Interdisciplinary Art and Design Practices

The Interdisciplinary Art Practices seminar investigates the exploratory character of art and design work in the interdisciplinary modalities of the contemporary culture. In the present context, where artists and designers must respond to challenges of global magnitudes, engage with cross-cultural, often conflicting conditions, and operate in disparate economic and societal realms, the demands for increased disciplinary adaptability and collaboration are paramount. Thus, and frequently, the complexity present in the contexts of action—economic, social, political, cultural, and ecological—requires interdisciplinary approaches accompanied with a cross-pollinizing knowledge and set of skills. In the past, various groups and movements such as the Gesamtkunstwerk, Arts and Crafts, Wiener Werkstätte, Vkhutemas, Bauhaus, Fluxus, Womanhouse, Design for the Real World, and other Avant-garde programs have disseminated an interdisciplinary approach as a method and modus operandi. While acknowledging such heritage and genealogy, the seminar encourages the experimentation with/in new forms, expressions, time-scales and media as transformative contributions to the life in the city, and its public domain. As Marcel Duchamp writes: “All in all, the creative act is not performed by the artist alone.” (“Creative Act,” 1957)

Practice-oriented, the seminar follows a series of workshops dedicated to installation, sound, performance, nomadic design, and projection with the associated artists/designers of the program. While an emphasis is placed on the “making” of projects, lectures on the medium and methods, and discussions on key readings will be equally relevant.

Fundamental goals of the seminar are:
1) To expose the student to methods, techniques and positions of various interdisciplinary art and design practices;
2) To creatively explore the potentials of various media in the realization of ideas;
3) To raise relevant questions and to test them through the development of projects;

Student evaluation is based on the workshop projects, participation in class, and the final workshop portfolio.

The seminar is required for the MDes track in Art Design and the Public Domain (ADPD). A limited number of additional spaces are available.

Prerequisites: It is required the student have a prior experience in the making of art and/or design. The thinking-making relationship and questions on Why/What/How will be addressed systematically.

Projects