Our active partner Tartu Art College invited me to participate in the committee evaluating their New Media theses - an honorable challenge which I accepted with pride and pleasure. During one very long day and a half I have seen 15 videos, games, animations, interactive installations and performances and had very intense and in-depth debates with the six other members of the committee. Brilliant days, because I learned so much from the students, their supervisors and evaluators and the evaluation committee members.

The Graduate Show Lend 2012 is open in two locations: at the Market Hall and in Gallery Nooruus (Youth), the gallery of the Art College.

There was a lot of value for me in this trip, but two things impressed me outstandingly:

First: the university shows clearly their reverence of the graduates: The rector reads all theses and is member of the evaluation committee, the vice rector is the sectetary, respected Estonian professionals are invited to the evaluation committee. The graduates are treated with highest esteem and are the central heroes of the process.

In addition to theses works of Department of Media and Advertisement Design, the theses of which I assessed, Tartu Art College departments are Furniture, Leather Design, Paintings, Photography, Sculpture and Textile.

Second: the students are mature and professional; they have prepared very well and able to motivate their decisions with dignity also when the critique is sharp. Simultaniously they are humble and take the advice of the more experienced with respect.

Uku Pira's thesis was the installation "Memory loss" dealing with electronic waste. The screen  (not seen on photo) was a grave- yard of abandoned computers. A brilliant Performance I'll never forget. Uku interviewed by TAC Rector Vallo Nuust

The first TAMK international Media Programme students will graduate next spring. So happy I made this trip, I got so many brilliant ideas to implement.

Game Design is a rising field also in Tartu, three Theses were games. Pictured Mari Kukk and her iPad Game Funky Fauna

Read more about our cooperation with Tartu

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One of the things we share with Tartu Art College is the Interactive Film professor Chris Hales, here in discussion with the authors Eduard and Oscar Wilde in front of the pub where we (Chris and me) followed the UEFA Eurocup game France vs, England on Monday.

Story and pics: Cai Melakoski
TAMK Degree Programme in Media leader