Urbanautica

KLAUS FRUCHTNIS. BLURRING THE LINES

by Steve Bisson

«We should prepare our students for life beyond the institution, giving them a specific skill set that allows them to be more flexible, open-minded, and caring about others.»

Hello Klaus, could you briefly introduce your role now at Paris College of Art, and what are the main drivers of your motivations?

Klaus Fruchtnis (KF): I am the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the departments of Photography and Transdisciplinary New Media at Paris College of Art. As the Associate Dean, I oversee curricula, recruitment, and admissions, as well as the development of policies and best practices to enrich the graduate student experience. One of the most exciting aspects of the position is defining, in collaboration with the higher administration, the vision, and the institution's philosophy. As the Chair, I provide leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the programs; I work closely with faculty and students to make sure that we provide the best learning environment possible.

PCA talk with Biepke Depoorter, November 4th, 2019

If I think about one motivational driver, the sense of achievement is what motivates me the most in working in academia. As Paulo Freire says "to teach is not to transfer knowledge but to create the possibilities for the production or construction of knowledge", this is what keeps me motivated and engaged –the possibility of expanding the promises to make a better world and to work closely with the future actors of it. We have the chance to work with the future decision-makers of our society, and that's a privilege!

You are the founder of the Blurring the Lines program. In 2016 you kick-started the idea of networking schools and awarding graduate works. Tell us about it? And what your impressions about the past four years? And how would you envision the future of it?

KF: After several years of working as a professional artist and educator, I concluded that opportunities are something that young professionals are still lacking. I imagined an online platform to foster talent and create a network in visual culture. Also, being at PCA and having the infrastructure and the support of an institution made it easy for me to expand the project by including other institutions rapidly. The rationale behind the project was to promote student's thesis research work, to get international recognition, and contribute to an academic dialogue. The selected projects over the past four years show a different expansion of modes of representation through photography. A change that indeed refers to the digitisation and the frontiers of post-production, the contamination between different visual languages, the relationship between the availability of technology, and new forms of expression.

© PCA Talk with Biepke Depoorter, Paris, 2019

© 'Blurring the Lines' installation view (work from Roberto Vito D'Amico) at PCA, Paris, 2019

© 'Blurring the Lines' installation view (work from Irene Antonia Diane Reece) at PCA, Paris, 2019

In 2016, the project started with only three schools. Today, after four years, I'm thrilled to see that we have promoted the work of 74 students, received more than 250 project proposals from 19 institutions across the world; and successfully managed to show the selected works at Fotofever and Espace F15 in Paris, at HKU University of the Arts in Utrecht, the Netherlands and the Palazzo Mora at the Venice Biennale in 2019.

© Catalog of Blurring the Lines 2020 at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, 2020

© Exhibition 'Blurring the Lines', at HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, 2020

The platform has grown with the support of partners such as FOTODOK (international space for documentary photography based in Utrecht, the Netherlands) Urbanautica (Institute of studies on visual anthropology and cultural landscapes, based in Italy), the European Cultural Center (a platform for reflection, research and interdisciplinary encounters across the fields of visual art, based in Italy) in promoting the selected works; as well as FujiFilm Italy, and Faservice. We have also created a space to discuss photography and education with an annual conference in Venice in collaboration with ECC; the different workshops and portfolio reviews held with our partner institutions in partnership with Transformations and the photo and art departments of each institution. Furthermore, well-known professionals such as Anne Cartier-Bresson, Jean Kempf, and Bieke Depoorter, have been invited to the launch of past editions to enrich the dialogue on photography. I feel incredibly grateful that curators such as you, Francois Ronsiaux, Rodrigo Orrantia, Lisanne Van Happen, and John Fleetwood believe in this project – their input and expertise have made this project possible. And of course, the members of the board that have joined the project over the years, Rebecca Simons, Stefanie Grätz, and Pedro Vicente, that contribute to the expansion of the project.

© Talk with Anne Cartier-Bresson at PCA - Paris College of Art, Paris, 2015.

© Portfolio review with curators Rodrigo Orrantia and Steve Bisson at PCA, 2017.

How do I see the future of the project? With the unprecedented situation, we are all living in right now, I see an enormous opportunity to include more schools and expand our network. The situation has also opened the possibility to put in place an environment to think about the future of photography, as well as the role of formal and non-formal institutions. We should collaborate more and more to make sure that our students connect with others. For instance, the theme for the 2020 edition is "Commitment," and it seemed like a natural fit. We see in it the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc., or an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. The question of photography's commitment to real-world issues and its relationship provides significant directives for promoting a social engagement from photographers, which is changing the photographic tool. We have already received applications from 35 institutions and keep receiving... The 2020 edition, and the current situation, will undoubtedly be a milestone for the project.

© Visual notes on Blurring the Lines's conference at ECC, Venice, Italy, 2019. Visual notes by Wytze Veenstra.

© 'Blurring the Lines' conference at ECC, Venice, 2019

Finally, our next step is to think about the financial sustainability of the platform; all ideas and financial support are warmly welcome!

In your experience as an educator, what are the main challenges students face today in their studies? Any lesson learned to share with us?

KF: Students face numerous amount of challenges, including technological development as well as political and health issues that affect our society, and of course, their studies. An excellent example of it is the current coronavirus situation we are living in right now. The world is changing rapidly; we, as educators, have an essential role to play here. We should prepare our students for life beyond the institution, giving them a specific skill set that allows them to be more flexible, open-minded, and caring about others. For me, creativity is the key – it is a way of living that influences many disciplines and leads to pleasure in life-long learning.

© Photography workshop with 5 schools and 75 students at HKU, Utrecht, 2018

In higher education, we should develop new forms of teaching that are intended to promote students' own creative thinking and behavior. Creativity will challenge your mind, give you the ability to think out of the box, and teach you how to look at things from a different point of view… creativity fosters new ways of thinking not only as a person but as a group –with hands-on and relevant learning experiences. It enhances the curiosity of our students and a desire to do things differently.

Could you introduce the Master of Arts/Master of Fine Arts in Photography & Image-making?

There are several graduate programs in Photography in Paris, which include Photography and Contemporary Art. Still, there is no specific practice-based and process-oriented programs in French – nor in English – for Photography and Image-making.

For many decades, Paris has been considered as the center of avant-garde art and, without a doubt, as the hub for the new photography in Europe since the 1920s. If the French capital became a forum for photographers from so many different countries and backgrounds, this was because it stood as a model of modernity and a beacon of economic hope in the aftermath of the First World War, but also because it was a haven of political and religious freedom for those forced into exile. Furthermore, the international dimension of both the city and the Paris College of Art provides a unique platform for aspiring to experience an internship or work abroad.

© PCA graduate students presenting their exhibition "Storyteller" to a pre-school class at Le Bateau-Lavoir, Paris, 2018.

Photography has considerably evolved in the past years, not only in the means of technical processes but also in the way we communicate and read images. The MA/MFA in Photography and Image-Making focuses on new types of visual storytelling: still image, moving image, and multimedia, with a curriculum that emphasizes new media and transdisciplinary skill sets, and understands photography as a hybrid and emerging art form. The program explores digital image-making as a force and is designed as a practice-based and process-oriented program.

When I developed the curriculum, my goal was to propose a program that goes beyond photography and explores digital image-making through practice-based and process-oriented research. At the intersection of visual phenomena, new media, critical studies, and creative production, the program offers a unique blend of studio practice, and theoretical and art historical training.

About education again, how can we help students develop critical awareness and consciousness with regards to the use of images, the existing media, and the need to understand their role, position, and voice?

KF: Nothing about learning is static or fix; it is about constant movement. We train creative thinkers to use their skills such a curiosity, storytelling, amusement, intuition, and imagination to develop a critical awareness and consciousness. I see education no longer limited to one single field but open to the intersection with other areas. For instance, image-makers should be able to create sharp images, develop a coherent and unique narrative, write about their work, and define the best channels for communicating their message. Students need to learn to make their own decisions to understand their identity and raise their voices, starting at school. Furthermore, to develop critical awareness and consciousness, we should become better listeners and take the time to explore ideas further.

© “Who’s in Control?” exhibition visit at Fotodok 2019 with PCA MFA class of '20.

At PCA, our curriculum is distinguished by its commitment not only to the technical aspects of image-making and production but also examines how photographs are disseminated, presented, discussed, used, documented, or archived: in short, how they function in today's image-driven society. The photography department equally addresses current concerns as ethics, engaging with the subject and the medium, questioning the maker's position, and the market as well as the audience.

Communication technology plays an essential role in the career of image-makers. With this regard, how important is it to have a formal education addressing these virtual scenarios?

KF: The Internet is, without a doubt, the best showcase for sharing images. These past few years, the entire world has seen and reviewed the same images which have marked history, thanks to the Internet.

© Klaus Fructhnis, Restless. How technology won, and why it matters.

We often say that creative thinkers embody the key to driving innovation. Art and design have undoubtedly transformed education at different levels, and will also influence our economy as science, industry, and technology did in the last centuries. So it is essential to address these topics with our students and make sure that they understand the current tools they have to communicate. At PCA, we offer several courses that offer a critical introduction to new (digital) media and technology, focusing on the relationship between "old" and "new" media and emphasizing both the cultural meanings of media in general and media as pedagogy. The courses give the chance to observe, participate, and explore new media literacy, learning, and making across formal and informal learning settings. We offer classes about technology, but also about the activity –the doing, the participatory culture– that surrounds these new tools, the use, and the learning born through that activity. The question about formal education is quite essential and relevant. In some countries, photography is often taught in informal ways, and the quality can be as good as the one receives informal education. The team of Blurring the Lines is currently discussing avenues and grounds for discussion. And I hope that the upcoming conference in Venice in November 2020 will be the right moment to share some ideas and receive some feedback on the topic.

Beyond your teaching activities, can you tell us more about your artist's career? Tell us about your personal research?

KF: My research is based on the areas of photography, and media experimentation, as well as collective and participatory projects that involve art, technology, cultural, social, and political aspects. My visual practice fosters more than the artistic aspect; it includes shared projects and initiatives with multicultural partners, new approaches to education, and digital literacy development. As an artist committed to social and urban development projects, I believe that the role of an artist or a designer in the development of society is as essential as that of an architect. I have had the opportunity to develop projects with museums, art centers, correctional centers, local communities, city councils, universities, etc., and, as a result of this, I have created through my practice, and as part of my artistic research, highly effective and innovative teaching techniques and pedagogical methods.

I am currently finishing my Ph.D.; my research focuses on participatory and collaborative art practices. One of the most compelling aspects of the participatory practices when working with a group of people is the full value of their strengths as individuals and their experience in a particular environment. Participation is often limited to individual processes underestimating the collective power and the most valuable privilege of working with others to identify and meet their needs. It creates friction in which we always create different formulas for inclusion and commitment among its participants in the design of a project. Collaboration instead, presupposes a work that acknowledges difference, disagreement, dissent, disparity, and confronting the adversary.

With the recent proliferation of participatory and collaborative practices as a fundamental element changing in the creative field, so-called participatory practices, the relationship between the artist/designer and the audience, has never been so current. A relationship that raises questions about the evolution of the creative process, the status of authorship, and the moral responsibility of the produced work, as well as the issues and perspectives depending on the setting in which the work is created. In the context of my research, the artist/designer's status evolves; it is no longer a question of specific know-how or expertise –the artist/designer becomes an orchestra conductor that can conceive, organize, assemble and direct projects.

And how you manage to combine your artistic career with your professional duties at school?

KF: When you asked this question in a previous interview, my response was "passion." It is still the same. I have spent almost 20 years doing research through my art practice and working in academia. I don't see my role in academia or the one as an artist as a separate activity. I consider myself a complete artist, researcher, and educator. Those roles form an integral part of my creative process; on the contrary, they provide me with a solid knowledge of the different theoretical subjects, professional skills, and hands-on experience that are incredibly beneficial for our students. Of course, to make it work, you need to be extremely organized, prioritize, and make (a lot of) concessions. It requires time and energy, but there's always a way to accomplish what we want to do. As the proverb says, "where there's a will, there's a way."

Can you suggest any exciting book for students that are willing to approach an academic program in visual arts? And why?

There are a few books that I would recommend. 'The Open Work' by Umberto Eco that talks about the openness and the artist's decision to leave arrangements of some constituents of a work to the public or to chance. 'Techniques of the Observer' by Jonathan Crary provides a new perspective on visual culture, and explores vision as the "noblest sense." It is a good starting point to learn how to look at things from a different perspective. 'A Restless Art, How participation won, and why it matters' by François Matarasso, it considers both the nature of change – how art affects us – and the ethical implications that follow. It highlights hope in uncertainty, and affirms, as I try to do with my Ph.D. research, that participatory art, is a powerful, emancipatory and democratic resource with which we can respond to change and imagine better futures. To conclude, one about the infinite creative potential of healthy human beings, 'Creativity and Madness: New Findings and Old Stereotypes' by Albert Rothenberg. Creativity is one of the essential characteristics of being human!

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LINKS
Klaus Fruchtnis (personal website)
Paris College of Art
Blurring the Lines
Interview from Urbanautica's archive, 2017

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more on Klaus Fruchtnis GO TO KLAUS FRUCHTNIS'S PAGE

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KLAUS FRUCHTNIS. EDUCATION, PHOTOGRAPHY AND IMAGE-MAKING

review
PCA COVERS FASHION FILM AND PHOTOGRAPHY