Design for Virtual Theater and Games Diplomas

1st years

Thursday was one of those great evenings. For those that don't know I teach at the College of Arts of Utrecht. I teach at the Design for Virtual Theater and Games faculty. Last Thursday we gave out graduation diplomas.

This year we gave out the most 1st year diplomas that we can remember. We're not getting easier in giving them out, it just shows that the curriculum after so many years is really starting to work. If it was crap work, we wouldn't pass them. But it's not. The level is getting higher every year and the students are following with the expectations.

It gives you a special feeling to see so many students standing in the line. But then it gets even better. We give out the graduation diplomas. This is always a very proud moment for myself. Up until a few years ago I only taught 1st and second year students at the HKU. Now I am a mentor for 4th year students. Seeing THEM receive diplomas is the best feeling you can get. The other night I was watching a boxing coach saying how he was more nervous seeing his pupils go into the ring than when he was boxing for his country in the Olympics. There is a lot of truth to that. Let me tell you why I am so proud about them.

Rene

First there is Rene. Rene's mind runs at 200 mph. Incredible ideas and his mouth moves just as fast. Sometimes it's hard for me to keep up with him and his thoughts. He really improved this last year and shined. Even though he is not very technical, he made an incredible installation. Imagine walking into a room and you see a video wall. As you walk closer to the wall, you start to see your silhouette. However, you don't see yourself in your silhouette, but someone else in another location somewhere else in the world. If you get to close to see the person, the connection is broken forever and you see someone else at another location. It was really cool to try and hold onto this moment with some other person in some other location across the world. For that brief moment you saw someone else in your body, and they saw you in theirs somewhere. Now to me that is digital Art at it's best.

Fabian

Then there is Fabian. Fabian and I both had losses in our family around the same time. However Fabian's losses and troubles with family members were more than I had. It was a really rough time for him, however he finished the group project he was doing with flying colors, and then he took time to take off a while from his study to help out his family. Then to see him come back, and create a project wherein, for the first time I have ever seen, is able to create a tension through pre-recorded and live footage combined with an actor on the stage, and his choice of sound scape and music to enhance the tension, WOW. All I can say is that he will become the David Lynch of theater. Extremely cool.

Claudia

Then there is Claudia. Claudia does not say much at all. She is one of those students you are always scared of as a teacher. Sitting in the class not saying much, but you know that they ARE working their butts off. In a group project you can rarely tell what they do, but you know if they were not there, no one would be performing. So the quiet Claudia decided to take a very personal subject, adoption, and create a theatrical piece around it, all on her own. Not only did she write the script, film interviews, edit footage, produce a play, ok she didn't act herself, but did practically everything herself, was eventually her downfall. The first round she didn't pass with her piece. But that didn't stop her. She went back to the drawing board, and over the summer came back with a great piece. In somewhere in the last year she has started to find her voice. A voice that I hope to hear and see a lot more of in the future. Espically with how she works with another student Pim. The relationship Pim and Claudia reminds me a lot of Gabe B and myself.

wesley

Then there is Wesley. Wesley was always difficult to track down as a teacher, as in he was always off doing his own thing. However Wesley has developed his own genre of Art. Messages in food. I'm not talking about Chinese fortune cookies here. No, no, no. Wesley has made a couple of projects. One with chocolate and bon bons the other with hamburgers. Both projects have a installation where a couple sit in front of. They are handed a mic, and speak in a message. Depending on the waves in the voice various blow torches, spices, creams etc. activate to produce a unique taste to the chocolates or burgers, that is unique to the message being said. I have a video which I will post at a later date about how this works. But it is wonderful to see this installation come to life in front of you, and then give that food product to a loved one with the message.It REALLY works awesome. Keep an eye on Wesley, as I believe his installations will me making the festival scene.

So that is some of the work being done with my students. Later I'll start talking about the projects that are going on this year and a look at some past works.