de en

Workshop for Creatives

With Stefan Prins

Intensive one-week workshop with selection process

Tutor: Stefan Prins
When: 12 – 18 August 2023 (10.00–13.00) + 19 August 2023 (presentation)
Who: composers, performers, sound artists, …
Maximum number of participants: 10. We aim at making the group as diverse as possible, in as many ways as possible.
How to apply: Please see below. When applying you can, but you don’t necessarily have to be enrolled for the Darmstadt Summer Course before.
Application deadline: ⏰ 28 February 2023 (Notification of chosen participants: 15 March 2023)
Tech requirements (to be brought by the participants): there will be a working space for this workshop, with basic electronic equipment (speakers, a videprojector, some microphones and recording gear etc); however, it’s important that you are self-sufficient and can work autonomously on your compositions using your own devices (IMD cannot provide headphones, laptops, soundcards etc…). If in doubt or for specific requests, please be in touch with us as soon as possible.
Costs: Participation Fee for the Darmstadt Summer Course, lodging and meals

DESCRIPTION

The workshop is framed in the context of one of this year’s main themes “How we work”. Participants come prepared with a short (2–4 mins) electronic/audio-visual composition and a documentation of their working process. This composition will be passed on to another composer in the workshop, to be developed further (in whatever way) by the next day, while also documenting the working process. This process is repeated four times by four different creatives, on four consecutive days, for each of the compositions. Each workshop day will start with jointly experiencing/listening/watching and discussing the new “generation” of these compositions, after which the author will give an insight into the used working process.
In the last two days of the workshop the participants will collectively conceptualize, develop and organize an event in which all these works are presented to an audience.

AIMS

The workshop has several aims, amongst others:

  • exposing and talking about how we develop and create our artistic work, also paying attention to what is normally not talked about: How do you collect ideas? How do you organize your thoughts? Which DAW do you use and why? Which video editor? Which recorder did you use? Where do you look for samples online? Do you make notes or graphics before starting? Do you work in the afternoon or morning? Is your phone on while working? Do you ask friends for feedback? Etc.
  • taking up collective creative responsibility, working in and as a group
  • peer-learning
  • thinking about curating an event and practically organizing it

FOR WHOM?

All musical creatives: performer, creative performer, composer, performing composer, sound artist, … who are eager to work in a collaborative context and share their experiences and working methods.

REQUIREMENTS

  • At least a basic knowledge of either Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), sound and/or image processing software (like MAX, Jitter, Ableton, Processing, Isadora, Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, …), sound processing hardware (FX pedals, synthesizers, …) etc. to be able to create artistic results
  • Being present at all of the daily workshops (no exceptions allowed)
  • You are self-sufficient technologically to develop these compositions during the summer course (a room in which you can work as well as some basic equipment [to be shared] will be provided).

COURSE OF THE WORKSHOP

The workshop takes place from 10.00–13.00 from 12 August until (and including) 18 August 2023, with the presentation on 19 August 2023 (exact time and location tbd).

1. PREPARATION:
each selected creative will come with the composition (s)he/they have sent in for the application, as well as the documentation of their working process

2. INTRODUCTION (12.8.): we jointly listen to all pieces and each creative gives a 10 minute talk about HOW they worked on this composition, as described in their documentation; discussion & brainstorming.

3. DEVELOPMENT (13.–16.8.): each of the creatives gets someone else’s composition and has to develop it further (whatever that means) for the next day (the result needs to be a digital file: audio and/or video). This new work is then passed on to the next composer on the next day etc. We do this for 4 iterations, so on the 5th day everyone has worked on 4 different pieces, and each piece has become a collaborative piece developed by 4 creatives. Every day we listen to and discuss the result of all pieces, and the creatives explain how they worked on their iteration.

5. ASSEMBLAGE (17.–18.8.): on day 6 and 7 we work together to conceptualize, develop and create one event/performance/showing/presentation using all the material that was developed in the previous days. It is possible to perform with the works (whatever performing might mean), to present them inside/outside, or to develop alternative ways of presenting…

6. PRESENTATION (19.8.): location and time tbd

HOW TO APPLY?

  • Send in a 2-4 minute electronic / audio-visual composition.
  • Add a 1-2 (max) page documentation of your working process developing this composition. In this documentation you mention the tools you use, where you collect your material, how you develop a structure, but you also supply subjective information, like for example: when do you compose? How many hours a day do you compose? How does your studio setup look like? Which software do you use? With which control surfaces do you work? Etc.
  • Add a 1-page biography.

Practically: place all the above-mentioned files in a folder containing your name, and send a download link (WITHOUT EXPIRATION DATE) before ⏰ 28 February 2023 to:
creatives@darmstaedter-ferienkurse.de

Decisions will be made until mid of March. If accepted for the workshop, you will need to enroll as a participant of the Darmstadt Summer Course, either for composition or as Wildcard participant.

Important: Please take note of our data protection policy and the conditions for participation for the Darmstadt Summer Course before submitting your application.

If you have questions, please e-mail imd@darmstadt.de!