Sharing the Future?

[Raivo Kelomees]

European Conference for Photography and New Media Educators

TARTU ART COLLEGE
19. and 20. April 2002

"Sharing the Future?"

Synopsis:

The Conference will discuss the achievements and problems of teaching 
photography and the new media in mostly the former East-European 
countries. As an outcome, the conclusions will be made and made public 
about the recent developments in art education: specially those, 
connected with teaching the new disciplines within specific 
socio-cultural conditions. One of the targets is to build more vital 
connections between different institutions of the kind around Europe.

Some central questions will be addressed at the conference:

1. How has education in photography and new media developed since the 
1990ties ?
2. What were/ are the typical difficulties in establishing a university 
level education-providing in these fields ?
3. What is there to learn from the more experienced countries ? And can 
any international experience in the field be adopted into a specific 
socio-cultural context ?
4. What are the positive and negative sides of interdisciplinary or 
separate teaching of photography and the new media ?
5. What are the potential and the immediate possibilities for 
international cooperation both: between the East-European countries and 
between all European institutions ? etc.

Conference:

The current conference of educators in New Media and Photography 
proceeds from the important objectives: a university level education in 
these fields of art teaching has started historically late - with a few 
exeptions we can trace it back to the 1990ties - be it in Lithuania, 
Estonia or other countries. During this late start, these new fields in 
visual art education have had quite a fast success and gained a 
remarkable popularity in the society - simultaneously we are facing 
rather serious difficulties both in methodology of providing the 
education; also with fitting the new departments and studios into the 
framework of previously existed in classical Academic structures.

Both photography and the new media have been experiencing a certain 
hostility and misunderstandings from the side of "classical" academic 
circles, and might, in certain cases remain in isolation among the other 
fields of art education. Our conference is targeted at researching these 
cases in different institutions and different socio-cultural contexts, 
i.e.different countries. An experience will be shared about the 
integration photography and new media into a classical art-academic 
structure; also the future possibilities for international co-operation 
both within the former East-European countries; and also within Europe 
will be discussed; one of the aims of this project, is, also to build 
tighter connections and to establish more vital exchange of the students 
and teachers between different countries in Europe.

All this would allow, more adequately, to recognize each institution?s 
place and situation in the landscape of (partly) similar institutions on 
the international scene. Also, rather simple sharing of experience, 
academic and professional knowledge is seen as a valuable aim of the 
conference. On of the more far aim of the event is, to make that kind of 
conferences to a regular event which in the futurewould include 
participants from all over Europe. Finally: the organizers hope that the 
event will have additional benefits for the students and will facilitate 
new discussions in the field between the representatives of the 
traditional and the new media; both locally and internationally.


1. Day : Friday, 19.april

Beginning at 14.00.

Lectures:

14.00 Introduction: Ants Juske, rector of Tartu Art College
14.30 Peeter Linnap, Estonia. The field of "New" in the postcolonial art 
education
15.00 Horea Murgu, Romania. " 4 x 4 "Screen language - contemporary 
mutation in social communication
15.30 Raivo Kelomees, Estonia. "New media - old problems"
16.00-16.30 coffee break
16.30 Keiko Sei, Czech Republic/Japan. "My experience in education of 
media art in Czech Republic"
17.00 Robin Dance, England "A critique of "academic" education: 
reflections on teaching photography".

20.00 Vernissage of Robin Dance's (England) exhibition "Japanese 
Landscapes" at Sebra gallery.


Day 2. Saturday, 20.april
Beginning at 14.00.

14.00 Heie Treier: presentation of the Estonian magazine for Visual 
Culture - "Kunst.ee"

Lectures:

14.30 Boryana Dragoeva, Bulgaria. "Media, education and the critical 
thinking."
15.00 Svetlana Ostrova, Russia. "Experiments on liquidation of visual 
illiteracy"
15.30 coffee break
16.00 Vaclav Macek, Slovak Republic. "Slovak perspective of Photographic 
Education"
16.30 Vaclav Macek, Slovak Republic. Presentation of "Imago" magazine
17.00 Paul Rodgers, England/Estonia. "Observations of Art Education: 
England, Europe, Estonia"

Organizers of the Conference

Tartu Art College:
Peeter Linnap, professor of photography
Raivo Kelomees, professor of new media

The Conference has made financically possible by:
"Cultural Link" program, South-East Arts, England and Tartu Art College

Special Thanks: Anu Kivilo and the participants



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Raivo Kelomees
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GSM +372 56 235 191
e-mail: offline at online.ee
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Address:
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Tartu Art College
Tähe 38b, 50103 TARTU
Estonia
www.art.tartu.ee
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