Contemporary Art Theory MA

Established in 2001, the Masters of Contemporary Art Theory (MA CAT) is a post-studio programme that supports the research and practices of artists and aspiring art professionals.<br/><br/>The MA CAT encourages practices that are speculative and reflective, developing artistic research on, and in, a range of media, sites and organisations.<br/><br/>The programme supports an applied knowledge of art now, grounding schooling in the practices of art and contemporary art theory as well as extra-disciplinary and intermedial approaches.<br/><br/>The taught curriculum consists of an innovative series of learning sprints designed to support the development of your artistic research and practice through:<br/><br/><br/>- workshops<br/><br/><br/>- practical partnerships with art organisations<br/><br/><br/>- carefully scaffolded approaches to collaborative inquiry (‘problem-based learning’)<br/><br/><br/>- peer-production (‘paragogy’) <br/><br/><br/>You will create art projects designed to engage and develop emerging hypereconomies of contemporary art and its variety of media, technologies, images, artefacts, tactics, texts, cultural contexts and professional practices.<br/><br/><strong>Our philosophy and values</strong> <br/>A defining aspect of our theory programme is the emphasis we place upon speculative scepticism – not starting from the position of knowing what post-studio practice is but being motivated by speculation on what it might be. <br/><br/>We generate a dynamic, intellectually ambitious environment in which staff and students can learn together. We attract students with very different backgrounds and experiences. This difference generates diversity and a richness that is key to learning about, and expanding, the field of contemporary art.<br/><br/>The focus on building a supportive creative community through innovative forms of peer-generated knowledge, the rigorous and experimental combination of theory and practice and the international profile of the student body makes our master’s programme unique. <br/><br/>Our academic staff provide specialist support for students wishing to pursue research on and in established fields of contemporary art practices and theory, while fully engaging with the ever-changing context of emerging media and innovative forms of critical and organisational praxis.