Groundcourse

In 1961 Roy Ascott established his first “Groundcourse” at Eailing Art School. An experiment in radical pedagogy, Groundcourse methodically applied cybernetic theories concerning systemic relations, communication, interactivity, participation and feedback to an everyday art school environment.

The curriculum at Ealing – as well as at Ipswich Art School where he later repeated the Groundcourse – was structured around consciousness stretching challenges. Games, tests and exercises were designed to disrupt the creative preconceptions, to crumble calcified notions of what art is and more importantly, what it can do…

Groundcourse at SPACE is an opportunity to visit The Syncretic Sense, our newly opened Roy Ascott retrospect, while also participating in a number of Groundcourse exercises devised by Ascott for first year students.

Proceedings will commence at 1pm with a screening of “Art Creates Change, Ontario College of Art” – a short film detailing Ascott’s controversial tenure at OCA. Following this we will begin the exercises, before concluding with a talk about Groundcourse by designer, researcher and educator, Elif Ayiter.

Complimentary coffee and pastries will be served before the screening.