Berlin Summer University of the Arts 2020 goes digital

Conversion to a digital course programme, the diverse and varied classes start in June, and the registration is underway

Despite the ongoing protective measures regarding the corona virus, the team of the Berlin Summer University of the Arts - located at the Berlin Career College of the University of the Arts Berlin - have succeeded in putting together a course programme that will go online in June 2020.The digital workshops reflect the originally planned content and contain the well-known mixture of Visual Arts, Music, Design and Performing Arts. Interdisciplinary formats, in addition to courses in sound design or creation, are also well received in the digital programme of the Berlin Summer University of the Arts.  From now on the registration is open to everyone.

“Even in these times, the digital programme of the Berlin Summer University of the Arts aims to create opportunities for artistic exchange, further education and networking. All courses will run in workshop format. There will be live sessions in which the group meets online and presents results or holds discussions, in addition to input, which can also take place separately”, explains Stephanie Schwarz, project coordinator of the Berlin Summer University of the Arts.

The first online course will be the four-day workshop (Re)Discovering the City. The seminar, led by British artists Sophia New and Daniel Belasco Rogers, will focus on how people view a city and how it inspires them. Various strategies from the fields of psycho-geography, situationism, algorithmic walking and urban intervention will be used to explore the different manifestations of a city and draw a new perspective on what is perhaps already familiar.

The online class Wandering Site — Inspiration Across Disciplinary Boundaries deals with different sources of inspiration and is taught by the artists and curators Elvira Hufschmid and Margit Schild. The discussion starts at a unique spot in the city of Berlin from which the idea-giving process and inspirational transfer will be watched and analyzed. The class addresses artists from various disciplines, mostly the ones working in the fields of architecture and design in an interdisciplinary context.

The seminar Seeking for New Noise  will focus on the history of noise and how it influences contemporary music styles. The online class will be led by the sound artist Daisuke Ishida, who will enable participants to work with sounds to explore their cultural background. Part of the course is an individual project, which is created in the process of online learning and presented at the end.

The online program will be updated and more digital classes are about to go online during the next weeks. Seminars taught by fashion designer Ira Solomatina, author Sonja Knecht and designer Christoph Rauscher, photographer Stephanie Kloss, dramaturges David Spencer and John von Düffel and entrepreneurs Jeong Hong Oh and Andreas Hertel are planned.

Along with the special circumstances the deadline to apply for this year’s scholarships is postponed. Young artists at the end of their studies have the chance to get a scholarship. Also students who finished their artistic studies during the last year are invited to apply until the 31st of May. All information and news about the online classes and the scholarships can be found at summer-university.udk-berlin.de

The Berlin Career College provides unique further education courses at the Berlin University of the Arts in the artistic and creative field: four Master’s degree programs and numerous certificate courses aimed at people who want to deepen their artistic and creative skills and connect them to economic subjects. Furthermore, the Berlin Summer University of the Arts presents a highly qualified program in English appealing to creative artists of all disciplines and creative entrepreneurs. The program is offered by the Berlin Career College and based on its research results on further education needs in creative industries. Managing Director of the Berlin Career College at the Central Institute for Further Education is Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schildhauer.

The Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin) is one of the world's largest art universities that combines all art disciplines and related sciences. The four faculties of Fine Arts, Design, Music and Performing Arts, as well as the Central Institute for Further Education, offer more than 70 artistic, artistic-scientific and artistic-pedagogical courses. About one-fifth of the overall students (ca. 4000) come from abroad. The history of the Berlin University of the Arts dates back to the foundation of the Brandenburg–Prussian Academy of Arts in 1696. The university’s current structure has developed in 1975 due to a merger of the University of Fine Arts and the University of Music and Performing Arts to the University of the Arts (HDK). The Berlin University of the Arts got its present name in November 2001. Since April 2020, Professor Dr. Norbert Palz holds the position of the UdK Berlin President. With more than 600 events a year, the UdK Berlin significantly contributes to the cultural life of the city.

Contact:
Stephanie Schwarz
Berlin Summer University of the Arts
Tel: 030 – 3185 2087
E-Mail: stephanie.schwarz@udk-berlin.de

Kathrin Rusch
Public Relations Berlin Career College
Tel.: 030 – 3185 2835
E-Mail: kathrin.rusch@intra.udk-berlin.de

Claudia Assmann
Head of Public Relations and Communication
Berlin University of the Arts
Tel.: 030 – 3185 2456
E-Mail: claudia.assmann@intra.udk-berlin.de