Artificial Intelligence (AI) does not exist apart from culture. It is shaped by particular histories, forms of knowledge, infrastructures, labour and material resources, and is encountered differently across communities and places.
Artificial Intelligence & Digital Art (AiDA) is a research-led studio programme for artists seeking to critically engage with these relationships. Students investigate how AI is imagined through images, narratives and ideologies how it is made through data, labour, computation and material infrastructures and how it is experienced through bodies, environments, institutions and everyday life.
Where the MA develops agency, the MFA develops artistic leadership. Students who pursue the two-year MFA follow the MA curriculum for year 1 and in year 2 build on this through sustained artistic research, public engagement and situated practice. This enables students to develop ambitious practice-based research in dialogue, and, where appropriate, in partnership, with external organisations. The MFA programme supports artists whose work seeks not simply to respond to technological change, but to influence the cultural futures that emerge from it.
MFA students are expected to establish independent research trajectories that contribute to contemporary artistic, cultural and technological discourse. Through negotiated projects, public partnerships and advanced studio practice, they explore how contemporary art can shape public understanding of intelligent systems and their wider social, political and ecological implications.
08/01/2027
Start date
September 2027
Royal College of Art- Battersea Campus
1 Hester Road,
London,
Greater London,
SW11 4AY, London, United Kingdom
We are looking for artists who are curious about how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping contemporary culture. Applicants should demonstrate an independent artistic practice, intellectual curiosity and a willingness to experiment with unfamiliar methods. Previous coding experience is welcomed but not essential. We recognise that access to technical education, equipment and technologies is uneven, and applicants are assessed on the quality, criticality and potential of their artistic practice rather than their existing level of technical expertise.
Portfolio requirements
Your portfolio should demonstrate an established artistic practice together with evidence of potential to develop new forms of work in response to emerging technologies and contemporary culture. We are particularly interested in applicants who demonstrate curiosity, originality and the willingness to engage critically with unfamiliar technologies and ideas.
We welcome applications from artists working across all media, including photography, moving image, installation, performance, sculpture, sound, digital media, design, architecture and interdisciplinary practice. Previous experience with Artificial Intelligence or coding is welcomed but is not required.
The MFA second year provides the opportunity to develop a project that engages with a particular context, question or problem. Please describe a context that you would be interested in working with or responding to and the AI related question or problem you would be looking to address.
Personal statement
AiDA is an experimental programme. We value applicants who demonstrate openness to collaboration, curiosity about unfamiliar methods and a willingness to develop their practice through dialogue with others. Your personal statement should explain:
Video requirements
Please submit a short video (up to two minutes) introducing yourself and your practice.
Rather than presenting a polished pitch, use this opportunity to discuss:
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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