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A preface by Janna Beck (co-written with Kristí Fekete)
Digitalization in (and of) art has been an elaborate and storied progress, one that continues to unfold in manifold ways. Since the early experimental work of artists like Nam June Paik, a pioneer in video art and digital technology, has been more than a mere tool for artistic expression; it has shaped new ways of conceptualizing and experiencing art. This evolution highlights the inherent complexity of art, where ideas and execution intertwine, and where digital tools serve not only as mediums but as collaborators.
Artists like Pipilotti Rist, who turns everyday technology into immersive, vibrant experiences, Olafur Eliasson, who mixes technology with natural elements, and our very own alumnus Frederik Heyman, who uses cutting-edge 3D scanning and digital manipulation to construct surreal, thought-provoking visual narratives, show how digitalization expands the artistic practice In their work we see how digitalization allows artists to multiply perceptions and create intricate, multi-sensory works. These examples illustrate that digital arts are not merely about technical proficiency but about leveraging technology to deepen the conceptual fabric of art. Viewers are invited into a multifaceted dialogue between medium, message, and experience.
Integrating technology into the art curriculum is driven by a vision to prepare students to engage critically and creatively with the digital world. This includes not only developing technical skills but also demystifying technology — understanding, deconstructing, and using it intentionally as part of an artist’s toolkit. As technology becomes an ever more pervasive force in our societies, artists have a unique role in questioning, reimagining, and reshaping its impact.“Technology has become a challenge—it is the chance we have given our-selves, as a culture, to reinvent ourselves and display some creativity.” [1]
By understanding digital tools, students gain the freedom to push the boundaries of their practice, explore new forms of storytelling, and address contemporary issues with innovative approaches. Technology in art education is not just about keeping up with trends. It’s about empowering the next generation of artists to contribute meaningfully to cultural and technological discourses. We research and teach these technologies so our students can be pioneers and critical voices in a world where digital and physical realities intertwine.
In the shifting landscape of digital arts education, integrating technology into the curriculum presents unique challenges and nuances. As a tutor specializing in digital tools that … as collaborators in the art-making process, I have embarked on a pedagogical exploration that intentionally deviates from conventional frameworks. Always looking to expand and connect, the DIMY-MYDI project immediately got my attention and naturally propelled me into this venture. This project perfectly exemplified our common educational philosophy: preparing our students to become autonomous artists who can engage and collaborate effectively with experts from other fields.
The project emerged as a concentrated effort to bridge the gap between conventional pedagogy and the complex dimensions of digitalization. Our primary means for this were workshops with an international cohort of students, inspired by discussions among fellow tutors. We sought to create opportunities for sharing insights with a broader audience and contributing to the global evolution of art education.
DIMY-MYDI required students to navigate different languages and collaborate within heterogeneous teams, mirroring the forms of co-creation they will encounter in their professional lives. These experiences teach our students to communicate across boundaries, co-create with a shared vision, and thrive in environments where collaboration drives innovation. Situations like this help them to harness different technological potentials. In the workshops, the students got to co-create confidently and create work that felt both meaningful and impactful. At the heart of our journey lies digital literacy. This process encourages students to see technology as a partner in creation rather than a black box.
I identify the following threads in this learning journey:
• Navigating frameworks: Developing skills to assess the possibilities of given digital technology.
• Conceptualizing: Integrating knowledge of technology into the fabric of artistic concepts, weaving idea and execution seamlessly together.
• Experimentation: Adopting an agile, trial-and-error approach to experimentation, where the goal is to push boundaries, test ideas, and mold technology creatively.
• Co-creation: Placing collaboration at the center, where peer assessment and feedback play vital roles in shaping inclusive and well-rounded outcomes.
These threads culminated in a ‘Digital Toolkit’, developed in collaboration with Gina Poortman and Annelise Cerchedean. Gina and Annelise, two recent alumni from the academy, brought fresh and authentic perspectives informed by their own artistic practices — which include research speculating on the future of (dis)embodied digital reading — as well as their experiences as students and educators.
To shape this toolkit, we collaborated with DIDAE (Digital Didactics in Art Education), a repository of open resources for art education. We were delighted to find a like-minded project in DIDAE, as their mission aligns with ours: to broaden the possibilities for using digital tools in art making.
The outcome is a set of 18 ideas (art assignments guided by our values) and 17 tools (examples of software to complement these assignments), now available in DIDAE’s rich database for free. With these resources, we aim to inspire and equip the next wave of digital arts education, sparking innovation and encouraging a thoughtful integration of technology into artistic practice.
Overview of the Digital Toolkit
The ‘Digital Toolkit’ has been created in relation to the core values of DIMY-MYDI. The focus was the project’s relation to digital technology, education, and a general critical stance. The digital as a material is easily perceived as intangible. Still, it is here to be molded by creativity. To showcase this potential, two types of submissions were collected between the partner institutes. One is ideas — assignments to inspire students, tutors — and anyone wanting to learn. The other are tools: digital software that can be used in art education. The collaborating tutors kindly shared some of their real-world assignments. The toolkit is made of these creative assignments, practical advice, and successful projects.
The ideas include different scenarios, taking the students from their studios to museums to planetariums to virtual spaces. They work with the concept of digital on a wider scale, not secluding it to computer rigid screens. Interaction is encouraged; both with physical environments and varying digital technologies.
Throughout the ideas, different themes get to be explored. Contemporary, urgent topics, such as embodiment, identity politics and noise pollution. While others focus on combining technical proficiency with a conceptual practice to explore modular design through typographic art, a new narrative through dynamic media, a show of live 3D visuals or immersive projections.
Some of the assignments stem from workshops specifically developed and organized by DIMY-MYDI. These include: Mythology: Play in Katowice, Poland; Mythology: Spirituality in Vilnius, Lithuania; Mythology: Identity in Dublin, Ireland; Mythology: Nature in Helsinki, Finland; and Mythology: Body in Antwerp, Belgium.
Accordingly to this, the outcomes proposed are motley. We offer various digital artifacts: motion postcards, kinetic and variable typefaces, face filters, data visualizations, collective live drawings and transfigured dialogue.
The assignments utilize different digital tools. Some of them are custom, developed by our partner educative institutions. FRAMED is a collaborative digital drawing platform, GlyphDrawing.Club a modular design editing tool, NodeBox Live a web application for data visualization and generative design. Others creatively expand on the existing software, such as an audiovisualiser for Touchdesigner, or the variable typeface Metamorphosis that morphs from Cyrillic to Latin and has been created in Glyphs.
In their variety, the toolkit’s components have the same aim: to develop a rich array of digital practices tailored to the needs of art tutors and artists, empowering them to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscapes. The digital platforms we want to foster enhance creativity, collaboration, and critical awareness.
The full list of ideas and tools can be consulted on the DIDAE website.
* Parts of the preface have been written with the use of an an LLM.
List of IDEAS per partner:
Aalto University (Helsinki, Finland)
• https://didae.eu/ideas/glyphdrawing-club-exploring-modular-design/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/generative-design-and-interactive-web-design/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/experiment-technology/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/mythology-nature-workshop/
Dun Laoghaire Institute Of Art Design + Technology (Dublin, Ireland)
• https://didae.eu/ideas/introduction-to-kinetic-typography/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/mythology-and-national-identity-2/
ASP Art Academy (Katowice, Poland)
• https://didae.eu/ideas/mythology-play/
DA Academy of Arts (Vilnius, Lithuania)
• https://didae.eu/ideas/vilnius-city-noisescapes/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/multilingual-typeface/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/virtual-spirituality/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/unveiling-a-new-narrative-through-captivating-artworks/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/dialogue-from-a-famous-movie-2/
Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp, Belgium)
• https://didae.eu/ideas/shape-shifting-embodiment/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/reverse-storylines-meeting-in-the-middle/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/immersive-atmosphere-2/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/collaborative-live-tableau-vivant/
• https://didae.eu/ideas/drawing-on-the-human-body/https://didae.eu/ideas/drawing-by-instructions/
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[1] Braidotti, Rosi, Nomadic Theory: The Portable Rosi Braidotti, Columbia University Press, New York, 2011, page 77.
