Do you have a connection with – and vision on – the theme countryside? Do you want to be intellectually challenged and conduct embedded research in a creative and critical community in Zaandam, the Netherlands? The summer of 2022 marks the start of the first Het HEM Summer Research Programme, a study program developed in collaboration with ArtEZ. During this program you will work at Het HEM diving into current theories, innovative practices and experimental forms of research related to Chapter 5IVE, their latest large scale exhibition developed in conversation with architects Samir Bantal and Rem Koolhaas.

Rural areas are hardest hit by the impacts of climate change, but may also provide the best solutions to cope with those impacts. Departing from the research of Bantal and Koolhaas into contemporary developments on the Countryside, Chapter 5IVE brings together artworks that reflect on our current lifestyle and propose perspectives for the future.

With the threats of climate change and food shortages in our backs, can we move our vision of the future from city to countryside, from urban living to a more ruralized logic - and does this provide a better outlook? What does it mean to ruralize, to be connected to locality and the experience of deep time? By learning from the countryside, we not only broaden our world but may also find answers to the challenges we face.

Programme

During an intense residential research programme of eight weeks, you will be encouraged to venture off the beaten tracks. You can challenge yourself intellectually and broaden your view on the theme of Chapter 5IVE: Samir Bantal & Rem Koolhaas.

By deepening your (artistic) research skills in a multidisciplinary environment and working together with fellow participants, the staff of ArtEZ, the curator of Het HEM (Rieke Vos) and the various guest invited to give workshops and (online) lectures, you will get the opportunity to immerse yourself in theoretical and practice-related topics and ongoing critical dialogue. How exactly? By working on a research assignment in a team, by asking critical questions, exchanging ideas and jointly looking for new insights, ideas and thoughts. There will be workshops and academic literature supporting the programme – but guest lectures, excursions and interactions are on the agenda as well. As a participant, you will get to work with current theories, innovative practices and experimental forms of research. At the end of the research track, will you present your new artistic work (a so-called Innovation of Praxis) to the public, in a temporary research exhibition at Het HEM.

Certificate of Participation

This Advanced Study programme does not have formal ECTS/credits attached to it: it is an embedded research track without formal assessment. However, after handing in your research essay, you receive an official acknowledgement and ' ‘Certification of Participation” from ArtEZ and Het HEM. This is the proof of the pudding and the acknowledgement of your research and final exhibition work. Your final research paper can be published on the website of Het HEM, upon completion and after integrating the feedback of the readers/ArtEZ qualified lecturer (s). Participants will present the outcomes of their research in a special, co-curated, exhibition at Het HEM.

Admission to the programme

Participants will be selected on the basis of artistic practice and profile, demonstrable motivation towards the Countryside theme, professional dedication and a research plan or idea. You don’t need an official Bachelor's Degree to participate. Proficiency in (spoken and written) English is important. However, a TOEFL or IELTS score is not required.
So, do you hold an equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in the arts, humanities or social sciences and do you have your own art practice, website or portfolio? Do you speak, read and write English, enough to follow the lectures and read academic articles, books, and literature? And most importantly, are you intrinsically motivated to delve into the rural
Then you are warmly invited to apply for the programme by sending an email with your CV/resume and a motivation letter to advancedstudieshethem@hethem.nl.

Costs and scholarships

The participation fee for the residential programme is €1.950 euro incl. VAT. Approximately 50% of the income generated by this program will be donated to the non-profit entity of Het HEM. This program is not financed by the Dutch Ministry of Culture and Education and allows us to open the program for a wider group of participants from the EU and non-EU, including participants without a formal BA degree. The programme offers three scholarships for international students with a demonstrated connection and vision about the theme of the Countryside. The criteria for the scholarship will be announced after the 5th of May. Participants organise their own accommodation and international travel. An invitation letter to obtain a visa can be provided for non-EU Passport holders upon request.

Dates

Application deadline: 5th of May 2022.
Interviews and/or selections: 7th and 8th of May (please note: an online interview can be part of the selection)
Start of the program: 24th June, in Zaandam.
Finish: August 8th, 2022.
Handing in your research paper: September 1st, 2022.
Certification issued by the end of September 2022.

Contact

Would you like to know more about this programme and its partnership with Het HEM? Or do you have questions? Please send an email to: advancedstudies@artez.nl