Collaborative workshop between UT Semiotics and EKA Graphic design
The aim of the workshop is to put the theoretical knowledge of semiotics into practice and collaborate in an interdisciplinary manner with graphic designers from Estonian Academy of Arts.
BA and MA students from the department of Semiotics are welcome to join.
Objective of the workshop
For years the subject of graphic design has not only been concerned with producing visuals, but puts heavy emphasis on analysis, research and theoretical development of various problems presented to designers. Semiotics as the study of meaning, which is dedicated to the investigation of constructing and deconstructing messages can offer valuable insight how meaning interpreted and meaningful interactions take place. Therefore this collaborative workshop between semioticians and graphic designers is full of potential and hopefully will lead to many contacts and collaborations in the years to come.
Practical info
The week-long workshop consists of lectures and presentations, smaller exercises, field-work, workshops and group work. Each group will work with a predefined brief on topics ranging from sustainability, identity, culture and art, given by the team of Tartu2024. As groups they will develop ideas, proposals and solutions for given problems and present them at the end of the week to a jury consisting of TU and EKA teachers, Tartu2024 representatives and guest critics from local design studios. Each group will receive thorough feedback and valuable proposals will be implemented by Tartu2024 within the coming year.
Beside hands on practical experience, the course will give 3 ECTS.
Schedule
The workshop takes place at the department of Semiotics, January 29 – February 2, 2024. The daily schedule is 9.30pm – 6pm Monday to Thursday, Friday being a shorter day. Exact schedule will be updated soon!
Registration
Registration is now opened in ÕIS II: Workshop of Semiotics Analysis, please note that places are limited to 12 students!
Tutors
Eleni Alexandri is a Ph.D. student at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Her research interest covers the field of Eastern Asian forms of art and entertainment, as well as Eastern Asian Mythology. Currently, her work is concentrated on Korean popular music (K-Pop) and Korean music videos, communication with an international audience, global perception, marketing tactics, and their impact on popular culture. Furthermore, she is a member of Hortus Semioticus editorial team, the University of Tartu’s students’ academic journal.
Evripides Zantides, professor of graphic and visual communication, CUT
Evripides Zantides is Dean of the School of Fine and Applied Arts and Professor in Graphic and Visual Communication at the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts of Cyprus University of Technology. He teaches Typography I & II, Introduction to Semiotics and Visual Communication and supervises PhD candidates in the aforementioned areas. He has published and presented papers at a number of journals and international conferences and has participated in refereed Art and Graphic Design exhibitions with practice work. He is the country delegate of Cyprus for the International Association for Semiotic Studies and the Association Typographique Internationale, member of Hellenic Semiotic Society and Cyprus Association of Graphic Designers and Illustrators as well as founder of the Semiotics and Visual Communication Research Lab.
Katre Pärn, lecturer of film, multimediality and art semiotics
Katre Pärn teaches semiotic analysis of art, multi- and intermediality in Univerity of Tartu, Department of Semiotics. Her research fields are general and cultural semiotics, for example, semiotic affordances and multi-/inter-/transmedial relations between languages of culture, models and semiotics of the future.
Ott Kagovere, professor of graphic design, EKA
Ott Kagovere teaches typography and design theory in the Estonian Academy of Arts. Since 2022 he is the head of graphic design and the head of the BA curriculum. Ott also has an individual graphic design practice, working mainly in the field of culture, designing books, exhibitions and identities.
Organizers
The workshop is organized in collaboration with the department of Graphic Design, Estonian Academy of Arts, European Capital of Culture: Tartu 2024 and department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts of the Cyprus University of Technology.