Master Colloquium I

On December, 1st of 2017 the students from the ‘Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education Master in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts, taught by Prof. Gabriele Budach at the University of Luxembourg, met with the master students of the communication design deparment, taught by Prof. Anna Bulanda-Pantalacci at the University of Applied Sciences Trier for an interdisciplinary and international exchange. Students from various countries like Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republik, China, Puerto Rico, Germany, Luxembourg, Indonesia, USA, Greece and Croatia participated.

The symposium started with an introduction- and questioning round, as well as a presentation of the field of work, tasks and subjects of the luxembourgish students. Afterwards, the design students gave an insight into their works and their graduation projects. In doing so, there was a livley exchange and great interest between the different fields of study. Due to the occasion and the impressive internationality of the participants, the multilinguality was paramount. Amongst others english, french, german and polish was mainly spoken. Then, master graduate Caroline Birkel gave a lecture introducing the subject of collage with its different techniques like assemblage, décollage, rollage, and others. She presented artists and example works, explained the advantages and effects of the collage, as well as using it as a targeted creative method. This input was the anchor for the following joint work on the „Identity Boxes“. Split into groups, each attended by one design student, blank cardboard cuboids were to be edited by using collage techniques. For this purpose, materials that were brought beforehand could be used – Prints, small objects and photos that have something to do with the student’s identity. Already during the process it was noticable how differently the groups approached the task and how they defined identity, often in the context of languages, home and studies. The results were presented and partly explained or even performed, while master student Michał Przyszlak documented this in film. To bring the day to a close and give further opportunity to network and connect, a Winery was visited, where a guided tour and wine tasting was held, after which the participants dined together.