25 years of masters and students at the MOME Doctoral School

Date: 2023.05.03
MOME’s intellectual hub, the Doctoral School, where iconic figures of Hungarian visual and object culture and architecture have earned their doctoral degrees, has turned 25. The anniversary will be celebrated with a comprehensive exhibition, innovative installation, and professional conference, held on the university campus and presenting in a personal fashion the story of how the school came to be.

An innovative installation based on a contemporary architectural vision will be on display for a little over two weeks from 11 May on the MOME Campus, offering the possibility to search doctoral theses and the related masterworks in an interactive “digital book case” or listen to anecdotes about legendary masters and their students. 

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the MOME Doctoral School desires to increase the visibility of not just the university, but also its active professional community. Several generations of artist have contributed to making the Doctoral School what it is today: a diverse knowledge base that pays homage to the old and stays open to the new. The active efforts of rectors of the past 25 years, such as Imre Schrammel, Judit Droppa, Gábor Kopek and József Fülöp, pushed the institution to the forefront of the field. 
As an architecture professional, curator of the exhibition and member of the board of trustees of the Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre Dániel Kovács has previously followed closely several processes with a relevance for the university. Describing the concept of the exhibition, he explained that the installation to be placed in MOME Ground on an imaginary line connecting the old and new location of the Doctoral School was created according to sustainability criteria in collaboration with XORXOR, as a celebration of the community and its accomplishments.  “Rather than a dull, chronological overview, an interactive, immersive exhibition with a digital installation was designed that engages citizens of the university and visitors alike”, he underlined. 

The event series reflects the unique character, holistic approach, and inclusive atmosphere of the Doctoral School, which has been around since 1998, and where the freedom of thinking and interdisciplinary work have created a productive research environment. Representing the highest level of scientific and art education founded upon MOME’s Master’s programmes, it is available in three design and art, as well as one scientific fields with an approach based on interdisciplinary collaborations. When the Doctoral School was launched, doctoral students studied under masters such as Ernő Rubik, József Scherer, Gyula Ernyey, István Janáky, Péter Reimholz, Vladimir Péter, István Ferencz, Gábor Turányi, László Zsótér and Károly Simon. 

Led by textile artist Hedvig Harmati DLA and regularly hosting prestigious Hungarian and international guest speakers, the Doctoral School is open to students from a wide variety of fields. From the over 500 students it received within the past 25 years, 140 have earned a DLA or PhD, contributing fresh experience, innovations and scientific achievements to enrich the national and international scene.  

According to deputy rector Dániel Barcza, who also graduated from here, the Doctoral School is unique in Europe and the world in being an unconstrained intellectual hub fostering dialogue rather than a closed and tightly run community focused on metrics.  

The related three-day From the Spoon to the City. Designing Everyday Experience international conference will provide insight into the scientific activity of the Doctoral School and also include pioneer of everyday aesthetics, author of the classic Everyday Aesthetics and retired professor of Rhode Island School of Design, USA, Yuriko Saito as a featured speaker.  
In addition to a number of other notable international names, it will feature two other keynote speakers: author of several books, including the upcoming Introduction to Design Theory Michalle Gal from Israel, and professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex Ben Highmore, who published his latest book Lifestyle revolution: How taste changed class in late twentieth century Britain this year. 

Co-organized in partnership with multiple European universities, the conference explores the ordinariness and the complexity of design in the triple context of objects and tools, spaces and environments, and habits and practices. The reinterpretation of applied arts as design has broadened the dimensions of the field, linking the core values of MOME's ethos with contemporary design and theoretical considerations.  

The conference will take place in partnership with Everyday Aesthetics Network and with support from the Cumulus Association. D25 "Varietas" is supported by the Moholy-Nagy University of Arts Foundation.

We offer two guided tours to visitors:

 On May 18th at 4 pm, the exhibition will be presented by Hedvig Harmati, the head of the MOME Doctoral School, and curator Kovács Dániel.

Register here: https://www.addevent.com/event/vp17082204

On May 23rd at 4 pm, the exhibition will be presented by curator Dániel Kovács and exhibition designer Gáspár Hajdu/XORXOR.

Register here: https://www.addevent.com/event/Yw17082212

Exhibition: 
https://fb.me/e/RcmcwT1R 
 


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Registration and tickets: 
https://dee.mome.hu/index.php?p=get-tickets 
Event schedule: 
https://dee.mome.hu/ 

Conference: 
https://fb.me/e/2NoNtRopf 

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