Zurich PhD Group (2011-2024)

Facts & Figures, News

Facts & Figures

News 2023

  • Laura von Niederhäusern received the “Award of Excellence 2023– Staatspreis für beste Dissertationen” des Österreichischen Bundesministeriums für Bildung, Wissenschaft und  Forschungfpr her PhD Face No Dial of a Clock. Investigating asynchronic experiences of present times by means of art. (Dec 8, 2023)
  • The defensio of Laura von Niederhäusern’s PhD Face No Dial of a Clock. Investigating asynchronic experiences of present times by means of art has taken place March 9, 2023 at Kunstuniversität Linz.
    The PhD was passed “With Graduation”. (March 9, 2023)

Main news from

2022

  • Due to the the fact that the programme has run out in 2022, there will be no PhD group meetings anymore, only supervision meetings. (Jan – Dec 2022)

2021

  • The programme of the next PhD colloquium in Linz (May 6 +7, 2021) is  available online line. It will dedicate half a day to the Zurich PhD group. (April 15, 2021)
  • The (last) retreat of the PhD Group will take place in the Kurhaus Bergün, August 22-28, 2021. (March 28, 2001)
  • Due to the Corona pandemic the 9th Bucharest Biennial: Farewell to research had to be postponed for the third time. A realisation in October 2021 is under discussion. (March 26, 20021)
  • The PhD Group session 2021/#1 will take place digitally, due to the Corona pandemic, March 25+26, 2021.
    The main events will be: Kai Ziegner, PhD (alumnus), will present and discuss his submitted PhD artefact, with a focus on, which are the different layers of the PhD, how are they organised and related and why does the artefact comes as an (experimental) book? Prof. Giaco Schiesser will talk about three underestimated, but crucial elements of a final PhD artefact: Introduction – Closing Remarks – Abstract. (Feb 28, 2021)
  • Kai Ziegners PhD Eine Geschichte der Gewalt. Photographieren und Schreiben als Erfahrung, Experiment und Erkenntis will be checked for  publication by Chr. Links Verlag and by Aufbau Verlag / Berlin. (Feb. 12, 2021)
  • The disputatio of Kai Ziegners PhD Eine Geschichte der Gewalt. Photographieren und Schreiben als Erfahrung, Experiment und Erkenntnis (A History of Violence. Photography and Writing as an Experience, Experiment and Insight) took place online due  to the Corona pandemic,  Jan 28, 2021. His PhD was graded “With Distinction”. (Jan 29, 2021)

2020

  • For a list of peer-reviewed research activities by & invitations of the PhD candidates in 2020 see Peer-reviewd activities & invitations. (Jan-Dec, 2020)
  • Prof. Giaco Schiesser’s publication What is at Stake: qu’est-ce que l’enjeu? Paradoxes:Problematics:Perspectives in Artistic Research Today, published in 2015, was indexed in the curated Web of Science Core Collection. (Dec 30, 2020)
  • On the occasion of the 10th anniversary  of the PhD cooperation Kunstuniversität Linz – ZHdK in Fine Arts (2011-2020), the next PhD colloquium in Linz (May 6 +7, 2021) will dedicate half a day to the Zurich PhD group: There will be four presentations of current PhD candidates and a presentation of the programme – its concept, its research culture, its practices, experiences, cognitions and its arte-facts. (Dec 17, 2020)
  • Prof. Giaco Schiesser,  founder in 2011 and since then head of the Zurich PhD group “Artistic Research in Fine Arts” at ZhDK will become retired per end of the year. As Prof. em. he will continue to supervise the members of the group as their first supervisor, till the completion of their PhD. (Dec 5, 2020)
  • The 9th Bucharest Biennale: Farewell to Research, postponed  from 2020 to 2021 (due to the Corona pandemic), definitely will take place May 6 to 13, 2021, in a slightly revised form. All of the selected eight innovative PhD programmes in Europe and all the selected  PhD candidates will take part. (Dec 4, 2020; for detaild information see, news from Oct 16, 2020)
  • As is the case every year, the last session of the year of the PhD group mainly was dedicated to the evaluation of the acitivities of the PhD group in the current year and to the planning of the coming year. The focus of the three meetings in 2021 and of the retreat week will be on  detailed group feedback to all projects and on possible final PhD artefact’s (‘PhD thesis’) formats. (Nov 20, 2021)
  • The defensio of Kai Ziegner’s PhD Eine Geschichte der Gewalt. Photographieren und Schreiben als Erfahrung, Experiment und Erkenntnis (A History of Violence. Photography and Writing as an Experience, Experiment and Insight) will take place Jan 28, 2021, face-to-face in Linz or virtually, depending on the Corona pandemic situation. (Nov 14, 2020)
  •  Due to the corona virus pandemic, session #3/2020 of the PhD group with guest Sarah Burger, PhD (ZHdK/Kunstuniversität Linz) will take place digitally. (Nov 3, 2020)
  • Kai Ziegner submitted his PhD Eine Geschichte der Gewalt. Photographieren und Schreiben als Erfahrung, Experiment und Erkenntnis (A History of Violence. Photography and Writing as an Experience, Experiment and Insight). (Oct 23, 2020)
  • The 9th Bucharest Biennale: Farewell to Research that had to be postponed from 2020 due to the Corona pandemic is planned to take place in May 2021.
    The Biennale’s core is the exhibition-in-process, where twenty selected researchers from ten European doctoral programs will participate (University of Bergen, Bucharest National University of the Arts, Hungarian University of Fine Arts, TU Dublin, PXL Hasselt, Uniarts Helsinki, Slade School of Fine Art London, Academy of Fine Arts Prague, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Zurich University of the Arts). As planned for 2020 MelanieMohren/Bernhard Herbordt, Laura von Niederhäusern and Kai Ziegner will take part, as well as Prof. Giaco Schiesser (moderator, supervisor). (Oct 16, 2020)
  • The book launch of Marina Belobravja’s PhD (completed in 2018) Das ungute Gefühl, auf der richtigen Seite zu stehen. Engagierte Kunst aus der Schweiz, published by Diaphanes publishing house (Berlin/Zurich), will take place in Stall 6, Theater Gessnerallee, Zurich/Switzerland, Oct 16, 2020. (Oct 10, 2020)
  • The peer-reviewed contributions related to the Bucharest Biennale 2020 (postponed to 2021)  by Melanie Mohren/Berhard Herbordt, by Laura von Niederhäusern and by Kai Ziegner will be published in October and November 2020 in maHKUscript. Journal of Fine Art Research, #4 (After the Research Turn)/2020, curated and edited by Henk Slager. (Oct 10, 2020)
  • The successful defensio of Petra Köhle’s and Nicolas Vermot’s collaborative PhD transkribieren, sprechen, wiederholen. Transformation als künstlerische Praxis took place at Kunstuniversität Linz, October 9, 2020. The first completed colloborative PhD at Kunstuniversität Linz ever was graded “with distinction”.
    This also means that three of the four PhDs successfully  defended so far, respectively four of the five PhD candidates of the programme, were graded “with distinction”. (Oct 9, 2020)
  • The duration of The Erasmus+ project Advancing Supervision for Artistic Doctorates (with ZHdK as one of the partner institutions; Prof. Giaco Schiesser is a co-applicant, and a member of the project team) – running from Sept 2018 to August 2021 –  has been expanded by the EU to December 2021, due to the Corona pandemic. (Oct 1, 2020)
  • Petra Köhle’s and Nicolas Vermot‘s research project Mémoire institutionelle: esthéthique politiques du don au Palais des Nations is funded by Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO) and will run for two years (2020-2022). (Sep 1, 2020)
  • As usual the PhD group in its last meeting of the  year (2019) discussed and organized the three 3-days session and the retreat week of the coming year. The guests of the three sessions in 2020 will be:
    Meeting #3/2020: Sarah Burger, PhD (PhD from ZHdK/Kunstuinversität Linz, Austria). Update: Due to the Corona pandemic the meeting was organized as a digital meeting.
    Meeting #2/2020:  – . Update: The planned face-to-face meeting was cancelled due to the Corona pandemic and replaced by a shortened online meeting.
    Meeting#1/2020:  Dr. Marie Louise Crawley, Assistant Professor; (Doctorate in Dance Studies from Coventry University, UK).
    The retreat week will take place in August 2020 in the Kurhaus Bergün/Switzerland. (Jan 10, revised March 30, 2020)

2019

  • Prof. Giaco Schiesser was honoured with the award “„Top 100 Leaders in Education“.  The purpose of the award  (2019 is its first-time edition), awarded by the “Global Forum for Education & Learning” (GFEL) is: «to honor the relentless efforts and zeal of individuals, who have played  a prominent role in changing the face of education at the global as well as the local level.” The innovative artistic PhD programm in Zurich and his long-term endeavours for artistic research were crucial reasons for the selection committee to award him with this award. (Dec 16, 2019)
  • The PhD projects of Melanie Mohren/Berhard Herbordt, of Laura von Niederhäusern and of Kai Ziegner have been selected for being presented by themselves and discussed in the conference and during the lab-week of Bucharest Biennale 2020, curated by Prof. Henk Slager (Utrecht/NL). (Nov 30, 2019)
  • The PhD programme was invited–as one of ten innovative artistic research based PhD programmes in Europe–by curator Prof. Henk Slager (Utrecht/NL) to participate in next year’s 9th Bucharest Biennale. The focus of the Biennial will be on: a performative conference (exploring new formats of  presentations of PhDs in progress) and institutional collaboration  (a lab week, organized around cells). (October 16, 2019)
  • The PhD artefact of Marina Belobravja (alumna) Das ungute Gefühl, auf der richtigen Seite zu stehen. Engagierte Kunst aus der Schweiz will be published  by Diaphanes publishing house, Berlin/Zurich. (April 15, 2019)

2018

  • Nicole De Brabandare (alumna) was awarded with the „Award of Excellence 2018 – Staatspreis für beste Dissertationen“ des Österreichischen Bundesministeriums für Bildung, Wissenschaft und  Forschung for her PhD The Matter of Habit. Experimenting with the Affects of Emergent Media, Material and Movement Practices (PhD completed 2017).  (Dec 5, 2018)
  • Sasha Huber was awarded with the Finnish “States Priz for Arts 2018”,  awarded by the governamental Arts Promotion Centre Finland. (Nov 28, 2018)
  • The  successful defensio of Marina Belobravja‘s PhD Das ungute Gefühl, auf der richtigen Seite zu stehen. Engagierte Kunst aus der Schweiz took place in Linz, Oct 12, 2018. Her PhD was graded “with distinction”. (Oct 13, 2018)

2017

  • The  successful defensio of Sarah Burger‘s PhD Zeiten – Orte – Sichtbarkeiten.Materialeigenschaften und Wertverschiebungen took place in Linz, Nov 21, 2017. (Nov 22, 2017)
  • The  successful defensio of Nicole De Brabandare’s PhD The Matter of Habit. Experimenting with the Affects of Emergent Media, Material and Movement Practices took place in Linz, Nov 3, 2017. Her PhD was graded “with distinction”. (Nov 4, 2017)