Annually, theory teachers from various departments of the Royal Academy of Art nominate their department’s best thesis for the thesis award.
An independent and annually changing jury decides on the winning thesis award. The jury consists of a chair, an artist or designer teaching at the academy and/or the previous winner of the thesis award and an external member.
Jury 2020
Joost Grootens, ACPA staff member, Leiden University (jury chair)
Astrid Vorstermans, founder Valiz Publishers, Amsterdam (external jury member)
Marina Otero, director of research, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam (external jury member)
BA Thesis Award Winner
Department: Bachelor Photography
Name: Ashleigh Wilson
Title: Of Song and Suffering. Tales from the Realm of the Abject
The Jury finds the thesis very impressive, the writing is compelling and the thoughts developed are intriguing; the thesis is nuanced and grounded. The topic of the thesis is important and urgent. It addresses the post-conflict of Northern Ireland. The Jury admires how the author is able to link the personal history to the theoretical concepts, struggling with the meaning of ‘representation’. It is partly a first person record of a family history, partly analysis of the history of a country, partly a reflection on trauma, photography and violence, partly a collection of text fragments from popular culture. All of these seem to make the case that silence, burying the truth is not an option but instead speaking, singing, shouting, making images are the only way to come to grips with the trauma
BA Thesis Award honourable mention
Department: Bachelor Graphic Design
Name: Nicolai Schmelling
Title Hot Monster Compost
The jury found this thesis intelligent, funny and unique. The thesis touches upon subjects like subculture; gender; fantasy; porn. The thesis is also excellently written and has a very clear structure and language. The author achieves three things: he guides us into the world of erotic fan-art of animal-human hybrids, providing analysis and an insightful glossary. Through interviews with three of these fan-artists he reveals their motives. And thirdly, by using insights from a variety of sources manages to open an original interpretation. The only missed opportunity is the visual format of the thesis, especially for a Graphic Design student.
MA Thesis Award Winner
Department: Master Artistic Research
Name: Adele Dipasquale
Title: All The Stories We Might Tell
The Jury finds the thesis wonderfully written it’s complex, layered, knowing, reflective. Using carefully chosen words to question language. They appreciate the high ambition of this thesis . It is a true master thesis in that it explores the own position in relation to the subject, the field and the world. The author explores questions that are relevant today. The author is trying to unpack terms and go beyond the general definitions, pushing definitions and contradictions. The Jurys was especially intrigued by ‘feminism’ in relation to ‘nature’.
Digital theses
Link to all digital thesis nominations
Nominees BA Departments
Department: Bachelor ArtScience
Name: Gökay Atabek
Title: Feasibility of Importing Frozen Salmon
Subtitle: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding If It Is a
Feasible Idea to Import Ten Metric Tonnes MSC Certificate Compliant
Frozen Salmon Cubes through Alibaba Into Europe
Department: Bachelor Interior Architecture & Furniture Design
Name: Cristina Palicari
Title: Consuming the World
Department: Bachelor Interactive Media Design
Name: Marlot Meyer
Title: Embodied Multi{(Body; Space; Time; Performance;)}
Department: Bachelor Photography
Name: Ashleigh Wilson
Title: Of Song and Suffering. Tales from the Realm of the Abject
Department : Bachelor Textile & Fashion
Name: Inge Vaanderin
Title: The Ambiguous Relationship between Human and Object
Nominees MA Department
Department: Master ArtScience
Name: Sebastien Robert
Title: Exploration or appropriation
Subtitle: The position of contemporary sound artist towards Indigenous music.
Department: Master Industrial Design
Name: Honor Newman
Title: Contents (video download links on request)
Department: Master Interior Architecture
Name: Mary Farwy
Title: Spaces of Unknown
Subtitle: Proposing a new ‘normal’ to out-grid norms in spaces