FHK student event may 17th Fontys

Foreword by the Dean Imagine your future, the future of art and the future of the ever-changing world. What does the creative stage look like?

How do we collaborate and develop new art? How do you develop your professional foundation in such a way, that you, as an artist and/or an art educator can contribute to this world? The future is there for those artists and art educators who can embrace change, who are confident and explorative in the creative field and who practice their skills profoundly.

FHK wants to offer you an inspiring environment in which you can develop the skills you need to succeed in a rapidly changing society. We want you to discover not only the richness of your talent, but also the social and environmental impact of your actions and practices. Therefor FHK is going to invest in interdisciplinary learning, in exploring social involvement and in building an international learning community. FHK needs partners to achieve this mission and you as a student are an important partner in this. We will challenge and test your ideas and we will give you opportunities to challenge FHK and the world we share.

Karen Neervoort, Dean Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts, Tilburg Positioning between goals and reality On May 17th a group of 30 students from different departments at the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts (FHK) in Tilburg gathered for an evening to reflect on the school’s three recently chosen strategic goals. During the passed year the management, tutors and administration have worked on defining what these goals could and should be.

But they had until now discussed these goals only to some extent with the students of the academy. The three goals are defined as follows: FHK provides structural interdisciplinary cross-bordered education.

Gives shape to its social involvement through education in co-creation with a hybrid (work) environment. is an international learning community.

A new phase has started. The school is looking how we can translate these goals into a reality, into the way tutors and students work, learn and interact at this school. The aim is to achieve this through co-creation and dialogue with peers, communities and partners around the world and in Tilburg.

But before doing so, it is important to learn more about how the students feel about these goals and how they imagine their future as artists, educators and practitioners. This future perspective in term influences the outlook and organization of education at the academy.

Thus the co-creation session was about finding out, discussing with each other and learning from the students how their perspective on the school’s future is. The evening consisted of two parts. The first, and that will take up the main part of this publication, was an exercise coming from the domain of the performing arts, dance to be specific, and is called ‘positioning’. In the next pages you will find 40 statements which moderator Dirk Dumon (lecturer Dance department) shared with the students. The statements reflect on the strategic goals, questioning and opposing, making fun of them and reinforcing them. The students responded to the statements by voting with their feet, positioning themselves in a triangular space. They could answer three things: Yes, No and Not sure.

e Yes r u s t o N No

It created an openness and physical manifestation of how the students sometimes thought very similar and at other times had opposing opinions. It ensured for quite some debate about topics ranging from social involvement, the possibility of a nomadic academy, the love of disciplines (and their collaboration), the local vs. international outlook of the school and to what extent students feel at home at the academy and feel comfortable with the strategic goals. What do they mean for them? How do they look at the future? What does it mean for the school to make these goals a reality?

In the second part of the evening Kai van Hasselt, (associate lecturer on design thinking) asked the students to come up with pilot projects around their ideas on the strategic goals. The students came up with four concepts, which they presented in small groups and on which they voted.

The description and the results you will find in the final part of this booklet. It should be noted that the goal around interdisciplinarity played a part in all four concepts and was voted as the number one goal with a clear majority.

We would like to conclude with thanking the participating students for sharing their insights with each other and with us and for reflecting on the academy’s future based upon their experiences and wishes for the art academy in the 21ste century. Karen Neervoort, Dean of FHK introduced the need for the three goals; What follows are the 40 statements and their voting results. Thereafter you will find the four student concepts briefly described as well as rated in terms of priority and impact.

Dirk Dumon & Kai van Hasselt, facilitators session

I 64% Yes

28 Not s

8% sure

love 8% No

. t n a b a r B

l o v I e I

love

52% Yes

16 Not s

. l a v a arn

e C

6% sure

32% No

I feel at

hom 76% Yes

at

20 Not s

me 4% No

the academy.

0% sure

Our 8% Yes

a trans

68 Not s

academy is

sparent academy.

8% sure

24% No

recom d l u o Iw

this 80% Yes

to others.

20 Not s

mmend

s academy

.

0% sure

0% No

to others.

k o o l I 92% Yes

8% Not s

forward to

% sure

0% No

the future.

I see clear develop 52% Yes

the future

32 Not s

pments towards of the

2% sure

16% No

academy.

Can interdis 60% Yes

24 Not s

sciplinarity be 16% No

taught?

4% sure

Interdisciplina is esse 88% Yes

future d

4% Not s

arity ential for my

8% No

developmen

% sure

t.

Should interdisciplin 60% Yes

of your futu

24 Not s

narity be a t r a p core 16% No

ure ? m u l u c i r r u c

4% sure

I love my discpline 36% Yes

24 Not s

more

40% No

. s r e h t o n a th

4% sure

Interdisci

14% Yes

middle nam

48 Not s

iplinarity

me.

8% sure

is my 28% No

When two di work togethe is more 60% Yes

than the su

28 Not s

isciplines er the result 12% No

um of the parts.

8% sure

I have no 4% Yes

interdiscip

20 Not s

76% No

time for

plinarity.

0% sure

m a I

able

to ma

48% Yes

from one discipline to

24 Not s

ake transfers

o another.

4% sure

28% No

i l p i c s i d r e t In p 12% Yes

are a waste o

20 Not s

y r ina projects at the school

of time.

0% sure

68% No

pro vid es K FH interd 16% Yes

20 Not s

s structural disciplinary cross-border

0% sure

64% No

education.

e v a h I 28% Yes

a good und of social in

56 Not s

derstanding nvolvement in the arts.

6%

sure

16% No

In 32% Yes

practice I am socia

34 Not s

y l i a d my

ally

4% sure

24% No

involved.

We

16% Yes

socially

28 Not s

are a

involved

school.

8% sure

56% No

Socia

68% Yes

new . k c a l b

16 Not s

al involvement is the

6% sure

16% No

Social inv 20% Yes

72 Not s

volvement is the new

2% sure

8% No

. n e e gr

By focusing o social 12% Yes

losing our

36 Not s

on our involvement we are

52% No

artistry.

6% sure

I have a of whe 8% Yes

4% Not s

clear idea ere I will work 88% No

in the future.

% sure

I have a clear of how 32% Yes

20 Not s

r idea w I will 48% No

work in the future.

0% sure

I love to co-cre 68% Yes

20 Not s

eate.

0% sure

12% No

56% Yes

32 Not s

I am a

12% No

co-creator.

2% sure

Co-creat is the futu 20% Yes

56 Not s

ting ure of the arts.

6% sure

24% No

Co-creatin 0% Yes

is killing

12 Not s

ng 88% No

imagination.

2% sure

As a stude academy I fe 28% Yes

of an in learning

12 Not s

ent in this eel part

nternational community.

2% sure

60% No

My teache

En 40% Yes

(enough)

40 Not s

ers speak

nglish well.

0% sure

20% No

I would like 72% Yes

20 Not s

e to

0% sure

work abroad.

8% No

I would lov 32% Yes

in Belgium.

52 Not s

ve to

2% sure

work 16% No

My body 56% Yes

28 Not s

is 16% No

international.

8% sure

My mind 4% Yes

28 Not s

thinks . y l l a n o i t a n

8% sure

68% No

My future w l l i w 48% Yes

. d e t a t orien

32 Not s

work y l e l b a c o l g

2% sure

20% No

My e c i t c a r p 68% Yes

will be

32 Not s

artistic

0% No

. c i d a nom

2% sure

e r u t u ef

h t of 48% Yes

would be nomad

32 Not s

My dream y m e d a c a

a dic academy.

2% sure

20% No

My academy internat 48% Yes

. d e t a t n orie

28 Not s

is tionally

8% sure

24% No

Concepts: After the positioning sessions, the students divided in four groups. They discussed what was important for them from the discussed statements. This resulted in four concept or pilot projects. From each group two students presented to the others, whilst the rest of the group visited the other groups.

In this way all students learned about each other’s plans. We concluded with ranking the presented pilot projects in order of priority and of potential impact on the school, with the help of two questions: With which project would you start if you were the school?

(Priority) Which project has the most impact on making the strategic goals a reality? (Impact) The four projects were ranked as follows: Name project

Average priority

Ranking priority

Average impact

Ranking impact

Trinity

2,2

2

2,6

3

People

2,8

4

2,9

Shopping Student-like

2,1 2,3

1 3

2,5 1,9

4 2

More students filled in the ranking for priority than for impact, due to that not everyone understood the difference and/ or that it were two different questions. Thus the ranking for priority should receive most attention. It should also be noted that the average priority ranking given to the concepts Trinity, Shopping and Student-like did not differ so much and that the difference with the People concept was relatively bigger, than the difference between the three mutual concepts. We also asked the students to rank or prioritise the school’s three strategic goals. Twenty or more students filled in the question and the answers read as follows: Average priority

Ranking priority

Interdisciplinarity

1,4

1

Social involvement

2 2,5

2 3

Int. learning community

1

Interdisciplinarity is the key strategic goal with the most priority according to the students. At the same time, during the positioning exercise we noticed that this does not mean that it does not create a debate or difference of opinion or understanding. The students stated that they would like to know more about what the school exactly understands when it speak about working and studying an interdisciplinary way. To a lesser extent this goes for all three strategic goals. They are there, they are outspoken, but they are also multi-interpretable and not only because of their Dutch-English translation but also because of the many things they refer to or want to capture; they mean more different things to different persons.

That forms a hurdle to work with them in the future and in the end for their realization. And thus, as Karen Neervoort responded to the students at the roundup of the evening, the session made much clear to her about how and what they think about the goals and consequently what (kind of) work the management of the school has to do to take these goals further. Below follow brief descriptions of the student concepts.

Group 1 Trinity Step 1) The Meeting. A network evening: informal, wearing badges to highlight disciplines.

Step 2) The Proposal. Write a proposal including artists, equipment and budget necessary to make your project. Give good practice to the professional field, as many artists have to apply to festivals or for funding. If the proposal is good and the budget realistic, the funding is given to the project.

Step 3) The Show. A space is provided for showing the finished projects. A prize (such as a place at a festival) is given to the most promising project.

Main points: It is not obligatory; therefore only students who are enthusiastic about it take part.

Incentives to take part: Meet new people, get your project funded, a chance to go to a festival (we thought about incorporating the international element and it could be an international festival), a chance and space to create and explore.

Incentives for school: Get promising and high-quality projects, students develop skills in creating, co-creating, money is spent only on students who are enthusiastic and want to develop themselves, everyone is given a fair and equal chance in applying.

Notes by Hannah Rogerson

Group 2 People No description available

Group 3 Shopping A short description of the idea called ‘Shopping’ centres on allowing FHK students to temporarily immerse themselves in an unknown environment within the larger Fontys group of schools. For instance a dance student spending a week with students of Fontys Electrical Engineering in Eindhoven, learning everything about their world, if this is somehow of interest for the student. Basically this would allow the students to learn whatever they want to learn, outside of the framework of their discipline. It could give way to new connections and collaborations.

Notes by Kars Helderman

Group 4 Student-like Our group’s concept introduced the interdisciplinary idea very early (even on admission exams) and mainly on the introduction day as an example of what will be expected of them during their study at the FHK. During their first and second year, the students could be obligated to bare witness to an interdisciplinary project and may be allowed to prepare and perform one of their own at the end of the school year.

And perhaps on the third or fourth year they may be required to do so. This concept comes from the idea that the first (and sometimes second) year students may not yet necessarily know what they want and if interdisciplinary is their style.

One of the details of our concepts (which coincides perfectly with the first group’s idea) was to organize a “speed date” or a “FHK get to know each other” event were all FHK students get to meet each other and have the opportunity to exchange ideas for future collaborations. One can learn more about the details of this from group 1.

Notes by Xavier Geerman

List of participating students: Kars Helderman, Rockacademie Kinga Szilรกgyi, Master of music Celeste Engel, Conservatory Veronica Della Ventura, Master of Architecture Elysia Mc Mullen, Dance Academy

Melissa Sipma, ABV

Hannah Rogerson, Dance Academy

Simone Steeghs, ABV

Laurens van Genderen, ABV

Thulani Rachia, exchange student ArtCoDe

Tess Brekelmans, Dance Academy

Stefano Andreottola, exchange student ArtCoDe Richard Meeuws, ABV

Lucia, exchange student ArtCoDe

Laila el Bazi, Dance Academy

Nick van Kuipers, Muziektheater Klassiek

Anthony Lubbers, Conservatory

Jet Pronk, ABV

Romany van Tienen, ABV

Femke de Jager, Theater

Anneriche Geert, Danseducatie

Iris de Vries, ABV Xavier Geerman, Conservatorium

Marco, exchange student ArtCoDe

Laura Jonkers, Danseducatie Dylan Holly, Dance Academy

Maaike de Haard, Artcode

Colophon: Concept and texts: Dirk Dumon, Kai van Hasselt and Karen Neervoort.

Graphic design: Miquel Hervás Gómez.

Printed and bound it at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie.

Many thanks to all participating students and to Mariëlle Hulshof, Ingeborg Vugs, Jur van der Lecq and Herma Tuunter for their support to realize this session. © School of Fine and Performing Arts, Tilburg, May-June 2016