MA Theory and Practice of Experimental Performance

Call for applications: MA Theory and Practice of Experimental Performance at the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart.

About the programme
The two year Master’s programme in Theory and Practice of Experimental Performance gives students the space to develop and refine their artistic practice in the field of performance. Performance is understood as an artistic and social practice situated between disciplines that draws on different contexts and traditions. Run by the State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart, the programme offers students a transdisciplinary environment and invites them to explore performative concepts relating to fields such as music/sound, dance/choreography, theater, installation and visual art, activism, technology, social practices, and architecture. Emphasis is placed on both practical and reflective engagement, allowing students to develop a discursive practice and to become articulate about their work and its context.

A strong focus of the programme lies in the development of individual, collaborative, and collective work. It offers a space for methodological development and experimental collaborations. Students are encouraged to adopt a research-driven approach towards making work, exploring what performance can be and how it can respond to current questions and exigencies. Emphasis is also placed on peer exchange, fostering a culture of productive feedback, and learning with and from each other. The curriculum is made up of continuous seminars with the core staff in addition to workshops and lectures by international guest artists and scholars. The small number of students per year allows the core staff to support each student individually.

Campus Gegenwart
The MA programme is part of Campus Gegenwart, a transdisciplinary center for artistic and theoretical exchange and collaboration between the three art universities in Stuttgart. Through Campus Gegenwart, students of the MA Theory and Practice of Experimental Performance get access to classes at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art as well as the Merz Academy—University of Applied Arts, Design and Media. Furthermore, Campus Gegenwart sets up collaborations with a wide range of cultural institutions in Stuttgart and the surrounding region. In doing so, the programme offers students possibilities to connect to potential future fields of work and enables them to formulate future collaborations by engaging with experts and fellow students in different creative disciplines.

The programme is aimed at students who:
–Have an artistic practice situated in the field of performance or one that is informed by performative concepts
–Wish to deepen, expand, refine, or shift their practice in a transdisciplinary study setting
–Wish to participate in continuous peer exchange and build a culture of peer support and feedback with regards to artistic development
–Wish to expand their own ideas of performance and investigate new ways of art-making
–Wish to develop their skills in reflection, articulation, and scholarly practice
–are motivated to engage in collaborative processes of learning and production
–Wish to have interdisciplinary curricula and pursue interdisciplinary collaboration with other students
–Are motivated to engage in a two-year, full-time study

Accessibility

If you have any questions about accessibility in the application procedures or regarding the study programme, please contact Britta Wirthmüller: britta.wirthmueller@hmdk-stuttgart.de

Degree: Master of Arts (MA) / Length: Two years / Study language: English and German / Next start: Summer semester 2024 (March 2024) / Application period: November 1–December 1, 2023 / Class size: Four students p.a. / Staff: Prof. Dr. Christian Grüny, Prof. Britta Wirthmüller, Maria Huber.