The symposium gave special attention to collaborations between leading Chinese and Western arts universities and academies, with the goal of mapping the common ground. How do we identify the “unthought of” that lies between cultures? What and how do we teach and do research in these contexts? What are some of the cultural biases that might stand in the way of fruitful collaborations? How can we, as leaders, equip our institutions with the right tools to overcome these biases?

Delegates of this unique event got the opportunity to explore the theme of transcultural collaboration through keynotes, conversations with peers and practice explorations.

The ELIA Leadership Symposium 2019 focused on cross-cultural challenges within the realm of higher arts education, specifically as they apply to collaborations between leading Chinese and Western arts universities and academies.

The Cross-cultural Collaboration Case Study session focused on practical examples of transcultural collaborations and projects with higher arts education institutions worldwide, with the goal of mapping the common ground:

Praises for Misunderstandings

Presenting Institutions: Shanghai Institute of Visual Art (China) and Ecole Nationale Supérieure d' Art et de Design de Nancy (France)

The École Nationale Supérieure d'Art et de Design de Nancy has joined forces with the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art to develop a postgraduate research programme in art in Shanghai. Over the past six years a collaborative project called "Offshore School", has been administered by the two institutions, in association and collaboration with a number of other French art universities, enterprises and public bodies.

While successes have arisen from this concept, the leaders have also encountered many challenges; specifically regarding intercultural pedagogical practices and the way in which dissonance alerts and disorients. The presentation dives into these and explores the “Offshore School” project concept and the creative power of intercultural misunderstandings.

Ethics of Collaboration in Art Education in the (post)Colonial Context of the Global South

Presenting Institution: University of the Arts, Guayaquil (Ecuador) Partner Institution: Royal Academy of Art The Hague (Netherlands)

Taking Ecuador as a case study, this example intends to highlight the challenges of collaboration between the Global North and Global South, with a focus on Latin America, and more specifically on outcomes of the cross-cultural creative exchange between the Royal Academy of the Art The Hague in the Netherlands and the University of the Arts, Guayaquil in Ecuador.

Ethical dilemmas arise when attempting to bring expertise in the arts from Europe to the Global South. Most notably, the presentation will highlight these dilemmas and the contradiction between appreciating European culture as it applies to arts education in the Global South, against acknowledging the suppression by European colonizers. In the case of Ecuador, this suppression has led artists in the country to stand for emancipation and higher arts education institutions to create their own methodologies.

The tension between the approaches of the Global South and Global North prompts relevant questions for all when discussing opportunities of cooperation with higher arts education institutions: How should the curriculum of art education respond to local, (post)colonial realities which the institution operates in? Should art that is produced fit into the format of the ‘white cube’ as is usually done in Europe for mostly middle-class art consumers or, should it instead reach other audiences, involve local communities, speak to unprivileged viewers, and more? What methodology should be applied when collaborating in order to establish an ethically-justified framework of cultural exchange in art education in the Global South?

YOUNG to Young

Presenting Institution: China Academy of Art (China)

The China Academy of Art’s Innovative Design School is in the midst of an inaugural year of a course which aims to integrate basic design knowledge through internationalised and diversified teaching. The Innovative Design School is designed to be a stirring "workshop", "lab", "carnival" and "reality show" that cultivates the young students’ ability to communicate and debate topics relevant to their studies. The course has, to date, utilized the concept of collective creation to open up the experience for students.

Sino-Dutch Applied Game Jam

Presenting Institution: HKU University of the Arts Utrecht (Netherlands) Partner Institution: Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (China)

1995 marked the beginning of a creative partnership between the HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in the Netherlands and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA) in China, with the goal of fostering connections between Chinese and Dutch students and university staff. This strong partnership is built on a combination of HKU’s proven track-record of pioneering in the Dutch creative industry and GAFA’s solid grasp on the entertainment industry.

Prior to the start of this partnership, HKU had developed the concept of a Living Lab which took the form of an Applied Game Jam. The game promotes intercultural exchange and a global perspective on design by creating new connections and applications abroad. It was framed within the quadruple helix model which supports creative collaboration between universities, governments, enterprises and civil society.

GAFA became the host of the Sino-Dutch Applied Game Jam. The corporate partner, in this case represented by the Chinese enterprise Zhuhai Seine Technology Co. LTD., is active in the printing industry and a leading manufacturing company. Zhuhai Seine provided the theme of the Sino-Dutch Applied Game Jam, which promotes the employment of disabled people in the workforce and emphasizes the positive societal impact. In total there were sixteen Chinese GAFA students and ten Dutch HKU students involved in the game development, while researchers and lecturers from both universities, as well as two employees from game development company 37Games, provided additional expertise.

The result of this Game Jam was five digital games that showcased how the inclusion of disabled people in the work force can lead to a more effective and healthier working environment. The relationship between GAFA and HKU continued after the Sino-Dutch Applied Game Jam with teacher exchanges and creative industry internships.

Shared Campus: A Cooperation Platform for Joint International Education Formats and Research Networks

Presenting Institution: Zurich University of the Arts (Switzerland) Partner Institutions: China Academy of Art, Hangzhou (China); City University of Hong Kong, School of Creative Media (Hong Kong); Hong Kong Baptist University, Academy of Visual Arts, Department of Music (Hong Kong); LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore (Singapore); Taipei National University of the Arts (Taipei); Seika University, Kyoto (Japan); University of the Arts London (United Kingdom)

Based on years of experience establishing and pursuing collaborative initiatives in East Asia, Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) launched a comprehensive cooperation platform for international education formats and research networks in early 2018. Within this framework, the Shared Campus project was created.

Developed based on the latest trends, concepts and needs of the art world – such as the necessity of mobility, communication, collaboration and internationalisation within a global framework – the project highlights the necessity of arts universities to internationalise and establish networks with partners who support and complement each other. The Shared Campus project facilitates that need by establishing a long-term, innovative network between Asian and European institutions, focused on consolidating joint interests and supplementary competencies, as well as sharing resources and existing infrastructures.

The project centres around five themes, which serve to build up sustainable competencies in an international context with a trans/interdisciplinary approach. The future of the project is to develop joint education formats, establish and expand research networks and PhD programs, including common publication and production formats to ultimately initiate the conception of a shared digital platform and repository, based on member equality.

Relational Art Practice: Navigating the Common Ground in Rural Japan

Presenting Institution: School of the Arts Institute of Chicago (USA) Partner Institution: Tokyo University of the Arts (Japan)

Tokyo University of the Arts (TUA) began its joint international exchange project with School of the Arts Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2015. 2019 marked the fifth summer of exchange programs which have differed in format and venue, but have been prepared and executed by the same core faculty from both institutions.

Each summer, students engage in solving problems that arise from transforming a location which dates back to the Meiji Era in Japan into an alternative exhibition space, while working under the constraints of a tight deadline.

The collaborative effort is evident in all aspects of this project. For example, the shifting theme of the class is collaboratively written, negotiated and agreed upon by the faculty of both institutions while the faculty members act as guides, moderators, and collaborators.

Other critical ingredients that have contributed to the success of the course structure include the rural location of Kagawa, and presence of the local Kagawa residents who are an energising force at the centre of each year’s project. Their participation provides historical and cultural context for the work and an unfamiliar space for shared discovery.

Learning In, With, and From Africa

Presenting Institution: Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design (Germany) Partner Institution: Addis Abeba University (Ethiopia)

Sub-Saharan Africa is currently undergoing unprecedented urbanisation. The complexities of this phenomenon are not dealt with in the “solutions” provided by the West or China and, due to the lack of awareness of driving forces behind the movement to cities, many crosscultural misunderstandings occur. It is now evident that the new concept of an ‘African city’ will have to be different than the concept of a ‘city’ in other parts of the world.

The Chair of Urban Design at ABK Stuttgart has recently developed a long-term, collaborative relationship with the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC) at the Addis Abeba University (AAU), and the Emerging Cities Laboratory Addis Abeba (ECL-AA). The goal of this collaboration is to study these particular movement conditions in a Sub-Saharan, Ethiopian city – one that is embedded with fascinating traditions of community, of sharing, and of deep spirituality.

The project thoroughly questions terms including progress, development and modernity that were handed down to the so-called ‘undeveloped’ or ‘developing’ nations from ‘developed’ countries. Together, the parties look into how Sub-Saharan traditions may deliver meaningful insights on how to adapt different approaches and lifestyles to urbanisation, specifically in light of the expected climate disaster.

To date, the creative collaboration between these two institutions has produced significant research and results, which, firstly, prioritise understanding; and secondly, put project strategies such as field research, student and academic staff exchanges, and joint urban design studios and workshops into practice.

The 9th ELIA Leadership Symposium was hosted by the China Academy of Art.

Founded in 1928 as the first art academy with complete academic programs in China, China Academy of Art continues to yield outstanding achievements which have been recognised both at home and abroad. China Academy of Art has experienced early hardship, ample maturity and great expansion as a vanguard in art. With a mission to revitalise Chinese art, it is in active dialogue with the world and is influential in the development of modern and contemporary art in China.

Recently the academy has expanded its departments and academic teams and has garnered tremendous achievements. The infrastructure of China Academy of Art has improved in unprecedented ways. With Nanshan Campus construction completed in 2003, and Xiangshan Campus becoming fully functional in 2007, the academy now has three beautiful and well-equipped campuses in the cities of Hangzhou and Shanghai which cover an area of 1000 hectares and a total of 300,000 square meters.

Delegates had the opportunity to visit both campuses during the 9th Leadership Symposium.