Head of the Media Design Major Christoph Neuhold

Christoph Neuhold has been head of Major Media Design in the Information Design bachelor’s degree program since October 2019. In this interview he talks about his vision for the future of this discipline and the evolution of the moving image.

How would you like to orient the major in the coming years?

Christoph Neuhold: Directing this major is a wonderful opportunity to play an active role in designing the instruction for students, as well as to broaden the own horizon. This work brings a lot of variety and new challenges with it. Since I myself had the pleasure of studying at the FH JOANNEUM, in addition to considering the latest developments in the field I am planning to trust my gut instincts, as well as listen above all to the students.

Where should this journey lead us to precisely?

Media Design, specifically time-based media or the moving image, will be conveyed as a process in an understandable context. From the initial idea or design up to the final implementation, a complete educational package will be assembled. With the help of a great team, I would like to teach young people about the entire process and everything it entails. A grammar book of the moving image, so to speak: from the meaningfulness of an idea, to the storyboard, to a complex design which plays on all of the senses required in the respective project. In terms of content, I will condense the input through cooperation with various people from the specialized fields of the moving image. Time-based media is extremely important in this context, which is why it is incredibly extensive and sometimes positioned in a very specialized way. It is essential to organize lectures and workshops in the subject areas in order to show the students different perspectives of their studies and profession. Many of them still do not know their area of expertise at all.

What is the most exciting thing for you personally in your new role as the director of a major?

The most exciting thing is definitely the fact that you no longer only work as part of a team, but rather as a person which to some extent can, should and must represent a subject area. In this situation a person changes, and begins to interpret things and see them differently. Media design in the sense of film, animation and the creation of moving content is changing rapidly. In recent years, new production possibilities and new forms of distribution have flooded all areas of society. Not only do you have to come to terms with this fact, you also have to capitalize on it and communicate its benefit to a new, hopefully more conscious generation. Who do you work with, and what are the social, societal and ecological effects of your work? Not only do you ask yourself what you want to teach the students, above all you ask what you want to impart to them. As a designer of such an immersive medium you always have to ask yourself where it is leading the viewer, what it is saying or sometimes even screaming.

What do you like most about your work at the FH JOANNEUM?

What I enjoy most about my work is the variety and the opportunity to help shape it: in addition to intellectual activities, I also enjoy going out into the field and getting my hands dirty. It gives me great pleasure to see how the students create animations, short films, whole exhibitions or installations out of a single thought. Some of them develop in their own way, and with such unbelievable motivation that it amazes me. In the end something always emerges, and from there you develop yourself further. One way or the other.