Postdigital Lutherie
The Tangible Music Lab at the University of Art and Design Linz is offering an academic master program on Postdigital Lutherie, dedicated to the design and performance of postdigital musical instruments in collaboration with the Institute of Computer Music at the Anton Bruckner University Linz. Led by Prof. Martin Kaltenbrunner and Prof. Volkmar Klien this international English program explores the multidisciplinary aspects of design & technology and composition & performance as well as the artistic & theoretical foundations of New Instruments for Musical Expression (NIME).
The application round for the next academic year 25/26 will open in March 2025 and the according entrance exams will take place in early July 2025, please contact us for further information. Studying in Austria is generally free for EU-citizens, information about tuition fees for non-EU students can be found here. All courses are taught in English, and our faculty can also support German and Spanish speaking students.
Scope
The design of musical instruments is already looking back to a long cultural and artistic tradition throughout the millennia. With the development of electronic music during the last century we have experienced a radical paradigmatic shift, which accelerated during the past decades through the further advances in digitalization of music and the following virtualization of instruments. Postdigital Lutherie intends to reflect these developments by reconnecting the various aspects of acoustic, electronic and digital design of musical instruments again within tangible sonic artifacts for musical expression. This opens new design perspectives and artistic possibilities for established cultural techniques and musical practices in the context of an ongoing digitalization.
Structure
Postdigital Lutherie is an academic four-semester master program (120 ECTS) in English language, which reflects the overall topic of musical instrument design from the various perspectives in Design & Technology, Composition & Performance as well as Media- and Art Theories. These three core columns (each 15 ECTS) are supported by the central Artistic Subject (30 ECTS) and a block of Free Electives (15 ECTS), and are concluded with a practical and theoretical Master Project (30 ECTS). Admission to the program requires a diploma or bachelor degree in a related subject, candidates are required to successfully pass an entrance interview.
The complete list of lectures offered by the department can be found here.
Resources
Our program engages faculty members, staff and resources from a number of renowned institutions in Linz. The Kunstuniversität Linz is well-known for its experimental art, interactive media and industrial design focus. It provides an extraordinary pool of art courses eligible for all students: from fashion technology, interface design to creative robotics just to name a few. Our musical partner Anton Brucker University is the place where contemporary music research meets Austrian musical tradition. It not only provides cutting edge studios like the sonic lab but it also offers recording labs and great auditoriums. The historical buildings of Tabakfabrik Linz are an environment of creative industries and atelier spaces and the home for our Tangible Music Lab department. Our alliance with the neighboring Grand Garage maker-space provides 4000sqm of professional machines, from CNC to 3D printers and industrial robots! The UNESCO City of Media Arts Linz also hosts the international Ars Electronica festival and center.
Read more about our complete resources in our resources link.