Overseas Seminars - Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Amsterdam Trans-Idiomatic Arts Practicum
Study in Netherlands with Mark Applebaum
Arrival Date in Amsterdam: August 27, 2012
Departure Date from Amsterdam: September 15, 2012
The work of art is both a noun (the artwork) and a verb (the working of art). The Amsterdam Trans-Idiomatic Arts Practicum invites students to both observe and make art in Amsterdam. During the course students will review four arts events and complete four modest art projects.
The work of art as noun. Students will observe, appreciate, and criticize the local artistic landscape through an examination of its diverse (and often overlooked) cultural offerings. The course will be built around field trips to concerts, museums, and events throughout Amsterdam that will serve as catalysts for critical discussions and formal written reviews, an understanding of the manner in which differing artistic media operate, and a comparison of the expressive parameters in each medium.
We will investigate—according to student interest—current trends in architecture, theater, opera, experimental music, jazz, popular music, painting, sculpture, installation art, photography, film, dance, and cuisine. Students will choose their own events to attend and review—albeit with an imposed diversity of media—thereby encouraging each to discover his or her own Amsterdam. Through collective student observations the class will attempt to circumscribe a Dutch aesthetic and discuss the manner in which Amsterdam is both a unique and globally generic setting.
In addition to self-guided examinations of Dutch culture, the students will enjoy a canal tour of the city, a concert at the legendary Concertgebouw, outings to the Aalsmeer flower auction and Aalkmar cheese market, and a multi-course dining extravaganza of Indonesian rijsttafel.
The work of art as verb. The Amsterdam Trans-Idiomatic Arts Practicum is also a laboratory course in which students create works of art inspired by the local environment. Students will choose to participate in several projects including, but not limited to: sonic scavenger hunts to record Amsterdam’s sound ecology and transform these recordings into electronic music works; solo and group performance art, original dance or movement pieces, and public poetry readings related to and staged throughout the city at idiosyncratic locations; video documentaries that examine life in Holland and prose web “blogs” that artistically treat current Dutch events; temporary public visual art such as chalk art; experiments in photographic voyeurism; bricolage art projects that result in sculpture and two-dimensional visual art constituted by found objects salvaged from the Amsterdam cityscape; and Fluxus art walks and guided tours of esoteric Dutch arcana.
In addition to participating in class discussion and the review of colleagues’ artworks, each student will complete:
• Four “beginner” artworks of modest scale, each varying in medium. Students will self-report their prior experience level—if any—and hold themselves to a basic or high standard accordingly. The first artwork has no restrictions; the second artwork must palpably respond to Amsterdam in content and/or form; the third artwork will be a duo collaboration with another student; the final artwork will be site-specific and presented on location.
• Four short written critiques of local art events or experiences (e.g. concerts, museums, architecture, cuisine). These reviews will be uploaded to a community blog website.
• Three small collaborative class projects: a Fluxus tour of the city (in which fact and fiction intermingle uncomfortably); an orientation scavenger hunt; and a group sound performance piece.
Location
This seminar will be in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is among the world’s great arts cities, a vibrant and diverse center of both traditional and contemporary culture. For centuries artists have moved to Amsterdam to contribute to its vitality and exuberance, its high quality and density of artistic expression, and to enjoy the stylistic tolerance, ethnic diversity, and collision of colonial and post-colonial values that defines its continually evolving and often controversial identity.
It is an ideal place to experience art as both a creator and observer, and to reflect—through the prism of art—on the difference between home and away. Amsterdam’s compact central area—with its beautiful canals and parks, charming buildings, world-class museums, and casual eateries—makes it an easy city to get around and an ideal space for an arts-oriented practicum. And, as a practical matter, English is widely spoken, and Amsterdammers are generally friendly and inviting hosts who are proud of their city.
Living Conditions
In typical Amsterdam fashion, students will live on a house boat. We will have full run of an entire boat converted to a mini-hostel: http://oosterdok.com/schepen/waterland. It is docked in the heart of Amsterdam, near the biggest library and hands-on science museum in the Netherlands. Students will live in a private or in shared cabins. Students should be prepared to sleep in bunk beds and have less privacy and personal space than they may be used to on the home campus. Sinks appear in the cabins, but showers and bathrooms will be shared. While no Internet service is available on the boat, there are buildings throughout the city--including the library nearby--that provides Internet servcie. More information on the living conditions and Internet will be provided at the pre-departure orientation.
Faculty
Mark Applebaum (http://humanexperience.stanford.edu/applebaum) is Associate Professor of Music, recipient of the 2003 Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the founding director of [sic] – the Stanford Improvisation Collective. Since 1990, Prof. Applebaum has built electroacoustic instruments out of junk, hardware, and found objects for use as both compositional and improvisational tools. He received his Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at San Diego where he studied principally with Brian Ferneyhough. His solo, chamber, choral, orchestral, operatic, and electroacoustic work has been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Prof. Applebaum is also active as a jazz pianist and has concertized from Sumatra to the Czech Republic, most recently performing a solo recital in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso sponsored by the American Embassy. At present he performs with his father, Robert Applebaum of Chicago, in the Applebaum Jazz Piano Duo. Of late he is especially interested in absurd works of visual music; for example, his Concerto for Florist and Orchestra, a piece for three conductors and no players, and music in which nonsense sign language gestures are synchronized to sound.
Enrollment Capacity
12 undergraduate students
Prerequisites
Prior experience as an art practitioner is welcome but not required; the projects will be tailored to novice artists and will make abundant use of the skills and interests of the participants. (Note: this is an ideal forum to experience artistic enterprise for the first time or to extend one’s prior skills.) Among other goals, students will have the opportunity to experience the act of creation through multiple art forms, to develop an eye and ear for a foreign city through art production, to develop a collective body of work that chronicles artistic reactions to a city, and to transform Amsterdam itself—however modestly—through the energetic presence of the Stanford artwork. In short, despite our status as “visitors” we will contribute to the city’s cultural vitality.
Passport and Visa
Students are solely responsible for obtaining their passport and visa. Every BOSP participant MUST have a signed passport that is valid for at least 6 months after the scheduled RETURN date from the overseas program. Students who do not have avalid passport must apply for a new or renewed passport immediately using expedited service to ensure that their passport will arrive by early March. For information on obtaining or renewing a U.S. passport see http://travel.state.gov/.
U.S. citizens may travel to the Netherlands for up to 90-days without visa. U.S. citizens have a visa waiver in the Schengen area that allows them to travel in the Schengen countries without a visa for 90 days in a 180-day period. You CANNOT overstay the 90 days, including any travels you intend to have in the Netherlands or other Schengen area prior to or after the seminar. European Union Consulates will not issue a U.S. citizen a visa for tourist purposes beyond 90 days. For the list of Schengen countries visit: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4361.html.
Depending on their nationality, non-U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States are normally required to apply for a visa for the Netherlands, with a typically longer processing time of at least 6-8 weeks. It is essential that non-U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents start the visa application process as soon as they are accepted into the program. Specific visa requirements will be discussed at the pre-departure orientation. For information on the visa requirements for the Netherlands see: http://sanfrancisco.the-netherlands.org/Services/Consular_services/Visa.
Health and Safety
Students on international programs should be aware that attitudes toward medical conditions, disabilities, and psychological conditions vary by culture and under the laws of the host countries. These differences impact the level of treatment and accommodation available abroad. Students should give serious consideration to their health and personal circumstances when accepting a place in a program and should consult with their physicians.
Students must be aware that certain immunizations may be required to protect their health in the Netherlands. Students must review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for complete information on health conditions and vaccinations in the Netherlands at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/netherlands.htm. Students must also consult the on-campus Vaden Health Center Travel Clinic (http://vaden.stanford.edu/travel/). Students are expected to make an appointment with the on-campus Vaden Health Center Travel Clinic as soon as they are accepted to the program at (650) 498-2336 ext. 1 to discuss any health concerns, pre-departure immunizations, and any personal prescriptions before going abroad.
Students will be expected to be up to date on all relevant vaccines. Any illness or health concern should be immediately reported to the faculty.
Within Amsterdam, thieves and pickpockets are very active in and around train and tram stations, in the city center, and aboard public transportation. Always use precautions and never leave your personal items unattended.
Students must review the U.S. State Department’s consular information website for complete information on safe and security in the Netherlands at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_982.html#safety.
While overseas, students are advised to be alert to their surroundings, and be particularly aware of any health and safety advisories for the areas in which they will be visiting. As with any foreign travel, emphasis will be placed on staying away from questionable situations, avoiding injury, and preventing infectious disease. Generally, students will be expected to travel in groups, avoid travel at night, and stay with the group unless prior approval is obtained. Additional issues of personal health and safety and precautions will be discussed in detail during the pre-seminar preparation and upon arriving in country.
Other Considerations
Amsterdam’s richness includes legendary “diversions.” Alongside dedication, seriousness, and rigor, the seminar aspires to playfulness, levity, and entertainment: the work will be intrinsically fun. However, students are urged to exercise common sense, maturity, and prudence; to avoid harmful situations; and to take responsibility for their actions. The successful applicant and participant will remember that our seminar is an academic enterprise first and foremost.