MASTER IN CURATORSHIP OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

The Programme

Module 1

History, Theory, and Contemporary Practice

The module will focus on the historical evolution of “curatorship” and exhibition making, with a close attention given to contemporary case studies in the fields of architecture and design. A comparative analysis of exhibition making between art and architecture will form the area of discourse for seminar discussions.

Module 2

Object, Subject, Format

The module will be devoted to the purpose of the exhibition, examining ideas related to the nature of the object, the narrative of the subject, and the experimental potentiality of format. Key areas that will be discussed include: representation and presentation in architecture and design, and the strategies and languages for display and communication within a wide variety of media.

Module 3

Thinking Outside the (Museum) Box

The module will be centred in subjects related to the museum, large international exhibitions and public spaces, and the spatial dynamics and behaviour of the public – including the role of digital platforms and social networks. Part of this module will be framed as a laboratory in which skillsets acquired thus far will be applied in order to analyse and verify the strategies outlined in the exhibitions of La Biennale di Venezia during scheduled group visits.

Internship

Students will have to do a three month-long internship in one of a broad range of possible institutions, organisations, and companies, in Italy or abroad. This placement can be within museums, cultural institutions, with autonomous professionals, online publishing platforms, or with print media. The experience of this internship is not only a moment to complement further independent research and to have hands-on curatorial practice, but is also an opportunity to build real-world relationships and future collaborations with colleagues and professionals involved in the expanded curatorial field.

Thesis

The course culminates in an independent thesis, conceived as an academically rigorous written research for an original exhibition project. The output will be a Catalogue containing an essay explaining the conceptual framework, the elements to be explored, the concept for display within a determined space, and a complete and thorough description of all the topics required to materialize the exhibition project. During all of the modules, class time will be dedicated to the thesis theme with faculty tutors.