Call for Applications for the Nida Doctoral School ‘Tweezers & Squeezers'

March 10, 2017
Author Echo Gone Wrong
Published in Calls from Lithuania
VAA Nida Art Colony, Neringa, Lithuania, 2016. Dronography by Robertas Narkus

VAA Nida Art Colony, Neringa, Lithuania, 2016. Dronography by Robertas Narkus

The third Nida Doctoral School intensive course “Tweezers & Squeezers: Methodological Approaches and Research Methods in Art, Design and Architecture” for DA and PhD students in art, design, architecture, humanities and the social sciences will take place at Nida Art Colony on  21st–26th August 2017.

Application deadline: 31 March 2017

The third Nida Doctoral School (NDS) will bring together a multidisciplinary group of practice and theory-based doctoral candidates researching different topics in the context of the visual and performing arts, design and architecture, sharing the common goal of completing a doctoral degree, to discuss and develop the methodological framework of their research projects. NDS will provide a platform for dialogue and the exchange of ideas, as well as a space for sharing feedback and peer support. The aim of NDS 2017 is to focus on research methods and on the development of methodological skills and approaches, and to provide critical feedback from distinguished international tutors. 

Finding suitable methods and framing the methodological approach is one of the biggest sources of anxiety and uncertainty for doctoral researchers, especially practice-based, when developing and implementing a research plan.Could I treat my art or design practice as the main method? How should I write about my methodology? Or, as Henk Slager calls it, ‘methodicy’*? How should I safeguard myself and my audience from methodological excess? Does my methodological approach help or limit me in doing my research? When should I think about it: when starting or when concluding my research and thesis? What is the relationship between theory and practice in my research, and which philosophical/theoretical school should I refer to in order to base my argument?

The third NDS will take place on 21-26 August 2017. Each day will include one-hour-long presentations by invited speakers and tutors, followed by one-hour-long discussions. The rest of the day will be dedicated to doctoral student presentations, followed by discussions and feedback (one hour per student). Invited speakers and tutors will act as respondents to the student research development work. The programme will also include slots for individual consultations.

In 2017, NDS has the pleasure to welcome three INVITED SPEAKERS:

– Dr Joanne Morra, Reader in Art History and Theory, curator of the Doctoral Platform at Central Saintt Martins, University of the Arts London, founding principal editor of Journal of Visual Culture;

– Dr Marquard Smith, academic, curator, commissioner, programmer, and Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Visual Culture, currently Programme Leader for the MA Museums & Galleries in Education at UCL Institute of Education;

– Prof Juha Suoranta, social scientist and public intellectual, professor at the University of Tampere, author of ‘Artistic Research Methodology. Narrative, Power and the Public’ (with Mika Hannula and Tere Vadén, 2014), ‘Rebellious Research’ (in Finnish with Sanna, Rynnänen, 2014).

Three TUTORS will guide the students through the course:

– Dr Sofia Pantouvaki, scenographer and Professor of Costume Design at Aalto University;

– Dr Mika Elo, Professor of Artistic Research, Head of Doctoral Programme, Vice-Dean for Research at the University of the Arts Helsinki, Academy of Fine Arts;

– Konstantinas Bogdanas, artist and Associate Professor of Visual Art at Vilnius Academy of Arts.

NAC Academic Board members will also contribute to the course.

There is no tuition fee. Free accommodation and catering are provided for selected applicants from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of the Arts Helsinki, and Vilnius Academy of Arts. In addition, Aalto and UniArts students are provided with a travel grant. Other participants are expected to cover their accommodation and catering costs, which amount to 300 Eur/person in a double room, and travel costs.

Please fill in the NDS application form. Application attachments (motivation letterCV and portfolio) should be sent to rasa.antanaviciute@vda.lt All application documents should be submitted by 31 March 2017. Up to 16 students will be invited to take part on the NDS course.

More information about “Tweezers & Squeezers” you can find here. Practical information regarding accommodation, travel arrangements, payment and all other issues will be sent to selected participants in a due course. You can check out the facilities of Nida Art Colony here and the programmes of previous NDS courses here. For any other queries, please, contact Dr Rasa Antanavičiūtė, manager of NDS and executive director of Nida Art Colony, at rasa.antanaviciute@vda.lt