Draw a dot. Follow a line. A line is the trace of a movement – or the horizon, pointing into the distance. Two lines create a space. A surface emerges. A format is a choice; a graphic structure allows one to sense a surface; a blob can be a mistake and, at the same time, the focal point for the viewer’s eye.

The emphasis is on exploration, experimentation, training your perception and observing your surroundings. The focus shifts from the overall impression of a situation to the tiniest details and back again, whereby the dialogue between the observing eye and the drawing hand becomes tangible – and is honed. Contemporary approaches and works from art history inspire and illustrate fundamental principles of design. The city of Halle, the botanical garden and the State Museum of Prehistory offer complex situations to which one can respond in a wide variety of ways. Excursions to European cities make the practice of collecting hand-drawn sketches in sketchbooks a natural part of the process.

The course focuses on fostering exchange and discussion about one’s own and others’ works, whilst group work provides the basis for inspiration and reflection on one’s own motivation. Thematic explorations lead to a wide variety of visual solutions and personal visual languages. Serial processes can give rise to works ranging right up to filmic pieces that reflect on the narrative and time-based perception of images.