GLOBAL BENDING: Media Art Education in China
Presentations and discussions about media art education in China, at DEAF07.
Media Art Education in China, Zhang Ga
Within the competing realms of China's breakneck technological revolution and its attendant shifting of social structures, the role of media art and theory within the education system creates a critical junction between traditional notions of art and the process of industrialisation. Buzzwords such as media art, interaction design, IT literacy and network theory take root within the traditional academic structures creating new and potentially exciting curricula for the exploration of emergent forms of artistic and cultural expression. These initiatives however all too often become subjugated by economic and political forces into creative industry marketing tools. As the pursuits of artistic activity and discourse find their outlets elsewhere, is there a role left for universities and art academies as incubators of critical, experimental and creative exploration? Is this situation unique to China, as a product of its own transformation, or is it a global issue?
Moderator: Florian Cramer (D), Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam
Respondent: Zhang Ga (USA) Professor of Communications Arts, New York Institute of Technology (New York), guest professor, Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University (Beijing)
Speakers:
Chen Xiaoqing (CN), Dean, New Media Art Design, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
Lu Xiaobo (CN), professor, Tsinghua University, Beijing
Zhang Peili (CN), Prof. Dept of Art and Media, Hangzhou Academy of Art
Hu Jie Ming (CN), Prof. Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, Shanghai
Ned Rossiter (UK), Senior Media Studies Lecturer, University of Ulster
