An important aspect of the department is that the disciplines have no set curriculum. Learning objectives, learning content and learning processes are constantly being redefined by each professor. This principle gives the entire Media Art Department a dynamic and innovative curriculum.

The Department of Media Art’s studios are all state-of-the-art and fully equipped, enabling the student to be diverse in creating new productions. The main objectives of the training are for the students to learn the technical skills to create media art and develop their aesthetic judgement.

The field of Digital Art/InfoArt deals with the current information culture’s revolutionary transformation. The phenomenon of data visualization is examined in a broad context. Following the principle of “Content driven technology”, these fields are mainly occupied with network- and 3D-based realtime phenomena, often being applied artistically in public spaces.

The study of Film is not limited to the traditional narrative format of storytelling, but explores and develops new concepts and formats in the fields of documentary, experimental and auteur film. Film theory plays an important role in the student’s education.

The field of photography is based on an extended photography concept and also includes installative and time-based formats; Thus, artistic working methods, such as artistic research projects, are discussed and developed, which not only test the possibilities of the medium as an imaging process, but also understand photography as media, social and historical practice and critically reflect it. Here, aspects of production and production conditions, of distribution and presentation of the photographs in the artistic context play a decisive role.

The study of Moving Image focuses on moving image installation and examines the technical, aesthetic, and post-production conditions, forms and poetics of moving images and their media, this especially includes taking into account the digital production. Along with the presentation mode, the curatorial strategies and meanings of exhibiting moving images are strongly integrated into the development process of the artistic work.

The Sound Lab is supplied by the different approaches of the interdisciplinary projects’ diversity which can be divided into the areas of electronic and electroacoustic music, experimental radio play, sound installation and film sound. The focus is on the acoustic forms of play between art and media. Founded in 2003 to organize the activities and concerts outside of the university, the independent audiovisual label ichiigai are experts at fusing sound, music, video and art.

With the “Expanded 3D Digital Cinema Laboratory”, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design has an international exemplary research area on 3D, VR and artificial and artistic intelligence. In combination with the “BEYOND” festival organized jointly with the ZKM, as a showcase for this research and the international symposium on “Future Design”, this specialization in the university is unique in the world.

Website Moving Images & Film

Website photography: https://fotografie.hfg-karlsruhe.de/