Call for applications: Collective Practices Research Program 2020–21

Collective Practices Research Program is a new trans-disciplinary Post-Master course based at the Royal Institute of Arts in Stockholm. The course develops an extensive understanding of collective practices in the arts and across other domains and traditions, proposing an experimental method for mutual learning, based on the elaboration of a repertoire of collective practices.

Presentation
Explicitly or not collective practices determine much of what we do. They are qualified by terms like participation, group, collectivity, ensemble, collaboration, community, cooperation, sharing, assembly, commons, networks. Collective practices exist in all societies and they have a rich yet complex heritage in arts, politics and sciences. Often considered as a strictly human activity, collective practices can also be performed with or by nonhuman entities, such as animals, plants or Artificial Intelligence. How does the current ecological and technological condition affect the way that we live, work and think collectively? Which collective practices foster better understandings and transformation of societal issues?

The course aims to develop an extensive understanding of collective practices in the arts and across other domains and traditions, proposing an experimental method for mutual learning, based on the elaboration of a repertoire of collective practices. The group will teach each other about the current researches, publications and projects involving collective practices in the arts, sciences and society. A seminar will gather specialists to address current controversies and experimentations across domains: through lectures and workshops they will inquire the collective dimensions of key notions like preservation, truth, composition, nonhumans, assembly, community, infrastructure and attention. The repertoire will embrace attitudes, activities, tools and infrastructures developed by individuals and organizations to critically reflect on the ownership, the governance and the separation of disciplines, and to assemble a more inclusive and sustainable society. 

Post-master courses in fine art and architecture at the Royal Institute of Art are directed at emerging and established practitioners to continue studies on an advanced level. The courses are experimental, risk-taking, peer-learning, and research-based in nature. They are particularly suitable to applicants interested in engaging with urgent contemporary spatial, artistic, and societal issues. 

Collective Practices Research Program is led by Grégory Castéra, curator and co-director of Council (Paris) in collaboration with a faculty of artists and art collectives, curators, academics, and practitioners from other fields. The Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm is a leading art institution of higher education located in Stockholm with a long artistic tradition dating back to the beginning of the 18th century. The education offers both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Fine Arts and postgraduate studies in Architecture. 

Practical information
The course operates as a practice-based research collective, organized around principles of mutual learning. It consists in the conception and composition of a repertoire of collective practices, encompassing: collective readings, seminars and workshops, group supervision, lectures and site visits. The students and faculty take part in the governance and coordination of the research and form groups to study, experiment with and archive practices that they find relevant to include in the repertoire. 

The course is divided into two modules during one academic year. The semester is divided into six mandatory blocks during the Fall and Spring semester. Between blocks, the students independently develop their part of the research. They can use the school facilities for their own individual practice. The Spring semester will include public presentations of the repertoire.

Admission
Master degree or minimum 4 years of professional experience in the arts (visual arts, architecture, design, performing arts, cinema, curatorial studies, crafts) or social sciences (anthropology, education, philosophy, linguistics, law, cultural studies, political sciences, history), or in another relevant field or equivalent knowledge (activism, agriculture, engineering, for example). 

The course is intended for those who are concerned with the social, political and ecological dimensions of collective practice. Twelve to twenty students are accepted. The selection is based on a CV, a short personal letter of interest and the presentation of a work that is related to the theme of the course. A short on-line interview will be part of the final selection.

The Royal Institute of Art is public institution and it is free for participants that reside in Europe. Non-European resident can apply for a scholarship that cover the annual fee required for non-European residents.