In the minor Hacking we explore unintended uses within systems. We can all recognize how the world doesn’t work for everyone. But how can we hack systems, create alternatives, and ask critical questions? Think about ‘reverse-engineering’, a method we use within Hacking: by opening and analyzing how a device is made, you not only understand how it works, but you have also created the possibility to redesign it.  But how do we redesign or subvert social, economic, and political systems? In this minor we explore methods for analyzing and visualizing such systems, and to understand their ethical grounds. But also, how collective collaboration and self-organization can create alternative systems – an open kitchen, time-sharing, blockchain technology, a gallery, etc. Ethical considerations are an important part of this; we will examine the social and political ethics of systems, but also that of our own actions and interventions.  

During the minor you will create your own project. The subject and medium are free, but we do expect you to use the methods we discuss during this minor. The final presentation is a group effort, a self-organised event to present your Hacking Minor projects. This collective work will be facilitated during MAKING PUBLIC. These are moments in our term when we meet to think about, and work through, the practicalities of sharing your work with a public audience. Some of them will be organised by tutors, some will be self-organised by students. 

The minor draws inspiration from historical collectives like The Yes Men, RainDance Corporation, and Institutional Critique, with contemporary examples illustrating their influence. 

Research Methods:  

Reverse engineering, social engineering, historical analysis in electronic media, among others.  

External Partners:  

Students engage with professionals at the intersections of DIWO (Do It With Others), bottom-up, and collective work through quest lectures, collaborations, and small excursions. The program aligns with ongoing discussions in Autonomous Practices, emphasizing the meaning of autonomous creative practice. Dialogues and engagements with local organizations and self-organized practices persist, creating a comprehensive learning experience.  

Keywords:  

Subversive tactics, ownership, privacy, sharing, pirating, disruption, do-it-together, deconstruct, crypto-systems. 

Goals:  

• Foster a dynamic and engaging environment within the program, actively promoting discussion, dialogue, and practical making alongside visual work.  
• Cultivate a holistic approach that seamlessly integrates processes of discussion, critique, and practical application, reinforcing a symbiotic relationship among them. 
• Actively explore and engage in the subversion of systems while critically examining the ethical implications associated with such actions. 
• Establish a meaningful connection between shared intended outcomes and the processes of hacking, with a focal point on emphasizing applied activism as a core principle. 
• Encourage to synthesize theoretical discussions with hands-on activities, fostering a comprehensive understanding of hacking as both a conceptual framework and a practical endeavor. 

Learning Outcomes:  

• You are able to produce visual work that is based on research and expresses your artistic vision. 
• You are able, through artistic research, to examine, analyse, interpret, problematise, position and evaluate your own work and work process and that of others. 
• You can maintain an active and critical attitude toward the context in which you produce and present your work. 
• You are able, in the context of a collaborative effort, to actively participate in the realisation of an artistic product or process. 
• You are able to make visible to an audience the personal intentions that stimulated your work, both on a political, ethical and social level, and the motivations that led to your choice of medium/material and method. 
• You are able to carry out a research cycle with a clear thread of inquiry, design, reflection and conclusion.  

This minor is open to WdKA students. Students from other institutes are required to send a portfolio and motivation. You will receive more information about this after you have registered for this minor. We advise students from other institutes to register at least one month before the deadline. The admission procedure takes at least two weeks. In case you are not accepted into the minor, you might need some time to register for another minor.

Deliverables:  

• Written research document (max. 2000 words).  
• Artistic project.  

Assessment:  

The written document will be individually and asynchronously assessed. The artistic component will be assessed after being presented in class.