The Intermedia and Digital Art field of study is taught in seven studios. These are the Studio of Environment, The Studio of Intermedia, The Studio of Body Design, The Studio of Video, The Studio of Multimedia, and The Studio of Photography. The field of study is anchored in two domains: neo-avantgarde tendencies of the 1960s which introduced hitherto marginal tendencies (intermediality, processual and action character of art-making, local specificity of art, de-skilling, dematerialization, and the conception of work of art as a semantic proposition) into mainstream art; the other domain is represented by visual culture and artistic strategies connected to it which are placed in a dynamic dialogue with the creation of technical images.

Studios of Environment, Intermedia, Performance, and Body Design, which are not “media-specific,” teach consuistently students to make use of optional courses, workshops, and technological tutorials while formulating their artistic proposals. The Studio of Environment develops a conception of artwork which is based on the requirement to ground artistic practices in specific experience. Making art frequently borders on artistic research. The Studio of Intermedia is probably the most open studio as far as the whole study program is concerned as students are also encouraged to reach beyond visual art, mainly towards music and literature. The Studio of Performance if focused on the bordering form of visual art which is a creative act in time-space situation. Action is understood here as an interdisciplinary expression of a personality including the linkeage between traditional theatrical, musical, dance, and literary strategies. An emphasis is put on artistic expressive forms of multimedia presentations in the action environment relationship. The Studio of Body Design represents an exceptional space within the Czech art education; body is understood here as a medium and as a battleground on which cultural, political, or religious battles are fought both in symbolic and in overtly material way. In its output, the Studio of Body Design frequently reaches beyond the gallery - it seeks and stimulates dialogue both in public and in media space.
Studios of Video, Multimedia, and Photography develop creative thinking and skills essential to generate images via digital media. Making art in these disciplines is specific in the presentation aspect: a gallery is a possible, but not the only possible space of presentation. Students are encouraged to consider various distribution channels of media image, semantic and symbolic differences associated with switching between environments such as the white cube gallery, traditional mass media (TV), or a wide scale of internet platforms. As well as paying attention to the place and mode of presentation, students are led to consider the viewers who frequently become co-creators.

Graduates of the MA program deepen their skills within their specialization which are linked towards defining their own individual artistic program. They are progressing towards their own independent artistic practices – they are able to create an artwork of indisputable qualities which can be publicly presented. They reflect the current development of the field and are able to aptly articulate their viewpoints and intentions.

Studying in the Intermedia and Digital Art field of study is determined by using continuously updated technical equipment and software. The Supporting Studio of Audio-Video and The Supporting Studio of Photography provide the essential technical and skills background for the projects and activities undertaken in this field of study. Sufficient mastering of currently available technologies and their precursors enables students to use them not only as tools but as carriers of specific aesthetics. The same can be said about computer programs used for the generating or postproduction of digital images whose mastering is not the ultimate goal but the prerequisite for autonomous making of art.

doc. MgA. Filip Cenek