Master's Programme in Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art

Programme Description

Master's Programme in Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art (ViCCA)

ViCCA is an international programme that explores emerging knowledges and practices at the intersections of visual cultures, curating and contemporary art.

• If you are looking to contextualize and develop an independent practice or method of inquiry within and in between these contexts, while maintaining strong connections to society, then ViCCA is the place for you.
• If you are an artist, curator, scholar or culture worker looking for opportunities for experimentation in a transdisciplinary environment, if you want to understand, challenge and shift the paradigms of contemporary art and the world around us then ViCCA would also be a very good fit for your MA.

Study objectives

• Students develop a wide understanding of contemporary and emerging artistic practices, relevant theories and international discourses in the field of visual cultures
• Students will be able to engage in open research processes, learning to combine theoretical knowledge and practices with concrete artistic or curatorial projects
• Students will learn to contextualize their work in relation to different professional fields and social and cultural phenomena.
• Students will gain tools to work and experiment in their chosen field in visual cultures, curating and contemporary art.
• Students will develop comprehensive research and writing skills, which helps them to prepare also for doctoral studies

Presentation of the programme

Study languages

In ViCCA Programme the language of instruction is English.

Content of the studies

ViCCA is situated at the dynamic intersections of fields of visual culture, curatorial practice and contemporary art. The educational aim of the programme is for you as a student to find your own weave between these fields in the development of fresh new possibilities and practices. The ViCCA program offers you an opportunity to develop, deepen and apply your prior skills and knowledge while opening your research processes to the possibilities offered by other disciplines.

A study experience at ViCCA consists of theoretical studies, practice-based artistic workshops, experimental laboratories, excursions and field studies, as well as a thesis writing process. Theoretical, curatorial and practice-based artistic studies are seen as responding critically and engaging with the current issues and interests in the field of contemporary art and beyond.

• How can non-verbal knowledges and artistic research inform scientific experimentation and vice versa?
• How can specific, situated inquiries reveal stories of relevance to the planet?
• How can theory be used in practice and vice versa?
• How might we rethink what curating is?

The programme’s pedagogical models are focused on sharing of expertise, exploratory learning and artistic research practices in order to create an open conversational and dialogical space and community for learning, acting and debating.

A study of Visual Culture involves ways of understanding a versatile range of critical, contemporary visual phenomena and signifying practices. A focus upon Contemporary Art includes artistic understanding on issues related to space, time, materials, environments, and social contexts, studied via a diversity of critical perspectives and experiential exercises. Curating is explored as a path for reflection, action, learning and organizing in and around the public sphere from a perspective that engages with theory, sociopolitical questions and other disciplines. Through Transdisciplinary Approaches, we encourage students to explore new forms of artistic practice and collaboration with other fields and sectors, such as science, technology, ecology and society at large. We aim to explore possibilities, challenge the conventions and develop fresh insights to today’s questions.

The University offers its students a broad variety of possible Minor Studies, which are available in the School of Arts, Design and Architecture and the other schools of Aalto University (Design, Media, Business, Technology, Engineering and so forth.) It is strongly encouraged that you select a minor as a part of your studies at ViCCA. The minor opportunities available in other programmes facilitate a wide range of possibilities for you to design your own track through your MA with us. They also open up new professional career paths.

The ViCCA studies consists of the Master’s Thesis (30 credits), 5 mandatory courses (20 credits) and optional professional study subjects (70 credits) ranging from philosophy, theory and curating practice to transdisciplinary art & science & technology subjects, ecological and environmental concerns and situated & context-based art practices. The curriculum is planned in 2-year cycles, which enables the programme to develop itself with minor changes in the course offerings. The next two-year cycle is from Autumn-2020 until Spring-2022.  

For further information see our Study Guide 2020-2022.

Postgraduate opportunities

The students graduating from the ViCCA-programme are equipped and capable of building their own creative positions, cultural agencies and professional careers in the multi-faceted, constantly changing and multi-disciplinary world.

The ViCCA-graduates also have knowledge and research skills to be able to continue academic careers towards a Doctorate degree, or be employed in universities, institutions and culture-related sectors of society, as well as experts within multidisciplinary projects and research groups.

Internationalisation

At its core, ViCCA is an international programme (all teaching is in English).  Half of the ViCCA faculty have international backgrounds, and as do habitually, half to one third of our student cohort. ViCCA has therefore a strong emphasis upon global perspectives in its curriculum, teaching and learning processes. However, the courses do not ignore local conditions either. As a potential ViCCA student all this will contribute to your understanding of Finnish, Nordic and Arctic region contexts while comprehending the major global challenges that we all face today. Former ViCCA students come from Europe (e.g. Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, UK, Greece, Ukraine, Slovenia, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Germany), The USA and Canada, Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil) and Asia (Iran, Pakistan, India, Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan, Indonesia, China) - and of course also from Finland.

Career opportunities

The vision of ViCCA programme is to enable future professionals who will be facilitators and bridge builders between distinct fields. We hope to facilitate generous, collaborative and critical actors who are capable of piloting their way through future social and environmental changes, as well as reinvigorating and transforming contemporary cultural fields. Through a strong emphasis on collaborations with various societal actors and sectors, the ViCCA programme builds connections and occupies spaces between conventional art and design practices, professions and cultural fields. Contemporary societies the world over are moving away and evolving from a focus on single- discipline professions, towards more integrated, interconnected and versatile forms of cultural work. As a graduate from ViCCA you would be well-equipped and capable of working and responding to the emergent, transdisciplinary demands of societies to come, both within and outside of academic context.

Many ViCCA graduates continue as independent artists for which Aalto University studies provide them with a wide network of national and international connections and options. There are several examples of students who have formed work-based collectives after graduating, becoming valued actors in the cultural and artistic field. ViCCA graduates also find employment in diverse cultural institutions, museums, art organizations, design offices, cultural projects and foundations. Many others seek to continue with further academic research and study or work in related fields of design, communication, architecture, art & science among others (see also Post graduate opportunities below).

Admission procedure and programme-specific requirements

Applicants meeting Aalto’s general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that has been decided in advance for each study option. The applications to Master’s Programme in Visual Culture, Curating and Contemporary Art (VICCA) will be evaluated based on the following criteria.

Phase I

Phase II

Evaluation process

The applicants will be first evaluated based on Aalto’s general eligibility requirements. Applicants meeting the general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that has been decided in advance for each study option.

The selection process for applicants who meet the general eligibility criteria comprises of two phases.

Phase I

In Phase I, the applications are evaluated based on the following criteria

• Artistic and/or design practice
• Suitability/Motivation letter
• Relevance of previous studies
• Other areas of competence

Only the applicants who are ranked highest in the preliminary evaluation will be invited to phase II in the selection process.

Phase II

In Phase II, the evaluation is based on the following criteria

• Suitability/Interview

The final selection decisions will be made based on an evaluation conducted in Phase II. A shortlist of the applicants will be invited to the Phase II.

Phase II consists mainly of individual interviews. Each applicant will have 30 min for their interview. Applicant can use 10 minutes for a prepared presentation of one project, if required.

A possible assignment for the interview may also be the preparation of the presentation of a particular project. The applicants invited to Phase II will be informed about this at least one week before the interviews.

Study-option-specific documents requested

The documents requested from all applicants are listed on the Aalto University website (https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/applying-to-masters-programmes). In addition, applicants to this study option are requested to provide the following study-option-specific documents:

Portfolio

In the portfolio, applicants include work that showcases their artistic, curatorial, design, or theory related practice and competence.  The portfolio must contain three to five samples of the applicant’s previous activity. The portfolio consists of visual material, i.e., presentation of artworks, exhibitions or other projects, and/or text-based works.

Artworks and curatorial or other projects can be presented as installation images, drawings, photographs, other visual material and explanatory texts. The work contained in the portfolio must be catalogued, listing at least the title and/or theme, materials used, size, purpose and year of completion of each piece. The catalogue must also detail where and when the work has been exhibited, displayed or published and what was the role of the applicant. You may include a maximum of five images per work or project. If the work or project is text based or theoretical, a maximum of five pages can be used per work or project.

The applicant’s name, address and phone number and the degree programme applied for must be indicated clearly on the portfolio.

Portfolios can be submitted only in digital form. Applicants should upload their portfolio to the application system in a single PDF-file before submitting the application. The PDF-file may include links to videos (e.g. Vimeo, You Tube), see the instructions about the length of the videos below.

Maximum size for the portfolio is 1.0 GB. Name the file Portfolio-lastname-firstname.pdf. If your portfolio contains password protected video links, include the password(s) in your portfolio. If a portfolio is not uploaded to the online application form by the deadline, the application will be rejected.

If you include links to videos, you may include a maximum of five minutes of video material in total. If you include several or longer video works, edit them down so that their duration does not exceed five minutes. Include in your portfolio stills with explanatory subtitles and add a link to the webpage, where the video file is to be found. If the links are password protected please make sure that you include the password in your portfolio.

If you include interactive works, make a demonstration video of key aspects. If you include several interactive works, edit the demonstration videos down so that their duration is maximum five minutes in total. Include in your portfolio stills with explanatory subtitles of the demonstrations. Add a link to the webpage, where the video file is to be found. If the links are password protected please make sure that you include the password in your portfolio.

CV

Applications must include the applicant’s CV indicating personal data, educational background, work experience, exhibitions, publications and articles, awards and grants, study trips and positions of trust. Applicants should upload their CV to the application system in a single PDF-file before submitting the application.

Motivation letter

The maximum length of the motivation letter is 4000 characters.
In the motivation letter applicants must explain why they wish to apply to this degree programme, what their particular interests are in the field, and what their hopes and expectations are regarding studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The plan should explain the applicant’s personal strengths, areas of interest, artistic and design visions, artwork perspectives and artistic objectives.

Language of application documents

The application documents must be submitted in English.