“The test was delicious, despite my focus being on the expression of the movement and what was proposed”, said candidate for the Unicamp Dance course Carmem Souza during the break of the 2017 Entrance Examination aptitude test this Wednesday (25) , after two hours of activities. “We left the room quite tired, but with a great feeling. Dancing reduces tension and gives a lot of pleasure”, commented the young woman who, since the age of three, has been doing ballet, contemporary dance and jazz. In the practical tests this Wednesday, she guaranteed that she had a lot of fun.
At 16, Carmem is a trainer. This year she will attend her third high school in São José dos Campos, the city in the interior of São Paulo where she lives. She said she couldn't miss the opportunity to better prepare herself for the Unicamp entrance exam. She first heard about the University of Campinas through her ballet teacher, and was very interested. In her opinion, she has performed well in the tests, even though she had some difficulty in the theoretical test. Carmem is one of 70 candidates for the 25 vacancies offered by the Institute of Arts (IA).
According to professor Graziela Rodrigues, coordinator of the Dance aptitude board, the practical tests were based on intertwined approaches. In Dança do Brasil, references were sought in the Brazilian matrices of Congo and Mozambique, prioritizing resistance movements, flows, tone gradations and horizontality.
The technique and creativity tests were well integrated into the various lines of the Dance course, the only free one in the country. The stage tests visited the work of composer Naná Vasconcelos (1944-2016), who passed away last year. He was voted the best percussionist in the world eight times by the American magazine Downbeat (voted by music critics) and eight-time Grammy winner.
With this proposal, it was up to the candidates to create a choreography that could not exceed three minutes and some used costumes appropriate to the theme and technique. “For us, the candidate’s body is their own portfolio”, revealed Graziela.
This Wednesday's test involved collective work. In some moments, the movement was given, others suggested and others created. The test was meticulous and monitored by six in-house teachers. The idea is to select candidates who are best able to remain on the course. In the future, they will be able to work as teachers, dancers, choreographers, researchers, in theater, as cultural agents, etc.
Those who want to improve their skills have the chance to pursue a master's degree and a doctorate in Performing Arts in IA. “We want students to leave prepared for new forms of professional activity”, maintained Graziela. According to her, the career is glamorous, but it requires vocation and persistence from the candidate to overcome the challenges that will certainly appear.
Architecture
Whim and prior knowledge of drawing. These were the two main prerequisites for candidates for the Architecture course to take the aptitude test this Wednesday at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism (FEC). “Unicamp seeks to strongly insist on the need for drawing to be taught from an early age in schools, in primary education. The drawing language as a graphic perception has to be part of the minimum content. Art, in this case, has to come first”, commented Evandro Ziggiatti Monteiro, coordinator of the aptitude test in Architecture, professor at FEC.
“We always have a test in the morning linked to the understanding of the architect's geometric space and a test in the afternoon related to expression, memory and creativity. This format has been very productive”, guaranteed the coordinator. This year, it was the first time that there was a bridge between the morning and afternoon tests. In the morning, the students had to reveal four perspectives in a photograph using data provided on a plan. They had to do it geometrically.
The statement was based on the story of a citizen who traveled and visited an arts pavilion with his wife. There, he took photos and, when he got home, they were not good, as parts of the landscape were missing. The challenge was to ask the candidate to complete them, with some geometric data to check what was missing.
In the afternoon, the event cited the example of a renowned Chinese artist, Ai Wei Wei, who created pavilions of artistic installations in China that are pure art, including a park in the small city of Jinhua, southwest of Shanghai. The students had to design a new pavilion.
The second question involved a phrase by scientist Carl Sagan about planet Earth. The students had to create a magazine cover in which this planet was the focus. In terms of the complexity of the test, according to Evandro, a minimally prepared candidate would be able to complete it. And here's a tip from the teacher for students applying for this course: go out into the city with a sketchbook and draw whatever interests you. “Drawing language is not difficult, but it must be practiced”, he warned. “And that's the problem: the student needs to refine their work to get to college and 'swim with a bang'. Otherwise, he will waste a lot of time getting into the content of what would actually be a basic question.”
The objective of the Architecture tests was to create expression, memory and drawing language activity. "Whoever takes this course will find many interfaces with other areas. As it is based on Applied Social Sciences, it has a humanistic, exact and arts side. It is a course that opens up many perspectives, even from a cultural point of view. Many Young people will work with residential architecture, in city halls and with urban planning, dealing with master plans and housing.
“This is a good profession in a country that is still waiting to be built and improved. Our cities and spaces need to be optimized. We have to think about environmental issues, legislation and accessibility. It is an obligation. We have many old buildings that need to be adapted. We still have to think about the issue of comfort, lighting, heritage", described Evandro.
He highlighted that Architecture is eclectic and its possibilities are great in a country that is still maturing. "We have been the second course at Unicamp in terms of demand for several years. Those who enter are generally very good students. This year, there are 200 candidates for 30 places at this stage", he revealed.
On February 13th, the list of students will be published in the first call, for non-face-to-face registration, on February 14th and 15th. Follow the calendar of the Permanent Commission for Entrance Exams (Comvest) from Unicamp.
