Teaching period: 16-20th February 2026
Location: Funen Art Academy, Odense, Denmark
Teacher(s): Diana Lindbjerg
Co-teacher: Lise Margrethe Jørgensen
ECTS: 6 ECTS
Number of available places for KUNO students: 2
Level: BA /MA
Application deadline: January 5th, 2026
How to apply: Please send an e-mail with a short motivation to mb@detfynskekunstakademi.dk. Also state your home school and level of study. Headline: KUNO Express MATERIAL GESTURES
Course description
This workshop invites participants to cultivate an open and curious approach to working with diverse materials—shifting the focus away from perfection in a single form of expression. It encourages exploration of the dynamic balance between the desire for mastery and the resistance inherent in materials and techniques, fostering a reflective and critical mindset toward artistic creation.
Combining technical and conceptual perspectives, the workshop aims to deepen artistic reflection on material and spatial qualities. Students will be introduced to selected material techniques within the field of three-dimensional practice and learn to experiment within both technical and conceptual boundaries.
We will work with materials such as paper, wood, and concrete, examining their unique properties, requirements, and aesthetic as well as physical potentials.
Throughout the course, students will develop familiarity with materials and tools, building confidence in their practical engagement. Outcomes will vary based on individual skill levels but will include a portfolio of tests, samples, and written reflections.
The overarching goal is to equip students with practical and analytical methods to articulate their artistic practice with clarity and depth.
Readings:
· François-Xavier Vives. (u.å.). The origami code. https://youtu.be/uFyJykl1O0k?si=KV3Ewq5Ewri7rCjf
· Architect Søren Pihlmann: Make Materials Matter (s. 15:04). (u.å.). [Video]. Louisiana channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V799M9GbY_4
· I Pencil: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Reed (Irvington-on-Hudson, N. Y. F. for E. E. (1999). “I, Pencil: My Family Tree” as told to Leonard E. Read, Dec. 1958. Foundation for Economic Education. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/read-i-pencil-my-family-tree-as-told-to-leonard-e-read-dec-1958
· Perec, G. (2008). Species of spaces and other pieces (Rev.ed). Penguin.
· Vi er energiblinde og materialeblinde. Nu må vi lære at elske minerne igen. (2024). Informasjon. https://www.information.dk/moti/2024/03/energiblinde-materialeblinde-maa-laere-elske-minerne-igen
· Conway, E. (2024). Material World : a substantial story of our past and future. Penguin Random House UK.
· John-Steiner, V. (1997). Notebooks of the mind : explorations of thinking (Rev. ed.). Oxford University Press.
· Nonaka, I., Yamaguchi, I., Ishihara, Y., Yamaguchi, Ichirō, & Ishihara, Yuko. (2022). Management by Eidetic Intuition : A Dynamic Management Theory Predicated on the “Philosophy of Empathy” (1st ed. 2022.). Springer Nature Singapore : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapter 10 The SECI model: Knowledge Creation in the Cycle of Subjectivity and Objectivity)
· Polanyi, M. (1983). The tacit dimension. Peter Smith.
Financial support by KUNO:
Travel support between countries: 330 € (except 660 € to/from Iceland)
Subsistence: 250 € per week (5-7 days), 100€ per second week.
General KUNO Eligibility Rules:
- only BA and MA full-degree students from the KUNO network schools can participate;
-exchange students from other institutions, which do not belong to the KUNO network, studying at one of the KUNO network schools, CANNOT participate;
- full-degree students from the KUNO network schools, currently on exchange at another institution, CANNOT participate (neither with nor without the KUNO grant).
In case of any questions please contact: Marlene Bregndahl, mb@detfynskekunstakademi.dk
