Iris Schutten teaches interdisciplinary teams of 3d and 4th year students New Earth at Willem de Kooning Academy, University of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam. She was involved in the radical curriculum innovation at the same institute and developed the Spatial Design Major as well as the Minors Sustainability and New Earth there. From 2014 to 2018 she was program leader of the Social Practices, an the interdiciplinary graduation profile focusing on Cultural Diversity, Gamification (now Powerplay), Open Design and Sustainability (now New Earth), at the same institute. As such, she organised several workshops at What Design Can Do conferences in Amsterdam and collaborated with MOME Ecolab in Budapest and MICA Center for Social Design in Baltimore.
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New Earth Projects, Educator 3d & 4th year interdisciplinary projects at Willem de Kooning Academy, University for applied Sciences Rotterdam, 2018 – now
In these projects we focus on living in the wake of climate change as we transition to a new earth. How will we live amongst the capitalist ruins? What are the arts for living on a traumatized planet? How should we change our attitude towards nature? Are there better ways to co-habitate it with other non-human entities?
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New Earth Curriculum Development of interdisciplinary minor for Willem de Kooning Academy, University for Applied Sciences Rotterdam, 2018
What will Earth look like in the long run? Are we heading for apocalypse or steering towards a new earth? New Earth questions sustainability paradigms like the circular economy, researches equitable development in the wake of climate change and doesn’t hesitate to reformulate related power structures on a local and transnational level.
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Social Practices Program, Coordinator Interdisciplinary Graduation Profile around Cultural Diversity, Gamification (later Powerplay), Open Design and Sustainability (later New Earth), Willem de Kooning Academy, University for Applied Sciences Rotterdam 2013-2018
Social Practices focus on art and design that aim to impact complex societal issues by (re-) designing processes and relationships. The social artist/designer is not only concerned with the aesthetics, functionality or conceptual meaning of their work, but also aims to redesign the mechanisms around it. Can art/design tweak the existing system?
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Sustainability Curriculum Development of new minor at Willem de Kooning Academy, University for Applied Sciences Rotterdam, 2012 (in collaboration with Daniel White)
Sustainability questions social and environmental systems. It focuses on the circular economy and researches how art or design can put sustainable processes of design, development and production in motion. A student driven curriculum focusing on project-education, interdisciplinarity and the connection between theory and practice.
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Spatial Design Curriculum Developement first 3 semesters of major Spatial Design at Willem de Kooning Academy, University for Applied Sciences (in cooperation with Freek Speksnijder) , Rotterdam, 2012
From the small to the big scale, from the individual and personal to the public and political. What can spatial design be about? A new curriculum facilitating project-education and interdisciplinarity.
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Spatial Design Projects, Educator of several projects, Willem de Kooning Academy University for Applied Sciences Rotterdam, 2003 – 2012
Mostly third years projects, designing non-conventional spaces. Themes like vacancy and cultural transitions were addressed by design for interventions, installations and re-use.
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Spatial Design Projects, Educator of several projects, faculty of architecture, Technical Univesity Delft, 1999 – 2002
Studio Iris Schutten 