Field Studies is a transdisciplinary summer school exploring new approaches to creative practice and collaboration in contemporary art, performance and music. Led by an international group of artists and practitioners, the programme creates a radically open and dynamic environment for artists to meet and work alongside other creatives, experiment with new ideas, and push the boundaries of their practice. Field Studies is organised by experimental choral collective Musarc in collaboration with LUCA School of Arts, Ghent. The programme alternates between open workshops, talks by artists and visiting lecturers, satellite events in the city, and collective practice in smaller studios where students and tutors create new work that is shared on the last day of the programme.
What distinguishes Field Studies is its convivial atmosphere, its radically open pedagogy, and its commitment to doing things with theory. The biographies of the tutors and artists, their respective interests and diverse fields of practice form a starting point. The city, space for shared activities, including eating together, provide infrastructure. The final outcome is unknown at the beginning, and constructed from the individual histories and intentions of students and artists, the ideas and skills they bring, and the material and social interactions that emerge in between.
Field Studies is part of the creative universe and research output of experimental choral ensemble Musarc and its extensive network of artists, composers and singers. Questions around movement, embodiment and technique; the collective voice of the choir and its political and aesthetic dimension; rhythm, repetition and practice; and the idea of knowledge set in motion through performance and a common choreography fundamentally underlie Field Studies as a methodology.
Tutors and Keynote Talks
Tutors
Aliaskar Abarkas UK/IR
David Helbich BE/DE
Edka Jarząb PL
Volkmar Klien AT
Klara Kofen UK/DE
Joseph Kohlmaier UK/AT
Lore Lixenberg UK/AT
Carolyn Roy UK
Michael Schmid BE/DE
Keyontes
Lin Chiwei FR/TW
Imogen Stidworthy UK
Open Curriculum
The programme is open to anyone interested to join. There is no interview, audition or selection process. It invites applications from students and practitioners who want to test collaborative and performative processes in relation to a broad range of individual disciplines, from music and composition to fine art and design, architecture, film, poetry, time-based arts as well as curatorial practices and the field of education.
Fees and Application
The fee for Field Studies 2025 is €500 / £430 per participant. Students at London Metropolitan University, members of Musarc and alumni of previous Field Studies summer programmes are eligible for a reduced fee of €370 / £300. A scholarship programme for students of LUCA School of Arts is available. The fee includes lunch on each full course day, access to studios, necessary materials and public events organised as part of the programme.
The programme starts on Wednesday 10 September 11am and ends at 3pm on Sunday 14 September 2025. The evening programme of public events will be announced early August 2025.
To apply, send a statement and CV or info about their practice to info@musarc.org. Application Deadline: 31 August 2025
Field Studies 2025
A Choral Method
10–14 September 2025
LUCA School of Arts
Campus Ghent Sint-Lucas
Alexianenplein 1 & 2
9000 Ghent, Belgium