KUN2400 – Topics in Avant-garde and Contemporary Art
Course description
Course content
KUN2400 is a course where the topic of teaching will alternate.
Topic for the Spring semester 2025 is: Philippe Parreno’s Media Temporalities.
The course gives critical introduction to Philippe Parreno’s expansive artistic practices from the early 1990’s to today. Parreno is one of the most influential contemporary artists and his works may be seen as dynamic ?choreographies? where music, light, film, images and performative elements enter into ever new constellations. The course provides an in-depth study of this artistic practice and the relevant art historical and theoretical context.
We will in particular focus on the charateristic and original forms of media thinking that underpins these artworks. Rather than focusing on the properties of specific media or theories on multimediality, we will study how new ideas about social and biological life emerge in an artistic context where there is a sustained focus on the ways in which new media technologies store, manipulate and produce time.
Parreno’s work are particularly oriented around questions about formats, programs and platforms, rather than media messages. His work comprise everything from architecture and design to social situations, natural environments and virtual life forms.?
Learning outcome
After completion of the course in the Spring of 2025 ?you will:
- Have an overview over the most important works, topics, texts and theoretical concepts related to Philippe Parreno’s practice and related art forms
- Get an overview of key aspects of the relationship between contemporary art and new time technologies
- Be able to perform in-depth analysis of single works related to the topic of this course
- Have competence in presenting and discussing ideas from the course both in oral and written form.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Recommended previous knowledge
It is recommended that you have passed 40 studiepoeng (equal to ECTS) in Art History, Aestethics and/or Visual studies before taking this course. Examples of recommended prior knowledge are:
KUN1000 – Introduksjon til kunsthistorie (only in Norwegian) KUN1002 – Billedkunst og arkitektur fra barokk til samtid (only in Norwegian) KUN2001 – Kunsthistorisk teori og metode (only in Norwegian)
It is also recommended that you have good reading skills in English.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with KUN4400 – Topics in Avant-garde and Contemporary Art.
Teaching
The teaching consists of approximately 27 hours of lectures and seminars.
Teaching is divided into three-hour long sessions: Two hours of lecture followed by a one hour seminar /group discussion with student presentations. Following the seminars is compulsory.
In order to qualify to the final exam, you must complete these compulsory activities:
- Compulsory attendancet for at least 7 out of 9 classes.
- Oral presentation
How to apply for a valid absence from compulsory activity/compulsory attendance.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
You do not qualify for the final examination unless this compulsory requirement is fulfilled. Read more about guidelines for compulsory activities.
The compulsory activities are only valid one semester.
Examination
The examination at KUN2400 is a three day digital home exam.
The length of the assignment should be 6-7 standard pages (2300 characters without spacing, illustrations, notes and reference).
You will take the home exam in Inspera. You must familiarize yourself with the login and submission procedures in timely manner before the exam. Read more about Inspera below.
Also, see semester page for more information.
Language of examination
You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.