Bern University of the Arts (HKB) is one of the leading Art Universities in Europe with a broad range of Bachelor and Master Programmes, a doctoral school Studies in the Arts and a variety of advanced-level courses. Its four research institutes perform cutting-edge research on topics related to artistic practice in visual and performing arts, music, theatre, design and conservation. Conservation with its Modern Materials and Media program has a very high reputation not only for its practice-oriented curriculum but also for scholarship and research.
Within the research project Performance: Conservation, Materiality, Knowledge, generously funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and situated in the Research Institute Materiality in Art and Culture, we are seeking to appoint
SNSF POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW 75%
This four-year postdoctoral fellowship fosters the academic career of a scholar who has recently received a PhD degree by permitting him or her to pursue research while gaining valuable mentorship.
The SNSF project Performance: Conservation, Materiality, Knowledge focuses on questions of conservation of performance-based works, their temporal specifics, the involvement of the human body, the world of their extended trace history, memory, and archive. Notions of care, the ideals of traditional conservation and their complex relations to knowledge, whether tacit or explicit, skill and technique are explored. Taking as a starting point the necessity for conservators to access and deepen this area of study, and unlike queries that situate these questions within other disciplines, this project approaches performance as a necessarily conservable form.
The Research Institute Materiality in Art and Culture explores the multitude of connections between the materiality of art and cultural artefacts, their makers and time, their ongoing lives and their existence in collections. Through material analysis, critical-theoretical approaches, and the pursuit of urgent questions emerging from the conservation practice, the Institute researches the human-made world and its expression in culture.
This project offers an opportunity to work on ground-breaking research in a team of established scholars and artists. The successful candidate demonstrates the ability to conduct independent research in the developing area of performance conservation at the intersection of art history, performance studies, visual studies, heritage studies and conservation. S/he reflects critically and independently on existing sources, engages with current critical and theoretical debates and can work in an interdisciplinary milieu. S/he has an established track record of publications and research equivalent with the postdoctoral level. We seek a candidate who is committed to excellence and high work ethic, able to work flexibly and dynamically in a team to deliver project results, determined to contribute to knowledge through academic written and oral publications. S/he is an excellent communicator and creative thinker able to generate new ideas and communicate confidently with practitioners and academic researchers. Importantly, the candidate is both highly engaged with the research project's questions but also curious about the challenges the project poses in the field. Applicants have a relevant PhD or equivalent in the area related to conservation of contemporary art or performance studies with emphasis on the discourses and ethics of care. This is a 75% FTE, fixed-term, residential position from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2024. The fellow works in close liaison with the Project Lead, Prof Dr Hanna Hölling.
Main responsibilities of the postdoctoral fellow
- Deliver an excellent research project within the Performance: Conservation, Materiality, Knowledge initiative in collaboration with other team members, over 48 months
- Work independently on case studies and support other members of the project team
- Collaborate with project team members to discuss, test, and implement the project's findings
- Develop advanced skills in the conservation of performance art, its associated discourses and related systems of documentation and archive
- Research, write and publish articles, book chapters and other academic contributions at the highest of academic standards in peer-reviewed academic journals and edited volumes
- Participate in project meetings and other project-related events
- Co-organize and contribute to workshops, symposia and conferences or other means of communication and dissemination of the project for a wide range of audiences
- Share knowledge and expertise developed in relation to the project at the University and across its departments
- Play a significant role in the planning, designing, and the maintenance of the project's website featuring its outputs and disseminating its key findings
- Play a significant role in co-organization of an exhibition
- Deliver other agreed output such as writing oriented at the general public and professional readership and champion the research nationally and internationally
- Have an excellent command of academic and spoken English and proficiency in one of the Swiss national languages
The interviews for this position will be conducted on February 7, 2020. Queries about this opening can be directed to Prof Sebastian Dobrusskin at sebastian.dobrusskin@hkb.bfh.ch.
Applications require: (1) a cover letter, (2) a statement of research and teaching experience and interests, (3) a curriculum vitae including contact information and names and contact information of three academic referees able to speak to the candidate's suitability for this post (4) a list of publications.
Please note that we only accept online applications, in English or German. The deadline for applications is January 17, 2020. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Link to an online application:
https://ohws.prospective.ch/public/v1/redirect/da9a4ef3-a1f7-4539-86df-72915251d6b2/ats/.
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