Content:

The public sphere is a political environment under constant pressure from various agendas. Privately owned "public" space follows the rules of the neoliberal market economy, not public interests. Private spaces reinforce the system's economic, racial, and gender hierarchies. The goal of this minor is to reclaim public space by interacting with it. You will conduct research into public and private spaces, but most importantly, you will interact with them. You will also use your skills and knowledge as a maker to intervene in public space and subvert or challenge the norms that govern it. We accomplish this in the first place through self-organization and collective action. Also, by establishing new initiatives that break with the existing social, political, and economic structures in public life. Common questions raised here are: How can you engage with the world around you by starting from a bottom-up initiative? And how can these initiatives shape society without defining themselves in opposition to them? In our sessions, we consider artist-run spaces, neighbourhood social care initiatives, or community-based projects. We explore how such initiatives can shape society without defining themselves in opposition to them. Lastly, we learn how artist-led initiatives can contribute to the communities in which they operate, produce, and live. 

 

Format

To achieve this minor’s goal, you will work on a specific public and semi-public space in Rotterdam. Together with other students, you will conduct artistic research and use hands-on material creation to examine the location, generate new ideas, and create interventions that directly affect the area and its inhabitants.

 

Keywords

Self-organization, bottom-up, initiative, DIY, collaboration, autonomous fabric, public life.

 

Goals:

• Develop embedded and systemic research skills, as well as investigative methods relevant to core course content.
• Learn about public space politics and the complexities of urban development, such as gentrification.
• Cultivate critical thinking, observation, analysis, and reflection on power dynamics and politics in public spaces, particularly in Rotterdam's immediate surroundings.
• Encourage the DIY and DIWO mindset, bottom-up approaches, and collaboration. 

 

Learning outcomes:

• You can create visual work that is research-based and expresses your artistic vision.
• Through artistic research, you can examine, analyse, interpret, problematize, position, and evaluate your own work and work process, as well as that of others.
• You can keep an active and critical attitude toward the environment in which you create and present your work.
• In the context of a collaborative effort, you can actively participate in the creation of an artistic product or process.
•  You can respond to the unique character of the location that was central to this minor.
• You can present your work and communicate your artistic concepts and outcomes to peers and tutors, as well as stakeholders at the specific site where you worked.

Research Methods:

Observational studies, surveys and questionnaires, interviews, spatial analysis, ethnography, community engagement, mapping, social media analysis.

 

External Partners:

Students interact with professionals at the intersections of DIWO (Do It with Others), bottom-up, and collaborative work through quest lectures, collaborations, and short 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-organizing practices continue, resulting in a comprehensive learning experience.

 

Deliverables & Assessment:

Written research document (max. 2000 words).

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

 

Entry requirements (Non WdKA students HR + KOM)

·This minor is open to WdKA students. Students from other institutes at Hogeschool Rotterdam are required to respond to a few written questions. You will receive more information once you have registered for this minor.

Goals:

• Develop embedded and systemic research skills, as well as investigative methods relevant to core course content.
• Learn about public space politics and the complexities of urban development, such as gentrification.
• Cultivate critical thinking, observation, analysis, and reflection on power dynamics and politics in public spaces, particularly in Rotterdam's immediate surroundings.
• Encourage the DIY and DIWO mindset, bottom-up approaches, and collaboration. 
   

Learning outcomes:

• You can create visual work that is research-based and expresses your artistic vision.
• Through artistic research, you can examine, analyse, interpret, problematize, position, and evaluate your own work and work process, as well as that of others.
• You can keep an active and critical attitude toward the environment in which you create and present your work.
• In the context of a collaborative effort, you can actively participate in the creation of an artistic product or process.
• You can respond to the unique character of the location that was central to this minor.
• You can present your work and communicate your artistic concepts and outcomes to peers and tutors, as well as stakeholders at the specific site where you worked.

Entry requirements (Non WdKA students HR + KOM):

·This minor is open to WdKA students. Students from other institutes at Hogeschool Rotterdam are required to respond to a few written questions. You will receive more information once you have registered for this minor.

Deliverables & Assessment:

Written research document (max. 2000 words).

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

Are you a student from another educational institution and you want to take a minor at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, you can apply in 2 steps as follows:

1)     Register for the minor of your choice via the blue button Enroll. You can find this button at the top right of the minor's page.

Download and fill in the learning agreement

Submit this learning agreement to the Exam Board of your study programme.

Once the Board of Examiners has given its approval, please register for the minor in step 2 no later than 25 may 2025

 

2)    After approval, register in OSIRIS Aanmelding of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences via the link below (create an account first).

           https://osiris.hr.nl/osiris_aanmeld_hrprd/WelkomPagina.do?proces=KOM2509&opleiding=MINOR-WDK-VT+00

Part of the registration process is to upload the following documents:

-   The learning agreement signed by you and by your institution;

-   A scan or photo of your passport or ID card;

You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences whether your application has been positively assessed or not.

In OSIRIS Aanmelding, you must also upload the Evidence Paid Tuition Fee (BBC) for the academic year in which you want to follow the minor. You can request the BBC from your institution after you have signed or issued an authorization for the payment of the tuition fees for the academic year in which you want to take the minor.

You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences when your application has been approved.