VIDE is an original and carefully sculptured approach to the challenge of education in the visual communication. It was set up in May 2005 by Anno Fekkes, senior lecturer in Visual Communication (graphic design, photography and typography) at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.
The birth of VIDE was partly the result of its founder’s discontent with developments in Dutch design education. As senior lecturer, Anno Fekkes was witness to debilitating rigidity in art and design education. Visitations, accreditations and external research have all had more of a crippling effect than answering the objective for which they were set up. Add to this the conservative reluctance to adapt. According to Fekkes, current educational organisations primarily seek to answer questions rather than ask them, a process that puts creativity under weighty pressure.
For these reasons he initiated creation of a top institute in the field of visual communications. In May 2005, former State Secretary of Education Annette Nijs said the following about the creation of such institutes in an interview with the respected daily Vrij Nederland, “Your survey among professors shows that they like to talk about Harvard and MIT, but don’t dare identify the best Dutch institutes of learning. What I aim to achieve is that people abroad say ‘if you want to study a particular subject, like the visual arts, then you should go to the Netherlands! We must get away from the traditional Dutch student culture of just passing. Students’ attitudes need to change: we need to excel again.”
Looking at the level and reputation of Dutch design, finding the right study in visual communication in the Netherlands should not be a problem. Dutch academies, however, have trouble profiling themselves on the basis of design alone, because visual art departments also make up a large part of their curriculum.
An exception is the Design Academy Eindhoven, where only design disciplines are taught. In part through this clear profile the academy has been able to draw national and international attention. VIDE ’s task lies in achieving the same in the field of visual communication.
Within the current higher vocational education system the lack of sufficient financial resources means it is practically impossible to respond effectively to developments in professional practice: bringing in (guest) lecturers in the short term for instance is impossible. This is sad for students, and does not contribute to a necessary positive study climate. The lack of flexibility damages the quality of existing art and design studies.
VIDE is not accredited by the Dutch government. This guarantees an independent, curious and critical attitude to art education. It also means VIDE is able to respond directly to the personal demands, preferences and needs of students. VIDE works exclusively with guest lecturers and offers students knowledge that is relevant, and when it really matters.
