music: sonic values and articulation, manipulation and multiplication
  5. speaking machines, artificial languages (midi), mathematical linguistics and language games, artificial intelligence and memory (VASULKA’S / STELARC)
  6. ”in-formation, per-formation, trans-formation”

6th semester: FIGURE IN MOVEMENT (gesture / dance) – BIOLOGICAL RHYTHM

  1. biological time-space – subject, speech
  2. movement and energy – thinking and language, etymology and semiotics
  3. the speech of a picture: the origin of an image in the visual gesture – action painting (GUTAI)
  4. the music of speech: the origin of music in the acoustic gesture – oral tradition, narration, singing, dramatization, rhetoric (Butó )
  5. script as a fixed sign, graphology – practical exercises in calligraphy
  6. ”gestic action” (Herman NITSCH / Vienna Actionists)

4th YEAR Image of Action – ”composition in context”

7th semester: ACTION (in an environment) – CONSTRUCTION / DECONSTRUCTION

  1. philosophy of action: persons and things move in the historical, cultural, social and spiritual space-time (Paul McCARTHY, Mike KELLEY)
  2. ”reading” of /common/ events as parts of the continuous/discontinuous story
  3. ”objective” means of expression and ”subjective” expression – image
  4. rituals of tribal people (Eskimos, Australian aborigines, Indians, Oriental tradition), our daily rituals – totem and taboo (James LUNA / Coco FUSCO / Goméz PEŃA)
  5. new rituals and creation of myths – party /rave, house, techno/and mass media
  6. art of ”inter-action”

8th semester: STORY (in a community) – COMPOSITION / DECOMPOSITION

  1. the structure of a story and narration: opening, movement, climax, ending
  2. the narration of fine arts /text and picture/, the narration of music /word and sound/, the narration of theatre /gesture and play/
  3. the origin of mythologies through rhythmization of everyday experience in history: fairy tale and myth
  4. tradition and modernity: musical and visual theatre – virtual reality (Robert WILSON)
  5. new forms of pop-narration: comics, clip, show – games (RESIDENTS / Jeff KOONS)
  6. stylization and universalization of a personal way through life: the testimony of a ”personal mythology” (Laurie ANDERSON / Mathew BARNEY)

BACHELOR EXAM AND ADVANCEMENT PROJECT

MASTER STUDIES:

5th YEAR Presentation – ”medialization”

9th semester: COMMUNICATION AND CONEXT

– the World of Art / Artistic World – FLUXUS / PAIK / KNÍŽÁK


10th semester: COMPLEX SYSTEMS

– spirituality, ecology, politics, etc. – DUCHAMP / BEUYS / BLACK MARKET

Individual study programs

6th YEAR DIPLOMA PROJECT Individual theme

MASTER DEGREE

Extent and evaluation of the course:

Continuous lesson checks:
in fortnightly cycles through the presentation of partial tasks

Requirements for credits and access to the final semester project:
completion of assigned partial tasks

Requirements for passing exams:
a successful presentation of assigned final semester project

Prerequisites and related courses:
according to the recommended syllabus and timetable based on the corresponding study plan

Timetable units:
according to individual student’s timetable and study groups by years

Tutorials:
about 3 hours a week

Studio praxis:
about 12 hours a week