We are excited to introduce Dr. Carolin Lange as the new Course Leader of the Master Lens-Based Media at the Piet Zwart Institute. Carolin brings an exceptional combination of artistic vision, academic depth, and an inherently collaborative way of working. What stands out is the care with which she builds communities, creates space for different perspectives, and supports students and colleagues alike.
Based in Rotterdam for over ten years, Carolin brings her local and international networks from experimental photography, media histories, and performative research to the programme. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art, she worked at the RWTH Aachen University (DE), managing, teaching, and researching. Her artistic collaborations have been run and exhibited at the ZKM Centre for Art and Media, the Humboldt Forum Berlin, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Brutus, TENT, and the Biennale für Aktuelle Fotografie, among others.
Over the past few years, Carolin has been active internationally as a researcher through her doctoral studies in visual cultures at the Photographic History Research Centre, De Montfort University, Leicester (UK). Her research articles are published, among others, in the PhotoResearcher no. 45 (2026) edited by Kelley Wilder, Original copies: blueprints, whiteprints, zips, and photocopies in the architectural office, 1870–2000, edited by Ellen Smit (Nai 010, 2025), and the Royal Society’s Science in the Making (2024).
As the new course leader, Carolin brings her enthusiasm and experience for artistic and experimental approaches to photography to the programme, as well as her expertise in material, cultural and scientific media histories, and performative research methods.
Carolin: “I am truly excited to run this wonderful programme, join its fantastic team and become part of the community of this institution. The scope of the course, understanding lens-based media as one extended field, is deeply embedded in what I do and care about. I look forward to working on the future of this dynamic and distinct programme together with the team, strengthening its profile and making sure it remains in flux with current practices and discourses.”
Carolin’s approach to running the programme is shaped by her collaborations: “Working with and within a group, different perspectives and approaches greatly enrich the work. Yet you need to make sure you safeguard the common ground you all have identified. It is during experiences such as doing a master’s that you find yourself among peers with different perspectives and approaches. Still, you become part of one group through your shared curiosity and interest in the field. You learn from your tutors as you do from your peers. Some of them will become an integral part of your life and work. This is why such distinct courses are so important. Its scope and network sustain your practice long after the two years of your study.”
Liesbeth Koot, educational manager: “We are delighted to welcome Carolin as the new course leader. I am confident that her thoughtful and generous approach will further strengthen the programme and inspire everyone who is part of it.”
Photography by Lys Y Seng for Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie.
