Media Arts

This course will introduce and discuss a selection of important works and theoretical perspectives within the recent history of media arts. The focus will be on the role of media art in society historically and today. Key questions will revolve around an artwork's message, content, target group (viewers/users), and dissemination. Students will get to know and examine important media works within the field from a contemporary and historical perspective, with special attention to underrepresented groups and environmental agendas. The course will also cover teamwork strategies and examples related to collaborative practices in multidisciplinary teams to build common ground and terminology.

To form a new culture, one needs to understand already existing cultures. Since the dawn of time, humans have communicated with each other around the campfire, through fine arts, performing arts, film, digital media, etc. This intro course will cover different aspects of the history of media arts and storytelling. We will investigate the impact different forms of expressions have on the user, user journey, and/or the audience. The course forms the basis for further work in interdisciplinary teams with a focus on finding or developing the right medium to reach the desired recipient/user.

In "Storytelling and Concept Development", the students will become familiar with creative methods for developing stories, concepts, and prototypes for a range of media expressions. This course offers knowledge and practical experience with different methods that are relevant for collaborative project development and an introduction to the history and evolution of project development and management methodology. Students will get insight into and discuss the different development cultures in different fields of media. The course discusses the impact of different methodologies on creative processes within idea- and concept development, the artwork itself, and its dissemination.

Through ideation processes and workshops, the course explores ways of analyzing, building, and reutilizing storytelling techniques and genres from different media to generate new worlds and concepts. Students are introduced to a variety of game-, film-, animation-, and other media development theories, as well as the development of and best practices in story world-building.

The course is thus focused on allowing students to actively participate in theory development to understand, explore, and challenge the current practices in the field. The aim is to strengthen the student's reflection on their role as a storyteller and concept creators, choose between different methods in designing projects, and communicate concept methods to collaborators, colleagues, and target audiences.

Artists make methodological choices in their practice to achieve the desired result. These methods range from personal strategies and discipline-specific approaches to broader academic research methodologies. This course examines and reflects on different artistic and academic research methods, exploring how artists select and develop methodologies to support their creative processes. It also addresses how new knowledge emerges through practice-based research.  

To foster a deeper understanding of artistic and academic research, the course explores the epistemological and theoretical foundation for knowledge development in the arts. Students will engage with artistic and design-based research methods, testing their applicability as tools for developing artistic work. The course examines how practice informs research, and in turn, how research feeds back into practice. 

Intention and reflection are central to both artistic and scientific research. This course encourages students to articulate their investigative approach, critically assessing implicit and explicit reflection in both their projects and broader artistic contexts.  

Through exposure to diverse artistic and creative practices and peer exchange, students engage in critical discussions on methodology, research strategies, ethics, and interdisciplinary coherence. Writing is emphasized as a key reflective tool, supporting students in developing their master’s project through structured inquiry and critical analysis.

Info about Master Project 1

Master Project 1 of 4

Master Project 1 is a preproduction course for the master project. Students will prepare a description, pitch their ideas, and initiate the development of their master project. The description shall describe the project's main idea, and artistic intention, and suggest choices concerning technology, methodology, as well as theoretical and historical connections. There will also be workshops on self-guidance collective thinking and teamworking methods, and strategies for giving and receiving feedback in creative processes.

Media art has the potential to create social change. This course looks at the history of media art with a focus on productions that have caused controversy and social change.

There will be an emphasis on ethical reflection in media art in general and in particular topics that concern sustainability, EDI (Equality, Diversity, Inclusion), representation, co-creation, and accessibility. We will also look at art as activism.

The students will be trained to reflect on these topics in various artistic practices, including their own. They will be invited to reflect on assumptions and expectations related to personal and artistic identity. Furthermore, students will be encouraged to develop an analytical approach to their work and its potential for social impact from a local and global perspective.

The course will explore innovative practices and technical skills related to the field of study and/or case studies, as well as the platform that will be used. The students will use different tools and techniques to test relevant theories and ideas to determine which will work best for the project.

They will develop a digital prototype/pilot using the best practices and tools identified in the research phase, and then test it by creating a digital prototype/pilot to ensure that it meets the project's requirements. Students in this module will be highly encouraged to explore new software, reinterpret approaches, and even consider developing their tools as they engage with class assignments.

The students will also refine their artistic skills to recognize good practices and processes more intuitively in themselves and others and learn how to give and receive thoughtful and helpful criticism.

Additionally, this course will provide a time and place for students to bring forward specific problems from their thesis projects for critique and discussion and evaluate the prototype/pilot to determine if it meets the requirements to create a workable pipeline. Utilizing the best practices and tools, students will develop a holistic prototype or pilot while uncovering alternative methods and sustainable routes through production, testing, and feedback from peer graduates, academic staff, and industry veterans.

Info about Master Project 2

Master project 2 of 4

This course builds on Master Project 1. Students will be experimenting and testing according to plans made, evaluate, and reiterate based on self-developed feedback and testing strategies. The emphasis in this course will also be on project management, development of practical solutions, and proof of concept. At this point in the master project development, students are encouraged to test, dare, and experiment through feedback sessions, group critiques, and team- and self-evaluation. In this course, students also share and discuss the beginning development of the reflection.