ésam Caen/Cherbourg

DNSEP ‘Artistic Creation in a Digital Environment'

Angelique Linger — 2026-01-30T08:07:25Z

Commissions d'admissions en cours de cursus

9 February to 6 April : online enrolment (free of charge)
4th year of the Master's programme with a major in Art, specialising in Artistic Creation in Digital Environnement (DNSEP, grade Master CAEN – offered as a work-study programme in Master 2 / 5^th year)
27 to 29 May : video interviews with the selection panels

2026 dates brochure
Academic calendar
Visit our sites in 360°

Each class has a maximum of 8 students and is to open to international students.
Tuition fees are €520 per year, plus €105 for the CVEC (student contribution to university facilities) and €27 for health insurance. Students receiving grants are exempt from tuition fees and the CVEC.

Présentation

The DNSEP (Master degree) ‘Creation Artistic in a Digital Environment' is based on a comprehensive approach to digital arts and their ecology that is theoretical, practical, experimental and applied.
Working closely with the professional sector, the curriculum explores a variety of artistic spaces (virtual, sound and performance environments, in situ installations, etc.) while placing them in a historical perspective.
Designed with a versatile and professional approach, the programme prepares students for a wide range of careers, from the creation and design of works to production or mediation in the digital field.

Work-study programme

The first year of the Master's programme is very intensive and takes place entirely at ésam Caen/Cherbourg. The second year is organised on a work-study basis : between September 1 and August 31, students complete 65% of their training in a company (ie : 33 weeks) and 35% at ésam (ie : 14 weeks). They benefit from an employment contract and remuneration depending on their level of qualification and age.

Educational project

The fundamental principles that define this programme are based on several areas :<

A versatile, cross-disciplinary and professional approach.
The Master's programme trains students in :

the critical study of works ;
the acquisition of technical skills related to creative projects (coding, 3D, sound, image, electronics, AI, etc.) ; ;
the methodology, writing and implementation of an artistic project.

Digital ecology.
This is approached here both in terms of the study of the interactions of living beings with their environment and in its social and political dimensions. How can we create in an eco-responsible way with digital technologies ? How can we address the issue of the ‘Anthropocene' in the production of works ?

The notion of space.
The educational programme is structured around the exploration of different types of space :

simulated (VR, video games, etc.)
hybrid (from low-tech to creative code, analogue/digital interfacing, etc.).

Introduction to research
The teaching is based on the research-creation programme of the Laboratoire Modulaire,located in the same studio. This research laboratory hosts artists in residence and focuses on the concept of ‘spatialisation' through two complementary axes : immersion on the one hand, and physical space and its digital representation on the other.

The relationship between arts, sciences and society.
The Master's programme aims to understand, through creation, how technologies influence the development of contemporary artistic devices and forms. The programme also focuses on the technologies deployed in students' projects through productive collaborations with scientists and, downstream, by questioning the strategies for disseminating and mediating these hybrid works.

A unique and autonomous artistic network.
The programme draws on a network developed over more than 20 years, which now constitutes a very rich ecosystem, not only in terms of production and dissemination, but also in terms of the organisation of internationally recognised events..

Team and teaching

The teaching team provides a range of courses that support and nurture the completion of the diploma project at the end of the M2. The knowledge acquired in the first year is complemented by the acquisition of skills in the second year as part of a work-study programme. This allows students to affirm their professional project and gain direct, concrete experience of the realities of the sector..

Simulated spaces (3D, VR, etc.)
The representation of three-dimensional forms plays an important role in the digital environment and is present in all stages of the contemporary creative process, from project development to creation.
Mastery of digital 3D capture and design tools enables the creation of complete, autonomous environments such as animated films or interactive devices based on the principle of video games. The results can also be incorporated into more complex environments such as installations or combined with traditional techniques (engraving, ceramics, wood, etc.).
The course will provide an overview of digital uses, from creation to simulation and prototyping, through the exploration of imaginary, fictional or simulated landscapes.

Christophe Bouder (teacher, member of the Laboratoire Modulaire) teaches 3B modelling and coding. His personal work takes the form of photographs, drawings, installations, and technological objects..

Sound spaces, sound journeys, sound spatialisation, field recording, sonification
Digital audio allows sounds to be recorded with great precision and analysed using specialised software that visualises, isolates and studies their characteristics, whether audible or not (frequency, amplitude, timbre). It also offers the possibility of faithfully reproducing these sounds or transforming them through editing, effects or synthesis. Through spatialisation and multi-channel broadcasting, it can create immersive sound environments. Current tools make it possible to connect different data sources, generate audio in real time, and even create sound from images, data or physical signals, opening up new creative and analytical possibilities.

Nicolas Germain (teacher, member of the Laboratoire Modulaire) works on immersive sound spaces and non-realistic spatialisation in octophony for modular synthesizers.

Networked spaces and latent spaces(programming, open source logic, cultural studies in the digital field)
Since the emergence of social media, networked spaces have played a decisive role in our society : they structure our modes of social organisation, shape our means of communication, regulate our access to information and enable a form of globalised surveillance.
Understanding the logic, techniques and infrastructure that make up these networks allows us to address not only the artistic dimension of web languages and protocols, but also the political issues related to the implementation of algorithmic logic – from those that rank the results of a simple Google search to those that enable the generation of images or text.
This field of study thus offers a comprehensive view of contemporary uses of digital technology : from critical analysis to aesthetic experimentation, including mastery of data processing and circulation mechanisms.

Bérénice Serra (lecturer-researcher, member of the Laboratoire Modulaire) develops artistic and theoretical work on the publication of content in the digital age..

Invested spaces (in situ works, situated works)
Invested spaces allow us to understand how technologies transform our experience of place, image and body, revealing the material, architectural and sensory dimensions of digital environments. In the wake of the post-internet — which has revealed the internet as a material, social and architectural environment, permeating exhibition spaces as much as our behaviour — invested spaces shift aesthetic issues towards a situated understanding of technical devices. They invite us to consider these devices not as immaterial surfaces, but as active structures that shape our modes of attention, our gestures and our experience of space.

Laura Gozlan (teacher) is an artist trained in scenography and moving image. She designs devices where the image interacts with sculptural elements, creating perceptual spaces that shift our relationship to the body, narrative and technologies.

Knowledge of the professional environment (project design, management and monitoring
This module provides students with a solid understanding of the professional digital creation sector through mastery of the construction of artistic portfolios, the challenges of production and distribution, and the modes of collaboration, often collective, specific to these practices..
Drawing on ésam's partnerships – notably the international festival ]interstice , the regional centre for artistic creation in the digital environment (led by Oblique/s and Station Mir), the national network HACNUM and international collaborations such as Interfaculty in the Hague – the teaching approach encourages practical immersion in a variety of professional contexts. Students attend introductory research seminars, study days and lecture series, and benefit from the presence of artists in residence at the Laboratoire Modulaire.

David Dronet (teacher-member of the Laboratoire Modulaire) has been director of Station Mir since 1995 and of the interstice festival, a gathering of the unclassifiable, since 2006, and is co-founder of HACNUM and Oblique/s. He teaches the methodology of complex projects..

Hybrid spaces (creative coding and electronics, analogue/digital interfacing)
Hybrid Spaces offers a practical overview of electronic circuit design and the use of microcontrollers through code. The technical modules aim to guide these practices towards a low-tech and economical approach, drawing on resources available online and simple components such as transistors, resistors, etc. Learning to identify reliable sources, acquiring a methodology for deciphering engineering details for creative purposes, discovering soldering and prototyping : these are all steps that will provide the keys to understanding necessary for the development of a culture through practice and autonomy in the face of these electronic devices, which are often invisible in our everyday lives but very often drive artistic projects.

Alexis Choplain (technician), is a multidisciplinary artist who graduated in 2018 from the École Supérieure des Arts Visuels in Mons, Belgium, in the IDM© section. He now works mainly with sound and analogue electronics, building his own devices.
Arnaud Gabard (technician) is an entrepreneur in electronic and software engineering, 3D printing and lightweight mechanical design. He supports students and artists alike in their technological challenges..

Professional integration

Artists/authors (installations, performances, online projects, VR and XR projects, algorithmic works, etc.)
Design and management of projects and events
Executive production of hybrid projects
Management of event teams, cultural venues and digital arts festivals
Cultural mediation in the field of digital arts
Performing arts professions (set design, etc.)
Further doctoral studies, participation in research-creation projects, etc.
Teaching
Technical management.

Contacts for registration

[scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

Fatima El Kaddoumi : f.elkaddoumi@esam-c2.fr / +33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
Shirley Herbreteau : s.herbreteau@esam-c2.fr / +33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
Nahomie Labussière : n.labussiere@esam-c2.fr
Juliette Louis-Philippe : j.louis-philippe@esam-c2.fr / +33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

By appointment in person from Tuesday to Thursday, only after requesting an appointment by email.

Degrees

France Jacquel-Blanc — 2023-01-11T09:14:40Z

Training in creation through creation

ésam Caen/Cherbourg is a school of all possibilities, from discovery to plastic experimentation, from initiation to mastery of techniques, from reflection to understanding the challenges of contemporary art. Open to the world, today's creators are also invited to invent the forms and professions of tomorrow.

Studies at ésam Caen/Cherbourg are characterized by a global approach to art and design. This approach emphasizes the articulation between theory and practice on the one hand, and between creation and technique on the other. Cross-disciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and experimentation allow for the validation of specific skills as well as a great capacity for creation and adaptation after school.

Diplomas

The training is organized in three successive cycles of study sanctioned by diplomas which, through the implementation of a project-based pedagogy, progressively place the students' personal project at the heart of their training :

The National Diploma of Art (Bachelor degree)
The first cycle of studies, lasting three years, gives students the fundamental theoretical and technical tools of artistic practice and leads them to the discovery and development of their personal work. Our two diplomas are :

DNA in Art
DNA in Graphic Design

After a first year of strong immersion and discovery common to all students of the school, the entry in the second year is marked by the choice of the option : Art or Graphic Design. In the 3rd year, the process of elaboration, defense and presentation of the diploma begins, allowing the implementation of an autonomous methodology that aims to develop a singular work.

The National Superior Diploma of Plastic Expression (Master degree)
The second cycle, which lasts two years after obtaining the DNA, is essentially devoted to the preparation of the diploma. Before entering the 4th year, students choose one of the Master's degree courses offered by the school :

DNSEP in Art with a major in Art
DNSEP in Art, Creation in a Digital Environment
DNSEP in Design with a specialization in Editions
DNSEP in Design, Creation & Territorial Projects.

Students develop their personal practice while continuing their courses and workshops, and initiate a reflection in dialogue with their work through their thesis, as well as a collective reflection through the organization of initiation to research seminars.

RADIAN (PhD)
After obtaining the DNSEP, students can apply for the RADIAN (Research in Art, Design, Innovation, Architecture in Normandy) doctorate in artistic creation and research, carried since 2018 by ésam Caen/Cherbourg, the École supérieure d'art et design Le Havre-Rouen (ESADHaR), the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Normandie and the doctoral school 558 "History, Memory, Heritage, Language" within Normandie-Université.

Contacts

scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

Events

webmaster — 2019-04-10T07:43:31Z

- Studies

Admission

webmaster — 2018-10-04T12:17:54Z

Pedagogy in Art schools is very specific and not suitable for everyone's needs and character. Selecting students through exams and commissions is a way to spot the candidates with enough motivation and a desire to engage in studies that require at the same time liberty, autonomy and rigor.

Ésam Caen/Cherbourg is part of a national progam about equality of chances in Art and Design schools, supported by the Fondation Culture et Diversité (Culture and Diversity Foundation). It aims at giving access to the French public Art and Design schools led by the Ministry of Culture to candidates from underprivileged high schools.

Tuition fees for 2025-2026 :

520€ per year (only 360€ for the students who benefit from a government financial help) + 27€ for health services + 105€ for access to Caen University's social services (free for students who benefit from a government financial help and asylum seekers).

Contact for registration :

scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

Technical workshops

webmaster — 2018-10-04T12:15:22Z

Whether it is in the frame of a course or for personal work, students can reach to the technicians in the workshop of their choice : they will have guidance through every step of the conception and realization of their work. The technicians also provide training modules to first-year students.

Technical workshops are open from 8:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 18:30. For personal projects please make an appointment with the technician.

On the campus of Caen, the technical workshops are gathered in poles :

Volume : ceramics (Alexandre Daull and Séverine Dufust), wood (Xavier Leprettre), metal (Pedro Victor).
Print : printmaking (Julien Pelletier), silkscreen printing (Simon Grépinet) and lithography (Théophile Berthemet), along with print (Vincent Coatantiec).
Image and sound : photography (Michèle Gottstein and Jeanne Dubois-Pacquet), video (Eddy Manerlax), sound (Cécile Ortola-Vanhove), multimedia (Agathe Ruelland-Rémy and Thierry Topic) and modular studio (Alexis Choplain and Arnaud Gabard).

Contacts

scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

Staff

France Jacquel-Blanc — 2018-10-04T12:12:37Z

They work with the students individually or collectively during workshops, ateliers, theoretical classes, seminars, interview and evaluations. They often invite guest lecturers or artists to enrich their courses and give new points of view on the students' work.

Some teachers have been chosen by their peers to coordinate the studies :

Alexandre Rolla, coordinator of the first year (DNA1)
Abir Belaid, coordinator of the Graphic Design department (DNA2 and DNA3)
Phil Stephens, coordinator of the Art department (DNA2 and DNA3)
Camille Azaïs, coordinator of the Master degree in Design, major in Éditions (DNSEP1 and DNSEP2)
Pierre Tatu, coordinator of the Master degree in Art, major in Art (DNSEP 1 et DNSEP2)
David Dronet, coordinator of the Master degree in Art, major in Art, Creation in a Digital Environment
Brice Giacalone, coordinator of the Master degree in Design, major in Design, Creation & Territorial Projects

Teaching staff :

Deepak Ananth, Camille Azaïs, Julie Bassinot, Juliet Bates, Abir Belaïd, Christophe Bouder, Laurent Buffet, Pedro Cardoso, Simonetta Cargioli, Muriel Couteau, David Dronet, (Sarah Fouquet), Nicolas Germain, Brice Giacalone, Laura Gozlan, Catherine Guiral, (Lina Hentgen), Benjamin Hochart, Adeline Keil, Alice Laguarda, Thomas Leblond, Nicolas Lelièvre, Myriam Mechita, Evelise Millet, Isabelle Prim, Alice Ricci, Maxence Rifflet, Alexandre Rolla, (Bérénice Serra), Johannes Sivertsen, Phil Stephens, Pierre Tatu, Thierry Weyd et Emmanuel Zwenger.

Technical staff :

Vincent Coatantiec (printing workshop), Alexis Choplain and Arnaud Gabard (modular studio), Alexandre Daull and Séverine Dufust (ceramics workshop), Michèle Gottstein and Jeanne Dubois-Pacquet (photography workshop), Simon Grépinet (silk-screen printing workshop), Xavier Leprettre (wood workshop), Eddy Manerlax (video workshop), Julien Pelletier (printmaking workshop), Cécile Ortola-Vanhove (sound workshop), Théophile Berthemet (lithography workshop), Thierry Topic and Agathe Ruelland-Rémy (Multimedia workshop) and Pierre Victor (metal workshop).

Administrative staff :

Claire Migraine (Bachelor/Master studies), Fatima El Kaddoumi, Shirley Herbreteau, Nahomi Labussière and Juliette Louis-Philippe (Bachelor/Master student affairs) and France Jacquel-Blanc (international relations).

Logistics staff :

Shadan Adl (technical director), Martin Provost (multipurpose technician), Camilo Bayter (auditorium and exhibition room technician), Loïse Cesne and Laëtitia Argacié (reception).

Information for students

France Jacquel-Blanc — 2018-10-02T12:23:59Z

Students timetables are accessible here (French only).

Students rooms are open from Monday to Thursday from 8h30 to 22h and on Friday from 8h30 to 20h.

Technical workshops are open from 8h30 to 12h30 and 13h30 to 18h30 (17h30 on Friday). The IT room (on Floor 1) is accessible in self-service from 8h30 to 22h (20h on Friday).
In order to work on a personal project in a technical workshop you should make an appointment with the technician.

The students organization was created by students in order to allow the purchase of material at a lower price. Parties, exhibitions and sales are also organized by the students so that they can show their work inside and outside the school. Contact : asso.etudiants@esam-c2.fr

Academic calendar 2025/26 :
8 September : Beginning of the first semester
27 October to 2 November : Autumn break
22 December to 4 January : Christmas break
1 December to 27 January : First semester exams
2 February : Beginning of the second semester
23 February to 1 March : Winter break
20 to 26 April : Spring break
19 May to 30 June : Second semester exams and diplomas

In addition to the job offers, calls and ads frequently published on the right side of this page, you can find many offers on the following websites : FRAAP (you need to register to the newsletter to receive them), CNAP, CIPAC and ANDéA. Artists, institutions, companies or individuals who would like to publish an ad for the students should write to info@esam-c2.fr.

ésam Caen/Cherbourg FAQ (French only)

Guide for helps and procedures (French only)

Contacts

scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

Admission to the first year of studies

France Jacquel-Blanc — 2018-09-27T06:56:45Z

For whom ?

Candidates must be curious and open-minded youngsters with a feel for culture and arts. They must hold a Baccalauréat (A-levels or equivalent) and be under 35 years old. Foreign candidates should have a minimum French level of B2. Preparatory year is not mandatory.

What for ?

To satisfy your tremendous curiosity and your taste for experimentation. To engage in exciting studies and feed your artistic practice, your general knowledge and your critical mind. To obtain a European degree allowing you to spend a semester abroad.

If you are worried about entering higher education straight away or unsure about your choice of career, or if you do not feel ready to pass the entrance exam yet, you are free to register for the school's preparatory class located on Cherbourg campus. Registration for admission to the prep class happens after the results of the first year's entrance exams.

How to register ?

Registration is only possible through the general higher education platform Parcoursup :

Registration on Parcoursup from January 19th to March 12th, 2026
Online publication of test subjects on April 10
Answers to be submitted online by April 27
Videoconference interviews from May 4 to 6

The 2025 entrance exam for ésam Caen/Cherbourg includes three admission tests :

An interview with a jury of teachers (coefficient 4) and a plastic test (coefficient 3), combined into a single mark (coefficient 7)
A written test of general artistic culture (coefficient 2).

Archives (in French only) :

• entrance exam 2024
• entrance exam 2023
• entrance exam 2022
• entrance exam 2021

Contacts for registration

scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13

Admission to the following years of studies

France Jacquel-Blanc — 2018-09-27T06:56:43Z

For whom ?

Students who have validated one or several years of studies in one of the Art schools led by the French Ministry of Culture go through a “commission d'admission”. Students who have validated at least two years of studies in another art school, in France or abroad go through a “commission d'équivalence”.
Last year, 40% of the candidates came from an Art school, 40% from a Technical degree and 20% from University.

What for ?

By asserting their former experience and showing a strong wish (for themselves and for the school) to join one of the courses offered at ésam Caen/Cherbourg, candidates can be included in the second or the third year of the Bachelor degree in Art or Graphic Design, or a Master degree.
Among the 117 applications received in 2017, 36 have been accepted (10 in the second year of Graphic Design, 9 in the second year of Fine Arts and 10 in the fourth year of Fine Arts).

How to register ?

After applying online, the candidates are called for an interview with a jury of teachers, taking place at the school in June. They must bring a portfolio of their work and show great motivation.

Contacts for registration

scolarite@esam-c2.fr
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 12
+33 (0)2 14 37 25 13