Who is afraid of Artistic Research? (3)
One-day symposium about the epistemology and context of practice-based research
Friday 8th May, 2009, 10.00am – 4.30pm
Dundee Contemporary Arts, Nethergate 152 - Dundee DD1 4DX
Organised by: Lindsay Brown and Cornelia Sollfrank
On Friday, 8th May 2009, the PhD Forum at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee will host another one-day symposium about the context and methodologies of Artistic Research. The event is a follow-up to the two previous events held on 22 May 2008 and 23 October 2008. Like its predecessors, the symposium will again bring together an international group of leading theoreticians and reflective practitioners in the field of ‘practice-based research in art and design’.
While in Europe the discussion is comparatively young and has evolved in recent years mainly as an outcome of the Bologna reforms, practice-based art and design research in the UK has more than a decade of experience. It is one aim of the symposium to interlink these different backgrounds. Another aim is to map the terrain of the diverse approaches to practice-based research and discuss the different philosophical and art theoretical backgrounds which inform the different models.
What is the difference between research-based art and art-based research? Why would an artist want to become a researcher? Does the artist researcher conflict with the notion of artistic autonomy? What does the epistemological shift from art production to knowledge production imply for the actors involved in the field? What are the specificities and styles of artistic knowledge production? How can they become the topics of a research practice that can be regarded as both scientifically and artistically based? What are the goals of such research? What is the desired outcome? These are just some of the questions which will be explored at this event.
The framework of the ‘practice-based research in art and design’ is still very open and integrative. It allows the artist researcher to develop his/her own methodology within a research process which is highly individual and dependent on the specific subject matter. Entering the arena of ongoing discussion, negotiation and re-adjustment and engaging in the discourse about epistemology and methodology essentially contributes to constituting this freedom.
Speakers:
* Prof Dr Tom Holert (Art historian, Academy of Fine Art Vienna)
* Dr Sophia Lycouris, artist/ researcher (Edinburgh College of Art)
* Prof Hinrich Sachs (artist, Royal University College of Fine Arts Stockholm)
* Prof Dr Gavin Renwick, artist/researcher (Dundee University)
Chair: Dr Ken Neil, artist/researcher (Glasgow School of Art)
