HyperWerk is an opportunity space for new and unexpected design solutions. Based at the Institute for Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM), HyperWerk provides the underpinning for the degree programme Process Design and acts as a seismograph for the often still feeble signs of societal change. Furthermore, HyperWerk functions as a seedbed for transdisciplinary project work by and with students, staff, and external specialists. Whether in connection with debates on justice, conflicts on sustainability issues, participation, nutrition, digitalization, migration, or social care: When dealing with the issue of “living together”, we understand liberty as a form of consenting dependency. In this context, it is of primary importance that relationship modes are the subject of ongoing examination, while also being actively supported, encouraged, and modelled. The people at HyperWerk see in diligent process design a potential for creating a sustainable present and liveable future, without downplaying the challenges. What they aim for are new explorative forms of education that require as well as encourage complex processes and collaborative ways of working, in the expectation that they lead to decentralized and fluid networks, collectives, and communities joined by interdependency. HyperWerk is and remains a learning lab that answers to current developments by means of flexible test arrangements and strives to enhance its own methods by way of experimentation.
Key data
Degree
Bachelor of Arts FHNW
ECTS points
180
Start of semester
September (week 38)
Next start
Mon. 18.09.2023 | Autumn Semester
Final application date
Feb 15, 2023
Studying mode
fulltime
Duration
6 Semester
Teaching language
German or English (B2 or equivalent)
Place
Basel
Stay abroad
possible
Application fee
CHF 200.- (incl. aptitude assessment and enrolment)
Thank you for your interest in studying at the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW. The application deadline for a Bachelor's degree programme beginning in the fall semester 2023/24 has expired on February 15, 2023. Online registration is no longer possible after the registration deadline. The programme management will be happy to inform you about the possibility of a subsequent registration. The next application window for the fall semester 2024/25 opens on November 1, 2023.
“How can we live together?” This is the question behind all the projects and discourses at HyperWerk and the study of Process Design. The “we” includes human as well as all non-human actors in our shared lifeworld. In addition, this “we” is subject to constant scrutiny. What values and norms are invoked and how are these related to one's own viewpoint and the realities of life? Reflecting on one’s own prejudices with regard to design practices and coming to terms with one’s own privileges are prerequisite to non-discriminatory design processes.
Students at HyperWerk must learn how to deal with freedom. Self-organization and initiative constitute active ingredients in the programme. On their personal learning path, students are asked to develop their own organizational and reflective strategies and practise their hand at various documentation, presentation, and visualization techniques – from texts and illustrations to photography and film to virtual reality to multimedia and experimental formats. They learn from ongoing debates, and experiment with design in projects they draw up themselves. Design is focussed on the spatial and temporal alignment of social relations in a post-industrial society. The students analyse social transformations, traditional crafts, and new technologies, making prototypical use of the opportunities that emerge. They are encouraged to generate exemplary responses, speculative models, radical proposals and convincing alternatives in a rapidly changing world. They develop expert negotiation and decision-making skills in support of their personal potential. They select from the wide range of workshops on offer in accordance with their individual aims. In the process, they are supported through regular mentoring.
Educational qualifications Acceptance to the admission procedure regarding degree programmes in the field of Design (Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Scenography, Fashion Design, Process Design at Hyperwerk, Visual Communication and Digital Spaces) commonly requires one of the following certificates:
a certified vocational baccalaureate
a certified specialized baccalaureate
a certified upper secondary school baccalaureate
proof of equivalent education at upper secondary school level obtained otherwise
Language of tuition The languages of tuition are German or English. Applicants with a foreign language background are required to submit proof of their language proficiency in German or English at level B2 (or equivalent) before commencing their studies.
On-the-job work experience or preparatory course in design In addition, candidates need to provide proof of one year of on-the-job work experience or completion of a two-semester preparatory course in design. The work experience must include practical as well as theoretical knowledge in a professional field related to the subject of study. Note: Proof of work experience or completion of a preparatory course in design is not required of candidates who are able to provide proof of a vocational baccalaureate in a professional field related to the subject of study, a Swiss certified baccalaureate with a focus on visual design, or a specialized, design-based baccalaureate. The attained degree need not explicitly be in a profession related to the specific field of study.
Catching up on the vocational baccalaureate Candidates who have not completed at least three years of upper secondary education (level II) are not legally entitled to admission to a Bachelor's degree programme. Information concerning full-time or part-time, on-the-job training courses focusing on a vocational, design-based or specialized baccalaureate is provided by the local vocational schools.
Admission on the basis of exceptional talent In exceptional cases, candidates can be admitted to the Bachelor’s degree programmes in Design and in Fine Arts without being in possession of an upper secondary school leaving certificate (level II), namely if they can provide proof of exceptional talent, either in a design-related or an arts-related field. The application documents must include a portfolio, a CV in tabular format, a reasoned request, and a letter of motivation. The head of the respective degree programme decides on the basis of the submitted documents whether such proof is provided. Note: Candidates that fulfil the admission requirements on the basis of a completed upper secondary school education (level II) are excluded from admission on the basis of special talent.
How to proceed with regard to an “admission on the basis of exceptional talent” and how to register online. We recommend that you register or at least make inquiries no later than 8 February, considering that it takes some time to review the submitted documents.
Normally, you submit the following documents for assessment:
Portfolio
CV in tabular format
Reasoned request
Motivation letter
Only then do you register via online registration (deadline 15 February).
If the head of the degree programme accepts your application, you will receive from the degree programme’s office an invitation to the aptitude assessment.
A successful aptitude assessment is prerequisite for admission to and enrolment in the degree programme.
To apply for a place at the HGK, the required documents must be submitted by 15.02.2023.
15.02.2023 Registration deadline and deadline for submitting the required documents for the aptitude assessment.
18.09.2023 Fall Semester begin 2023/24
Further information on Part 2 – Assessment: In the assessment, workshops and work in interdisciplinary project teams will provide insight into the course of study and will help evaluate if the applicant meets the expectations and requirements of the degree programme.
Study Regulations, Prozess Design, Bachelor (PDF Download)
Information on programme contents
As designers we shape the world: from formulating a thought to maintaining our relationships or building organisational structures. Everything in our world is designed. In the Process Design bachelor’s programme at the HyperWerk, you will learn to develop different types of coexistence and stimulate social change. The question is: How can we use the manifold possibilities of design to interact with our environment?
Process designers approach the topics and contents that our coexistence contains as challenges with curiosity and an open mind. Over the course of the degree, students make them visible in self-initiated projects and show possibilities for change. The thematic focal points are on sustainability, equity and digitality. In this field, projects are developed in which not only people but more-than-human actors such as animals, plants, mushrooms and robots are important. Process design goes beyond the guidelines of classical disciplines. Students learn in an interdisciplinary, self-initiated and self-organised way. Process designers become capable of acting in the present and learn to work towards a future worth living in.
The Process Design study programme is integrated into the HyperWerk of the Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM). The HyperWerk is an experimental lab – a constantly changing space of possibilities for new and unexpected forms of design. The HyperWerk is a breeding ground for transdisciplinary project work by and with students, staff and external people.
Modules
The academic year is split into six modules: within one module, several process design workshops, which students from all years can participate in, are offered on a weekly basis. In order to communicate a broad spectrum of current knowledge and skills, we invite specialists, experts, artists, designers and practitioners from a regional and international network to serve as workshop leaders and guest lecturers. The annual themes are developed by the students and lecturers in an intensive research and debate phase. In this way, the study programme is constantly evolving and updated.
Projects
At the HyperWerk, students learn to acquire knowledge and initiate projects: while the modules and workshops stress content-related topics, students work in parallel on their own institutional and collective projects. In the process, they get support as they independently implement their project, from the idea and the development of it to production and beyond. Projects make it possible to work in a focussed way over a longer period of time and encourage an exchange of knowledge among everyone at the HyperWerk, both students and staff. The vision of an individual learning process that promotes the interests and needs of the students can be realised in this way.
Mentoring
The main interface between students and instructors is regular mentor-student dialogue. This dialogue permits a culture of exchange, trust and commitment to develop, offering students guided reflections and constructive critical engagement with their own areas of interest, academic content and learning progress.
Over the course of the study programme, process designers acquire a variety of process design skills:
Collaboration: Developing relationships
Process designers learn to design relationships that are simultaneously dynamic and binding. Whether in the collective process of a team assignment, designing a physical meeting place or interacting from afar: students hone their ability to think in networks and evaluate contexts, and use that for their projects.
Design: Experimenting with new forms of expression
During their studies, process designers experiment with both analogue and digital tools: from text, illustration and photography to audio, video, coding, 3D printing and virtual reality to multimedia, performative or completely new formats. By taking a playful approach, decisive means of implementation with new aesthetics develop on the search for adequate forms of expression.
Reflection: Critically and mindfully documenting and debating
As they immerse themselves in academic content, process designers learn to critically reflect on and question norms. In a diversity-sensitive manner, they acquire knowledge that illuminates the variety of different perspectives. In doing so, they take into account the political dimensions of their work and practise working in an academic context.
Here you will find everything you need to know about the enrolment process at the Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW.
The prospects for graduates are as varied as the individual learning paths of the students. After the degree programme, process designers are prepared to push social transformation forward in an interactive, collective and process-oriented manner. They can use their abilities in project management, networking and across disciplines. HyperWerk graduates work on projects and in agencies and institutions in the areas of sustainability, digitalisation, anti-discrimination, design, cultural administration, education, consulting, urban development and event organisation or the topic they specialised in.
With its studios, labs and central Campus.Workshops, the HGK provides an ideal environment for bringing together a curiosity for craftsmanship and a desire to learn technical skills and gain digital know-how. What’s more, all students have 24/7 access to their own workplace in the spacious studios. The HyperWerk also has its own workshop, a large technical warehouse and a self-managed workspace. In addition to handheld machines for woodworking and metalworking, the workshop also has robots, 3D printers, a leather-sewing machine and a tufting machine waiting to be discovered. Students who want to delve into the world of film and sound for a project have access to a sound studio and video editing suites. The warehouse – stocked with VR equipment, photo and video cameras, projectors, computers, monitors, lighting and sound electronics and many highly specialised objects – provides access to both rare and state-of-the-art equipment. The facilities are open to students 365 days a year.
Organizational matters
Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM)
FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandBasel Academy of Art and Design,
Prozess Design (BA) at HyperWerk IXDM
Building: A 2.16Oslo-Strasse 3CH - 4142 Münchenstein near Basel