There can be no doubt about the fact that our desires, ideals and lifestyles are created from visual images. But what influence have techniques like mapping, perspective, cameras, printing presses and mobile phones had on our perception of the world? What do these methods of visual representation mean in terms of knowledge production, memory and the writing of history? Is there, as Jonathan Crary proposes, a history of seeing? And in that case, how can this history be narrated.
The death of photography was proclaimed in the 1980s after it had been stringently analysed, deconstructed and digitalized. In spite of photography’s claimed demise, we currently live in a positive flood of visual images that is more strident than ever before. Photographs are now a player in the global, urban lifestyle at every instant. Our own society seems totally dependent on pictures if it is to function. Yet in many cultures there is a taboo surrounding visual representations: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”, we read in the Book of Exodus. Does this mean that pictures can be dangerous?
During 2012, the Art + Architecture department at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm will be studying the history of seeing and representation from a variety of angles. Focus will be on the tools and aids we use for finding our way in the world, and the way in which these tools lead to perceptions and truths. We will acquaint ourselves with theories pertaining to perception, memory and media. But we will also seek to study aspects that are not visible, that are hidden and elusive, censored or, quite simply, very difficult to reproduce visually.
Towards the end of September and the beginning of October we will make a foreign trip for about ten days with the aim of studying the tourist’s relationship to experiences and visual representations. We will visit a number of places in the Middle East:
View of San Francisco earthquake 1906, seen from Russian Hill. Photographer: Genthe Arnold, The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Collection
• The antique city of Petra which was forgotten and almost invisible for five hundred years and is now a protected, heritage site accessible to tourists. • In Ramallah we shall cooperate with Riwaq, the heritage organization, whose guides will take us on an alternative tourist trip in Palestine. We will explore the relationship between politics and tourism on the West Bank and in Jerusalem where we will visit a range of sites that are charged with iconic religiosity that interacts powerfully with political ideologies. We shall meet with filmmakers, artists, architects and others who will share their experiences with us on site.
The Course Texts for self-study will be distributed throughout the course and some of these will be followed up with text seminars. There will be study visits and perhaps a shorter trip. The extended study trip to the Middle East is an important aspect of the course but it is not obligatory.
Scheduled activities will normally be held on Monday afternoons from 1 to 5pm.
Registration will take place on 5 March at 11am.
The course comprises 30 university credits, fifteen for each of the two terms.
During the spring term students will give an oral presentation of themselves and their activities, lasting about 20 minutes, so that the group has a chance to learn about each other’s interests and activities. Students may, instead, submit a written account of their interests and activities.
Who is eligible? The course is aimed at people working in the fields of art, architecture, humanities and media. Lectures and seminars will approach the subject from a broad, interdisciplinary base and we shall contribute our own experiences in discussions with invited guests.
After completing the course in two terms, students are eligible to continue for a third term devoted to completing a project, either individually or as part of a group. There may be a possibility of collaboration with the Färgfabriken art gallery in Stockholm on a non-obligatory basis.
Study Trip The autumn term begins on 3 September with roll-call and registration for students on Monday 10 September. The study trip is scheduled for the end of September and beginning of October and will last for 10 to 12 days. The cost of the trip (board & lodging) to Jordan, Palestine and Israel will be 12’000 SEK which must be paid in two instalments. A special course plan will be available to students not wishing to join the study trip.
Applications Applications (no special form needed) should be submitted by email with appendices in PDF format, to arrive on Wednesday 1 February at latest, to the department secretary,
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, or sent by post/delivered by hand to the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm.
Postal address: KKH, Konst + Arkitektur Box 16315 SE-103 26 Stockholm Sweden
Visiting address: Flaggmansvägen 1, Skeppsholmen in Stockholm
Applications should be marked “Konst + Arkitektur” and must include: • Brief CV with social security/personal identity number and address • Passport photograph for college catalogue • Statement explaining reasons for wishing to be admitted to the course (1 or 2 A4 pages) • Relevant example of your work that reflects your background
Notice of admission to the course will be communicated on or about 10 February.
Proposed lectures include such topics as: • Theory of perception • Memory research • Maps, navigation, astronomy • Picture taboos, iconoclasm • Perspective • Photographic theory and history • Media theory • Tourism • Sex, gender, sexuality • Middle East – history, myths, politics • Orientalism, Occidentalism
Contact details: For further information check our website or contact the department secretary,
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, tel. +46 (0)8 614 40 00. Responsible for the course: Senior Lecturer
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, In 2012 in collaboration with artist Jesper Nordahl.
Art & Architecture
The Art and Architecture course is a joint offering between the different departments of the College of Fine Arts and is both a complement to degree programs at other colleges and universities and a way of broadening one's knowledge within one's field of work. The course is aimed at artists, architects, engineers, photographers, journalists, and others with on-going or completed university studies.
The course is equivalent to 30 credits (1 credit equals 1 week of full time studies) and is divided in two semesters. The course is mainly in the form of lectures and seminars taught by a large number of invited guests. Study trips and visits are an important component in the course.
The goal of the course is to create an internationally inflected forum for current discussions in art, architecture, technology, and community planning. The course offers a wide perspective and an up-to-date approach to the theme chosen for the year. The main language of instruction is Swedish.
