nettime: PR: HRC Westminster

[Pit Schultz <pit@contrib.de>]

M.A. IN HYPERMEDIA STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY 
OF WESTMINSTER

For Immediate Release 

The Hypermedia Research Centre (HRC) of the University of Westminster is
pleased to announce the launch of the M.A. in Hypermedia Studies. This
post-graduate course will begin in the autumn term of 1996. 

The M.A. in Hypermedia Studies is designed for the education of the
artist-engineers of the digital future. The degree combines a rigorous
theoretical analysis of technological convergence with hands-on involvement
in practical research. 

The HRC is at the 'cutting edge' of the practice and theory of hypermedia -
the new cultural forms emerging from the convergence of media,
telecommunications and computing. It investigates the aesthetic potential
and social impact of the new digital media technologies. 

Situated in new Harrow campus of the University, the HRC has access to the
advanced technical facilities of the site and collaborates with colleagues
involved in media studies, arts, graphic design, computer science and
business studies. 

Available for both one year full-time and two year part-time students, the
M.A. in Hypermedia Studies is divided into different modules. Students are
able to emphasise the theoretical or practical elements of the course by
choosing between elective modules. All students will take part in
self-motivated research work through a practical project and a dissertation
or creative review. The course will combine lectures, seminars and workshops
with on-line teaching, conferences and publishing.

A number of bursaries covering course fees and living expenses will be
available for students wanting to take the M.A. in Hypermedia Studies. Sony
Music, Cyberia cybercafes and Philips Research Laboratories are some of the
companies who have expressed interest in sponsoring student bursaries.

If you would like more information about the M.A. in Hypermedia Studies,
please contact Dr. Richard Barbrook at the HRC.



telephone: +44 (0)171-911-5000 x 4590
e-mail: hrc@hrc.wmin.ac.uk
web: http://www.hrc.wmin.ac.uk/

RECENT PROJECTS OF THE HYPERMEDIA RESEARCH CENTRE

J's Joint - a highly-acclaimed Web site built for Jamiroquai, a Sony Music
act. Alongside audio-visual samples and news from the band, the site
includes a virtual house constructed out of 3-D cartoons. J's Joint also
contains information about ecological issues, such anti-roads campaigns, and
discussion zones for fans to send messages to the band and each other. This
Web site is developing into a lively virtual community for fans of
Jamiroquai and those concerned about the environment.

Electronic Brain - the prize-winning Web site for the Future Sound of London
which can be found on Virgin Music's The Raft. Within this site,
audio-visual samples and information from the band are presented within an
abstract interactive space. The Electronic Brain came second in the Net
sites category in Music Week's 1996 music industry awards. 

Anti-Rom - an internationally successful CD-rom produced with help from the
Arts Council. This project was centred on the creation of "a profoundly
non-linear paradigm, a paradigm of ambient interactivity, ritual activities,
and of representations which were circular, repetitive, without syntax and
without closure." The CD-rom was shown at Siggraph '95 in Los Angeles and at
the Rotterdam Film Festival to great acclaim. Members of Anti-Rom are now
involved in projects with Underworld, Levi's and the Future Sound of London.

The Californian Ideology - a controversial critique of the neo-liberal
ideology of West Coast cyber-culture. Following its publication in 'Mute',
this article sparked off a lively debate between American and European
commentators over the social impact of hypermedia. As well as in English,
the article has also been published in German, Italian, Dutch, Slovene and
Croatian translations.
Media Freedom: the contradictions of communications in the age of modernity
- a book which analyses the ambiguous relationship between participation and
democracy within media freedom through an examination of the development of
this fundamental human right over the past 200 years of French history. This
book is published by Pluto Press.

WebWright - an experimental publishing engine which provides an open
development environment for creating dynamic, hierarchal Web sites.
WebWright will allow people with little technical knowledge to publish in a
powerful and manageable way.



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