All programs Apply

Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM)

BFA

SIM students form a highly collaborative community that fosters unparalleled creativity and experimentation, unbound by medium or discipline.

The Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM) celebrates idea-centered experimentation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and self-directed education. SIM students may be anti-establishment and rebellious, hyper-focused or renaissance thinkers, community organizers and entrepreneurs. All SIM students are eager to discover their full potential as they redefine what art can be, right here, right now.

SIM art overlaps and intersects with many other disciplines to encourage students to develop experimental art forms, new directions, and unusual contexts. Students work with sound, light, motion, digital and experimental media, live performance, public practice, interactive installations, print and spoken word, and event production.

SIM Featured Work

Nadia Orcel, Studio for Interrelated Media “Metamorphosis” by Nadia Orcel, Film/Video, 2019

A collage of black and white illustrations and abstract shapes features figures, plants, symbols, and hints of walk signs. Taped together randomly, it includes scribbles and sketch-like drawings reminiscent of crosswalk safety posters, creating a chaotic yet artistic composition.

Sen Luc Miglin, Studio for Interrelated Media Walk Sign Is On, Mixed Media, 2019

A collection of fragile, translucent skulls made from a thin, paper-like material, arranged on a glowing surface. This delicate matter allows light to pass through, highlighting the intricate details and texture of the skulls.

Richard Streitmatter-Tran, Studio for Interrelated Media Fragile Matter, Photograph, 2013

In a dimly lit room, a person stands at a synthesizer station, ready for their school show performance. Two large screens display intricate, abstract digital patterns with a tunnel-like effect, while various electronic equipment surrounds the workstation.

Nick Ruhlmann, Austin Carrier, Studio for Interrelated Media Performance for All School Show, Performance, 2015

A dimly lit room with vertical light beams hanging from the ceiling, creating glowing reflections on the floor. The walls are dark, and the ambiance is minimalist and modern.

Johnny Chanthavong, Studio for Interrelated Media Untitled, Installation, 2016

A person wearing a dark shirt plays a flute while using a brightly lit electronic music pad with various colored buttons, creating a fusion of traditional and modern music. A laptop and a large screen are visible in the background.

Dan Callahan, Studio for Interrelated Media Untitled, Performance, 2016

SIM offers a highly individualized educational path through a non-hierarchical program where Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors are in the same class every semester for all three years. The weekly SIM Major Studio course is community-powered under faculty guidance. Additional course offerings include: web art and digital distribution; video editing and production; interactive media and computer-controlled installations; dance techniques, choreography and improvisation; performance art and spoken word; art and science; theater production and stage lighting; sound performance, composition, recording, and editing; and event production. Every cohort shares the final challenge of redesigning the studio as a model for an alternative future.

SIM students gain hands-on experience curating, designing, and producing, and hold internships and jobs that leverage the wide skill set they acquire at MassArt.

Alumni

Alumni of the SIM department have careers as live event producers, tech and stagehands; gallery owners and curators; educators, tattoo artists, lawyers, chefs, clowns, entrepreneurs, game developers, choreographers and writers.

1 min

Video directed by Dillon Buss, edited by Jack LeMay, produced by Vagrants.

Sam Okerstrom-Lang (“Samo”)
’14 BFA SIM

Sam Okerstrom-Lang or “Samo” is a Boston-based media artist and designer specializing in 3D animation, video projection design, and live visual environments. After graduating from MassArt, Samo was commissioned to create large-scale public works for the first two Illuminus Boston events. After this experience, he founded Masary Studios with Maria Finkelmeier and Ryan Edwards. Masary Studios creates unique visual and sound experiences featuring original music, performance, and video projection mapping.

BFA Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the SIM BFA program are expected to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.

Exercise critical thinking through making and analyzing the work’s role in contemporary contexts
Acquire the ability to think conceptually across many disciplines
Acquire the ability to collaborate
Learn how to articulate artistic goals and concepts, and translate them into actualized projects
Practice self-study in the skills or topics that the student requires to meet their project goals
Acquire the ability to respond creatively when the parameters in a given project change
Use descriptive critique techniques (learn how to ask and formulate questions that will help the artist move forward and how to verbalize one’s perceptions)
Practice speaking and presenting to the public, whether or not public speaking is an avenue of expression
Acquire hands-on skills in audio/visual technology, curatorial practice, community building, and interdisciplinary practice
Learn to connect one’s artistic practice to a wide range of artistic mediums, ideas and practice
Engage in the cross-pollination of ideas and views in a diverse community
Mentor and be mentored among students from different cohorts
Identify one’s strongest interests and seek out opportunities for pursuing them
Demonstrate a high level of self-motivation, educational agency, and self-imposed standards
Participate in self-governance
Engage in the process of deconstructing assumptions about educational systems and work towards making change
Learn to use the experience of failure as an educative tool