Fine Arts x Blended Intensive Programme - Alphabet
In the week of 4-8 March 2024, the blended intensive programme (BIP) "Alphabet" was organised by tutors of the
- KABK Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (Netherlands)
- Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung, Karlsruhe (Germany)
- ECAL École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne (Switzerland)
- Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (Poland).
The idea of the project was to create an interdisciplinary platform of activities at the intersection of fine arts and design, which would contribute to cooperation between artists with different experiences, from different countries and representing different techniques of creative work.
Project kick-off online
The starting point for the activities was Inger Christensen's poem “Alphabet”, which is an extremely intriguing volume of poetry, constructed on the basis of the mathematical concept of the fibonacci sequence, touching on fundamental issues related to existence, ecology and extinction.
The first part of the project, taking place online, was devoted to reading and understanding the poem in order to substantively prepare for the physical part in The Hague. The online session took place on 15 February and was led by lecturers Alex Balgiu and Moritz Schottmuller. During this session students got acquainted with the poem, with the concept of sound poetry, and listening as an artistic research method.
Project week in The Hague
The physical part of the project took place in The Hague, the city of peace and justice. It was an intense, inspiring, and educational week in which the group met physically in one place for the first time. In between guest lectures about the art of war, excursions to bunkers and museums, and an appearance in student led Mushroom Radio's weekly broadcast, students also devoted time to the creative finalisation of the process that started online.
Moreover, it also became a moment of confrontation of one's own work methods, ideas and skills with the activities of other students. Most importantly, however, both individual and group results presented at the final exhibition turned out to be an excellent confirmation of the view about the measurable value of activities such as blended intensive programmes (BIP), which are financed by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme. The combination of online and physical activities really helps to add different layers to such a collaboration project.
Final exhibition "Alphabet" project in the KABK Galleries
Interdisciplinary cooperation with guest teachers
The essence of the project can be considered an interdisciplinary cooperation with guest teachers. Tutor Ewoud van Rijn led classes on alternative screen-printing techniques, prof. Moritz Schottmüller and Calvin Kudufia animated activities on the border of performance studies and design, and prof. Alex Balgiu conducted activities focused on sound poetry. The teaching part was complemented by the participation of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts staff, represented by Ola Kot, Mateusz Dąbrowski and Michał Chojecki, who also guided students throughout the week and during the preparation for the end exhibition.
Thanks to the involvement of external partners, the "Alphabet" project went beyond the walls of the KABK and also had a city-wide character. Students visited bunkers, museums, the beach all in order to get to know the city better and use it as a source of inspiration for their final work.
The end exhibition was also a part of the Contemporary Art The Hague Tour organised on 8 March (HOOGTIJ). Students mixed the different techniques and methods that they learned throughout the week, which resulted in a myriad of different explorative work that incorporated performance, visuals, use different (recycled) materials and printing techniques.